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Message: <blockquote data-quote="pemerton" data-source="post: 8371304" data-attributes="member: 42582">The "Draw Maps, Leave Blanks" principle from Dungeon World is fairly well known. From p 152 of the rulebook:Dungeon World exists mostly in the imaginations of the people playing it; maps help everyone stay on the same page. You won’t always be drawing them yourself, but any time there’s a new location described make sure it gets added to a map. When you draw a map don’t try to make it complete. Leave room for the unknown. As you play you’ll get more ideas and the players will give you inspiration to work with. Let the maps expand and change.I thought I'd see what others think of the Burning Wheel approach to this, from the Adventure Burner and reprinted in the Codex. From pp 64-66 of the latter book:A setting for Burning Wheel is broad, composed of brush strokes and vague pronouncements, punctuated by a handful of details. The items that get listed on each character sheet - traits, skills and gear - are the only setting details that truly matter. They are the most vital elements of any setting. Population, geography and culture are all secondary. . . . Don't fill in you setting all at once. Don't front-load. Sketch out the broad lines - some geographical, some political, some cultural - but leave the precise details to be filled in later as needed. Focus on the immediate details. Flesh out the space that's directly in the path of the players' Beliefs and relationships. Make some notes about possible contingencies, but I strongly urge you to refrain from "world building." . . . World building can be great fun, an exciting exercise for the imagination, but in Burning Wheel, it often creates an impediment to thoroughly and accurately challenging Beliefs. . . . So as you test for Circles, note the NPCs found. Build a list of contacts over time. As you explore each new place, give it a culture and a climate. Make it memorable and inspiring. . . . On occasion, it can be fun playing someone else's world. . . . [T]reat canon lightly. Consider all those familiar places and fascinating backstories as toys for you to play with. They're a source to draw from, but also exist to be changed. And finally, stay clear of "the plot."There's obviously room here for differences of opinion and differences of approach. I personally prefer the BW approach: I think it really encourages leaning into play, and looking to play to carry the game, rather than falling back onto pre-authored material as a "crutch" or even alternative to play here-and-now.Of course this only works if we bring the right resources into play. The BW advice draws attention to that intimate connection between the elements of PC build, and the way setting is used in the game.</blockquote>

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