Mouseferatu
Hero
Well, I've pretty much decided that I will be putting the files up. Whether I put them on Livejournal or just put the text files on my webspace and link to 'em, I'm not sure yet. I'll let you know when they're up, which should be in the next few days.
So far as only handing out short bits of info, I do that with some worlds. In this particular case, though, there are a couple of mitigating factors.
First, because this world has evolved over almost two decades (as opposed to be just creating it for this next game), there's a lot of material like the calendar and list of holidays, or a description of the four moons. This is stuff that I do not expect the players to memorize, but I want them to have access to it.
Second, one of the files is basically a 2K-word broad-strokes overview of the previous campaigns. This is partially because the first group I ran in this world is now the basis for many of the world's legends, but also because I don't want the newcomer to the world to feel like he's lacking in information the "veterans" possess. (And incidentally, the newcomer is the guy most likely to actually read all the stuff I give him...)
Third, everything I've included is stuff the characters would know. Not every one of them might know every detail, but all of them know most of it, and between them they know all of it. It inlcudes just a paragraph or two on the major kingdoms, currency, basic recent history, the pantheon, various factions and organizations and cults, PC races, alterations from the main book on certain monster races (flavor-wise and culturally, not mechanically), and the like.
Fourth and most improtant, I don't expect my players to memorize al this. I'll ask them to read through it, and I think most of them will. I'm looking for basic familiarity, not expertise.
If I was dealing with a group of people I didn't know well, or all of whom were newcomers to my playing style, I would certainly give much less information. Don't want to scare people.
So far as only handing out short bits of info, I do that with some worlds. In this particular case, though, there are a couple of mitigating factors.
First, because this world has evolved over almost two decades (as opposed to be just creating it for this next game), there's a lot of material like the calendar and list of holidays, or a description of the four moons. This is stuff that I do not expect the players to memorize, but I want them to have access to it.
Second, one of the files is basically a 2K-word broad-strokes overview of the previous campaigns. This is partially because the first group I ran in this world is now the basis for many of the world's legends, but also because I don't want the newcomer to the world to feel like he's lacking in information the "veterans" possess. (And incidentally, the newcomer is the guy most likely to actually read all the stuff I give him...)
Third, everything I've included is stuff the characters would know. Not every one of them might know every detail, but all of them know most of it, and between them they know all of it. It inlcudes just a paragraph or two on the major kingdoms, currency, basic recent history, the pantheon, various factions and organizations and cults, PC races, alterations from the main book on certain monster races (flavor-wise and culturally, not mechanically), and the like.
Fourth and most improtant, I don't expect my players to memorize al this. I'll ask them to read through it, and I think most of them will. I'm looking for basic familiarity, not expertise.
If I was dealing with a group of people I didn't know well, or all of whom were newcomers to my playing style, I would certainly give much less information. Don't want to scare people.
