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What is *worldbuilding* for?
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<blockquote data-quote="Lanefan" data-source="post: 7333697" data-attributes="member: 29398"><p>RPGing needs setting, whether presented via situation or some other means. I think we're all good there.</p><p></p><p>But where does the setting or situation come from? Unless I'm mistaken, [MENTION=42582]pemerton[/MENTION] tends to use pre-built settings (Greyhawk; or the map etc. in B-10; or the Traveller universe) and then tweak them to reflect his game's run of play and what arises out of that. But - and this is the key - a pre-built setting comes with a host of elements of the shared fiction already pre-authored and baked in (the regional maps; or Greyhawk's pantheon; or how long it takes to get from planet A to planet B in Traveller), so the DM doesn't have to produce those. They're already in place; something I think you tend to overlook in these discussions.</p><p></p><p>But what of a DM who is writing/designing her setting from scratch and not using a pre-built anything? She gets to (and has to!) make all those decisions about what elements will be baked in to that setting, and thus to her campaign. She gets to say, for example, that there's no Drow in her world and put this in her rules guide; meaning that once play starts a player can action-declare "I'm looking for Drow here" until he's blue in the face and he flat-out ain't gonna find any. She gets to decide what planets are in her Traveller universe and how far apart they are; and what types of ships exist to go from one to another. Etc.</p><p></p><p>And she gets to draw the map.</p><p></p><p>It seems you would deny the homebrewer these options. Even further, you'd largely deny her the ability to build her own setting at all and instead force her to run a generic-to-type campaign with its setting and parameters evolving through play. "I'm looking for Drow here" says a player while in some dungeon situation where Drow might appear, followed by a natural 20; and suddenly there's Drow in that game world whether the DM wants them in it or not. This is what I mean when I say in this sort of system the players end up railroading the DM.</p><p></p><p>Lan-"looking for Drow is one thing. Looking for Drizz't specifically is quite another; certain to generate extremely negative consequences the very least of which will be the immediate death of your PC"-efan</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lanefan, post: 7333697, member: 29398"] RPGing needs setting, whether presented via situation or some other means. I think we're all good there. But where does the setting or situation come from? Unless I'm mistaken, [MENTION=42582]pemerton[/MENTION] tends to use pre-built settings (Greyhawk; or the map etc. in B-10; or the Traveller universe) and then tweak them to reflect his game's run of play and what arises out of that. But - and this is the key - a pre-built setting comes with a host of elements of the shared fiction already pre-authored and baked in (the regional maps; or Greyhawk's pantheon; or how long it takes to get from planet A to planet B in Traveller), so the DM doesn't have to produce those. They're already in place; something I think you tend to overlook in these discussions. But what of a DM who is writing/designing her setting from scratch and not using a pre-built anything? She gets to (and has to!) make all those decisions about what elements will be baked in to that setting, and thus to her campaign. She gets to say, for example, that there's no Drow in her world and put this in her rules guide; meaning that once play starts a player can action-declare "I'm looking for Drow here" until he's blue in the face and he flat-out ain't gonna find any. She gets to decide what planets are in her Traveller universe and how far apart they are; and what types of ships exist to go from one to another. Etc. And she gets to draw the map. It seems you would deny the homebrewer these options. Even further, you'd largely deny her the ability to build her own setting at all and instead force her to run a generic-to-type campaign with its setting and parameters evolving through play. "I'm looking for Drow here" says a player while in some dungeon situation where Drow might appear, followed by a natural 20; and suddenly there's Drow in that game world whether the DM wants them in it or not. This is what I mean when I say in this sort of system the players end up railroading the DM. Lan-"looking for Drow is one thing. Looking for Drizz't specifically is quite another; certain to generate extremely negative consequences the very least of which will be the immediate death of your PC"-efan [/QUOTE]
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