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<blockquote data-quote="clark411" data-source="post: 724735" data-attributes="member: 4768">I think it's of utmost importance for a DM to explain, perhaps not fully, his or her &quot;vision&quot; of what the campaign will be like, including it's setting and history.&nbsp; Otherwise, (and this may be totally acceptible mind you), it'll be usually assumed that it's a European middle ages / high middle ages medium fantasy realm where adventurers are &quot;adventurers&quot; who make parties called &quot;parties&quot; usually who go off to fight things and kill them, gain experience and levels.&nbsp; Going strictly by the PHB, that's what a player should be expected, without looking at their own individual case by case roleplay baggage, to do and understand without having anything explained.&nbsp; I mean- look at it chapter wise.&nbsp; Abilities, Races, Classes, Skills, Feats, Description (6 pages), Equipment, Combat, Adventuring, Magic, Spells.Unless the above is exactly what yer going for, it's critical to explain things, or at least use the first few adventures to showcase what is expected / how things work.&nbsp; The smallest things, common forms of salutations that differenciate that world from the real one (instead of saying Hello, saying Juntari's Blessings upon you and your kin) will help people get a subconscious understanding of how the world works- and what's most important to the culture yer aiming at.&nbsp; Also, I think it's important to guide players for awhile with how to act in certain situations, and be somewhat lax in strictness with regards to some knowledge rolls.&nbsp; I've seen new players to campaigns be required to make knowledge history checks to know what happened a year or two ago, and asked to make diplomacy rolls to approach somewhat properly when they're asking how to appropriately roleplay something as simple as saying hello in (to them) an alien culture.&nbsp; Knowledge of how the world works is very empowering to players.&nbsp; Usually, being unsure means messing up, or inappropriately acting idiotic by keeping one's trap shut.&nbsp; This hardly means that a DM would be well served by saying &quot;Okay, you're on a desert isle, and 500 miles away to the southeast on the mainland the duke plots the death of the king,&quot; but getting at least a sense of the world is absolutely KEY!unless of course, it isn't for you, or your players.&nbsp; I guess it should go without saying that asking them for input on your input would be best.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="clark411, post: 724735, member: 4768"] I think it's of utmost importance for a DM to explain, perhaps not fully, his or her "vision" of what the campaign will be like, including it's setting and history. Otherwise, (and this may be totally acceptible mind you), it'll be usually assumed that it's a European middle ages / high middle ages medium fantasy realm where adventurers are "adventurers" who make parties called "parties" usually who go off to fight things and kill them, gain experience and levels. Going strictly by the PHB, that's what a player should be expected, without looking at their own individual case by case roleplay baggage, to do and understand without having anything explained. I mean- look at it chapter wise. Abilities, Races, Classes, Skills, Feats, Description (6 pages), Equipment, Combat, Adventuring, Magic, Spells. Unless the above is exactly what yer going for, it's critical to explain things, or at least use the first few adventures to showcase what is expected / how things work. The smallest things, common forms of salutations that differenciate that world from the real one (instead of saying Hello, saying Juntari's Blessings upon you and your kin) will help people get a subconscious understanding of how the world works- and what's most important to the culture yer aiming at. Also, I think it's important to guide players for awhile with how to act in certain situations, and be somewhat lax in strictness with regards to some knowledge rolls. I've seen new players to campaigns be required to make knowledge history checks to know what happened a year or two ago, and asked to make diplomacy rolls to approach somewhat properly when they're asking how to appropriately roleplay something as simple as saying hello in (to them) an alien culture. Knowledge of how the world works is very empowering to players. Usually, being unsure means messing up, or inappropriately acting idiotic by keeping one's trap shut. This hardly means that a DM would be well served by saying "Okay, you're on a desert isle, and 500 miles away to the southeast on the mainland the duke plots the death of the king," but getting at least a sense of the world is absolutely KEY! unless of course, it isn't for you, or your players. I guess it should go without saying that asking them for input on your input would be best. [/QUOTE]

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