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<blockquote data-quote="clearstream" data-source="post: 8837087" data-attributes="member: 71699">What is your view when the lore is Tolkien? (Thinking about the coming 5e version of The One Ring by the Free League.)Implied in your OP is a distinction in the quality of lore. From &quot;thought up at the moment&quot; to &quot;Tolkien&quot;. I think there is a related distinction, too, that participants in an RPG make. They decide to what extent preestablished fiction will prevail over in-the-moment-fiction. The characterisation &quot;thought up at the moment&quot; would seem to relegate in-the-moment-fiction to a lower quality than preestablished fiction. That contradicts the argument being made, which I think urges toward the value of in-the-moment fiction overwriting or filling in for preestablished.It's not all or nothing. A group may have lore pillars - preestablished fiction (such as fictional persons) that they may learn more about, but in regard to which they already hold some preestablished truths. Their game benefits from and often unravels out of those truths. And then as implied by &quot;learn more about&quot;, they may have blank spaces and lore that is lightly held.Broadly speaking, lore is not all of an ilk. I think you have that right. I agree with the sense in the OP that one should not be too precious about it. On the other hand, I think a game can benefit greatly from having some well-wrought lore that a group chooses to be precious about.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="clearstream, post: 8837087, member: 71699"] What is your view when the lore is Tolkien? (Thinking about the coming 5e version of The One Ring by the Free League.) Implied in your OP is a distinction in the quality of lore. From "thought up at the moment" to "Tolkien". I think there is a related distinction, too, that participants in an RPG make. They decide to what extent preestablished fiction will prevail over in-the-moment-fiction. The characterisation "thought up at the moment" would seem to relegate in-the-moment-fiction to a lower quality than preestablished fiction. That contradicts the argument being made, which I think urges toward the value of in-the-moment fiction overwriting or filling in for preestablished. It's not all or nothing. A group may have lore pillars - preestablished fiction (such as fictional persons) that they may learn more about, but in regard to which they already hold some preestablished truths. Their game benefits from and often unravels out of those truths. And then as implied by "learn more about", they may have blank spaces and lore that is lightly held. Broadly speaking, lore is not all of an ilk. I think you have that right. I agree with the sense in the OP that one should not be too precious about it. On the other hand, I think a game can benefit greatly from having some well-wrought lore that a group chooses to be precious about. [/QUOTE]

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