Ideas for introducing setting material through play (and making it fun)

[Kzach]

In a previous thread I asked people how to go about reducing and focusing setting information so as not to overwhelm players. One of the suggestions was to introduce setting concepts through play. Part of my resistance to that was that I felt a player should already know certain things before 1st-level (of any system), in particular things their character would know simply from having grown up in the setting.

I came up with a compromise idea. I'm going to run a pre-1st-level session with the core concept of the characters growing up together in the same town as friends that form a bond through their experiences whilst growing up. This would involve very short mini-adventures packed into one session all of which have the aim to high-light certain setting aspects. Once the session is done, we can start again from scratch with entirely new characters with no association to these ones; the primary goal is to simply give the players the information I feel it is necessary for them to know, in a fun and engaging manner that doesn't feel like homework.

A for instance is a mini-adventure where the PC's (as young children, statted up with some skills and whatnot) are given the task of buying an item from a merchant and are entrusted with a bag of coin for the job. The job was given to them as they were playing in the streets by a strange, heavily cloaked man who promised them a good bit of pay for the task. The adventure comes in when they find that the coinage the person gave them was orcish in origin (I have a major civilised orc nation as part of my setting) and the merchant won't accept it. The end result is that they end up aiding in the capture of an orc spy. In the meantime, they learn about several of the major currencies in the setting.

So, what I'm after is some brain-storming of ideas on what other situations I could engineer like this that would help highlight aspects of my setting but can be self-contained mini-adventures that wouldn't take up more than about 15-30 minutes of gameplay each. My goal would be to run at least six to eight of these mini-adventures before moving on to the proper campaign.

Since my setting is pretty much a generic fantasy setting with my own twists, whatever you can think of that you feel would be worth highlighting from a generic fantasy setting, will easily work with or could be quickly adapted to my setting. And by keeping it generic and open, hopefully the thread ends up being a spur for others as well.

 

[The Shaman]

Crime and Punishment: The adventurers witness a violation of a local law and are called upon to testify during the trial.

Who is responsible for adjudicating the law? What is the process for conducting a trial? What is considered evidence? What are the range of penalties, civil or criminal? What are the unusual features, such as judicial champions, weregilds, penal servitude, et cetera? How does the process here differ from crime and punishment elsewhere?

 

[RedTonic]

My suggestion is based on what I'm starting a campaign with, so I hope you don't mind (and I hope someone finds it useful). Where the party begins is essentially part of the empire's heartland; the empire itself is divided into kingships and lesser provinces. To help the players gain knowledge of the province in which they begin (and in which one PC is a minor noble of the blood), I am having them embark on a 20-day patrol.

The aim of the patrol in metagame terms is to
+ help them come to grips with the troubles and economy of their starting area and
+ allow them to meet some travelers to give a taste of what the surrounding provinces are like (which are for all intents and purposes foreign countries, as none of the PCs have ever left their starting province).
+ Plus of helping the ranger character learn her survival, foraging, and tracking role as it fits into the local geography.

The organization on whose behalf the group is patrolling is also a minor empire-wide power; this gives the group
+ a chance to understand how the organization works (think a cross between the Pony Express and Interpol) and
+ how others perceive the organization.
+ It's also a solid lesson in local politics.

ETA:
At some point they will also be called upon to participate in the trial of a heretic. Religion is a big deal in my setting (though not nearly as intricate as in Sepulchrave's!). This is mostly a quick and dirty way of showing them where the orthodox path is and what the consequences of straying are. The Shaman reminded me. (One PC is a paladin, another is a cleric--so it's good for them to learn.)

 

[Umbran]

First, I think, is the job of picking the meaningful bits.

For example, the fact that there's different coinage in your world, honestly, is a fiddly bit that I wouldn't focus on. If/when a character first came upon such a coin in game, I'd simply say, "Yes, you've seen one of those before - it's from the orcish nation to the north (or east, or in rthe mountains, or whatever)."

To me, the meaningful bit is that there *is* an orcish nation to the north, and that there's reason for them to send spies into your country! Coin-types are not a major reason to adventure, but spies and intrigue are.

Things that are easily to elucidate in such a session:

Political state: what nations are around, and how they relate to one another. Who are the major political players (kings, local lords, guilds, and so on).

Race relations: what races exist in the world, and how they get along (or fail to get along).

Safety: are monsters raiding every village, or is it basically safe to travel around. Are the spaces between towns loaded with bandits, or are they under control?

The state of magic: how common are spellcasters, magic items and so forth. Does every town have one or more clerics? Are wizards and sorcerers hunted down and shot?

 

[Theo R Cwithin]

What aspects of the setting would you like these mciro-adventures to focus on?
Do you have a list of specific topics you'd want the players know by the end of this intro session? That might help others come up with some relevant plots.

 

[the Jester]

A good way to "quick-feed" little bits info in game is to have constantly updated random rumor charts, which your players can roll on when they hang in the marketplace or visit the tavern.