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Message: <blockquote data-quote="rmcoen" data-source="post: 8270471" data-attributes="member: 6692404">(Apologies, I skipped the previous 11 pages of comments)Answering the original question:  I think players should (and are encouraged to) participate in populating the world with their relationships, in cooperation with the GM.  I think some players are very capable of unbiasedly contributing places and organizations to a game world, and others are not.  And they can choose to participate, or not.  Sometimes what results from their input is vastly larger than their kernel, as I build and design and go crazy with it; sometimes it's "sure, Aunt Mary lives two hours south."I have seen some hose rules around that specifically encourage such participation by giving PCs a token, plus an additional for each point of CHA bonus; players can turn in a token at any time in the game to say "Hey, I know this person!"  Like the bouncer at the bar, or the guard at the Count's front gate, or the armorer in this town, whatever.In my current campaign, I told the players "You're all children of the Frontier Barons, each from a different family.  You can't be the heir.  Tell me the name of your barony (and family, if different), the name of the barony's capital, and what your barony is known for."  I got1) dwarven cleric, second son, mom's a druid and big brother is a druid; the barony produces metal goods and crafts, but also herbal remedies and healing potions.  They are mining across the River, in goblin-held territory.2) human bard, black sheep, wants nothing to do with his family - wants to make it on his own.  Three older brothers are tired of fetching him back, so as long as he doesn't use the family name, he's left alone.  Their barony supplies the North Fort, and trades with the aloof elves whose forest is technically within their barony.3) changeling rogue, switched in a fire, parents don't know.  Main city so detailed, I (DM) made it the main setting of the campaign.  Personal details so numerous (and drawn) that I also created a roving band of adventurer/tinker/merchants that are the PC's actual family, and rumors pop up every so often.  Three older "brothers", all skilled military men.4) half-sea-elf warlock, thrown out of wizard school, barony provides best ranger types due to policing the Tainted swamp that borders their lands (and grows), produces herbal remedies from the strange mutant plants in the swamps.  [I made them friendly competitors to the dwarven clan's druidic-influenced herbs.]  No siblings... and mom (the sea elf) isn't the Baroness!and...5) "Nope, I'm not a baron's kid.  I'm a marine from the empire to the south, discharged, acting as a military consultant in the main river town."  This PC has a monk sidekick (read: "if my PC dies, I have a backup built already") who is "off-camera" doing other things, and an Ancient Artifact (non-magical wondrous item).So from my players' participation, I got 4 baronies, a merchant clan of changelings, a start on a military org to the south, a mercantile competition (and created house rules for the herbal remedies available), a Wizard school (and reasons why they would have thrown out a baron's kid), some political options, a set of plot hooks (the Tainted swamp - what is Taint, how is it created/removed - what lives there, why was the marine discharged, what's the monk sidekick doing, how do the goblins feel about the dwarven mining colony? Why don't the elves trade with anyone else?), an additional dwarven clan (who makes the Empire Navy's "cannons"?), and a good dozen interesting NPCs (like a druid-dwarf in a world where generally only the goblinoids have druidic magic, an estranged sea-elf mistress, who switched out the changeling baby and where's the Baron's original daughter, etc.)Participation is a wonderful thing!</blockquote>

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