Grounding Players in a Setting

[Fat Daddy]

Make the setting reactive to them and they will start to care.

The easiest way I've found to get players interested in the setting is to let them have a hand in crafting it, ...You don't need to allow players to create large chunks of a setting, but allowing them to add small things to make their characters feel like a part of the world helps a lot. Among other things, I've allowed players to draw up the holy symbols of their deities, write a history about their family's swords, and come up with information about their guild. There's usually some compromising that has to be done to keep the new information consistent with what's already established, but it's usually quite worth it. First of all, it saves work on the DM's part. Second and most importantly, the players become extremely invested in the setting when they have a sense of ownership about it.

I quite agree with both of these ideas. It doesn't even have to be that a particular character sees how his actions change the world, as long as the player does. For instance, in a campaign I was in a few years ago, we had just finished up a huge campaign arc and were starting a new arc with new characters. Well, we visited a small little berg that our previous characters had saved from some minor threat when they were low level (I think 3 or 4). Imagine our surprise and pleasure when we see, smack dab in the middle of the town square, slightly larger than life size statues of our previous characters!!! We had a blast talking to the townsfolk and 'learning' about these legendary heroes.
We knew that our actions affected the campaign world and it made us really think through some actions that may have just been glossed over before that. We were concerned about how our actions would affect the campaign world.
We have created organizations within the church hierarchy and fleshed out towns/cities that the DM's notes consisted mainly of a name and not much else.
Dang, I miss that campaign.
But I'm rambling so I will sum up. I agree that allowing the players to flesh out the campaign world (in small ways) and making the world reactive to player actions (and inactions) are both great ways to make the players invested in the campaign world and care about what happens to it.

 

[Airam_A_Thesius]

First, excellent thread.

In my experience, a DM must also play the part of a psychologist a little. Every player/character behaves differently and it's up to the DM it entice them somehow using the circumstances of the setting. A few things can be done before the game to tie the characters into the setting, things most DM's think about, but few players (except the good ones.)

1. I remind the players that their characters were something else before they became a 'Fighter'. I encourage them to keep that in mind and to think of something their character did at a younger age. I love getting backgrounds from players because it usually gives me more ideas than my own brainstorms, but it's not necessary so long as the DM and player both understand the high points of the characters background.

2. I always make sure the players make their characters at least a couple of days before we actually play. That gives me time to think about what they are expecting out of the game, especially since as their making their characters they'll be chatting about what they want to do with them. Also, for character death, I find it crutial to only bring in a new character at proper times of the game. I know it seems unfair but the game retains it's realism, and it has a secondary effect. Players will be a little more attached to their characters if their death means being out of the game for a while. It's a dirty trick I know, but it works.

Just a few ideas, I think the above has already been covered in some sense, but I wanted to put my own words in there.

 

[MerricB]

Consider also two basic types of player.

Type "A" creates things in advance, in detail. This is the sort of person who gives the DM a five-page history of their PC, with plot hooks, enemies, childhood friends, etc.

Type "B" creates things on the fly in response to the campaign. This is the person who starts with a brief description ("Brash Pilot") and ends up with a perfectly rounded character through play.

I'm of the "B" persuasion. I create things in response to the needs of the game. I go from a vague description ("The Fomorians are invading") to the specifics as they come up.

Cheers!

 

[Hussar]

Type "B" creates things on the fly in response to the campaign. This is the person who starts with a brief description ("Brash Pilot") and ends up with a perfectly rounded character through play.

I think I'm more of a B type as well. There is a danger, IMO, when players come up with intricately detailed backgrounds, that the work will be ignored. For example, if the campaign is mobile, which many are, with the party moving from place to place, the effects of your hometown aren't really going to be seen in the game.

Backgrounds need to be tailored to the campaign.

There's a bit of a balancing act for the DM between communicating specifics about the campaign and overloading the players with information. With that in mind, what, in your opinion, should a "campaign overview" be?

IMO, a campaign overview should be about 500-1000 words - about 1-2 pages or so - long. Break it down in very concrete terms what the campaign will focus on. Not so much the actual history of the campaign world, but, more of a meta-game level of where the campaign will focus. The document should include the following (in no particular order):

• Expected character power and chargen rules. eg. "This campaign will likely go from levels x to y. These books are for use during chargen. Anything else must be vetted by me before going into play. The campaign is going to be high/middle/low fantasy featuring lots/some/a little combat and lots/some/a little role play and NPC interaction."
• A one paragraph dust jacket version of the campaign.
• Any specific rule changes that the PC's need to know right now. For example, arcane casting in Scarred Lands generates heat which doubles armor casting failure.
• Any additional information that the players MUST KNOW RIGHT NOW. The history of the kingdom for the last 500 years is not the place for this. The founding of the city of Cauldron is not the place for this. That weapons are not legal to carry in the City of Shelzar (which the players are in) without being peace bound is. I'm not sure what does go in here, that will vary from campaign to campaign, but, it needs to be specific and must apply to the party. Otherwise, don't put it here.

Did you ever play the computer game Baldur's Gate? In BG, there are books all over the place which describe the setting. Really interesting to those who want to know, but, easily ignored by those that don't. A similar approach can be done in game. Bards in the tavern are telling history stories - the players can either listen or ignore it and a thirty second monologue by the DM once in a while isn't going to tax their attention span. NPC interactions include both verbal and visual cues of the setting - perhaps someone starts off a conversation with an anecdote about local history, the waitress recommends a local dish, fashions are mentioned in descriptions that sort of thing.

I guess my point here is that campaign presentation can be done throughout the campaign. It doesn't have to be presented as a complete package at the start of the campaign. Like spice, a little goes a long way.