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<blockquote data-quote="Ariosto" data-source="post: 5039646" data-attributes="member: 80487">Why else call them &quot;too many&quot;?Of how many can you keep track?The greater the scope, the broader the strokes, I think.For instance, how many sides were there in the First World War? WW2? It's like the question of how many miles of coastline there are: a 'fractal' complexity that increases as you consider the whole to greater levels of resolution.That can create problems in verisimilitude, while practical problems come with tracking the progress of affairs.&quot;There are eight million stories in the naked city,&quot; but, as a practical matter, most of the world lies beyond one's &quot;event horizon&quot;. All I know about ExploderWizard or Sadric is what I learn here, and that barely scratches the surface. Of their neighbors, I know nothing.Large-scale things are pretty familiar, and suggest some sorts of things one is likely to find on a slightly closer look. A vagrant newly wandering into a little frontier town is not likely to know beforehand much of what's going on, unless events have somehow taken on wider -- and more widely recognized -- significance. A native of a big city might know of general trends in violent crime, and even have heard of some particular cases, but that's different from personally facing an attack.So, one can prepare situations to spring on players in appropriate circumstances. The key to verisimilitude is consistency with what they know. One key to a good wide-open scenario is giving them plenty of opportunities to learn more in advance of choosing their courses.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Ariosto, post: 5039646, member: 80487"] Why else call them "too many"? Of how many can you keep track? The greater the scope, the broader the strokes, I think. For instance, how many sides were there in the First World War? WW2? It's like the question of how many miles of coastline there are: a 'fractal' complexity that increases as you consider the whole to greater levels of resolution. That can create problems in verisimilitude, while practical problems come with tracking the progress of affairs. "There are eight million stories in the naked city," but, as a practical matter, most of the world lies beyond one's "event horizon". All I know about ExploderWizard or Sadric is what I learn here, and that barely scratches the surface. Of their neighbors, I know nothing. Large-scale things are pretty familiar, and suggest some sorts of things one is likely to find on a slightly closer look. A vagrant newly wandering into a little frontier town is not likely to know beforehand much of what's going on, unless events have somehow taken on wider -- and more widely recognized -- significance. A native of a big city might know of general trends in violent crime, and even have heard of some particular cases, but that's different from personally facing an attack. So, one can prepare situations to spring on players in appropriate circumstances. The key to verisimilitude is consistency with what they know. One key to a good wide-open scenario is giving them plenty of opportunities to learn more in advance of choosing their courses. [/QUOTE]

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