What minor worldbuilding details have you added to your campaign world?

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

To me, a setting really comes alive in its details. What details have you added to your game world to make it come alive? Not big picture stuff like "Sauron won" or "there are no sorcerers," I'm talking about the small stuff.

As of yesterday, a gnome baby's first word is almost always the word "why." This explains a lot about gnomes, including why so many others find them so tiresome.

 

[Lanefan]

This is surprisingly hard to answer, as I'm not sure what things I just take for granted would represent "details" to anyone else.

Lanefan

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

This is surprisingly hard to answer, as I'm not sure what things I just take for granted would represent "details" to anyone else.

Stuff that doesn't get a stat block.

 

[GoodKingJayIII]

This is a really interesting topic. It's a cool idea because it really adds a sense of verisimilitude to one's campaign. I know that word gets tossed around a lot, but as the old cliche goes, the devil is in the details.

I wish I had an answer for you, but sadly I don't get to run games like I used to. I think these are the kinds of things that really develop out of time at the table. I remember for my Arcana Unearthed I introduced the characters by asking them to incorporate a "Truename Retreat" into their stories. It's how I introduced the characters and how I kicked off the all too brief campaign. I had very specific information about how the retreat was conducted, important call-and-response phrases, physical placement of characters, etc. I didn't bore my players with the reasons behind a lot of these details, but I think it lent some meat to the actual ceremony.

Not sure if that's exactly what you're talking about, but it's the best I could do on short notice.

 

[Ace]

To me, a setting really comes alive in its details. What details have you added to your game world to make it come alive? Not big picture stuff like "Sauron won" or "there are no sorcerers," I'm talking about the small stuff.

As of yesterday, a gnome baby's first word is almost always the word "why." This explains a lot about gnomes, including why so many others find them so tiresome.

from my game

#1 Dwarven followers of the Lawbringer always wear small square hats to 6 Day services as a sign of respect

#2 The Vara -- my "mosty human" race favor dirge like songs and long epic lays such as The Lay of Ezradan and Maris which is supposed to be prophetic

an excerpt

And they met at the place of battles

on the last days

and Maris looked out upon the iron sea and asked of Ezradan "why have you come"

Ezradan passed his hand out over the forment and answered "We are following the will of the one"

What is the will of the one asked Maris curious

Death said Ezradam

Maris said nothing

Ezradan saw the grim men around Maris and before him and asked "why have you come"

and Maris passed his hand over the forment and answered "We are seeking"

what are you seeking asked Ezradan

Death said Maris

and Ezradan smiled and said "let us then go into death as brothers"



#3 The Shone (prounced Show'n) are obsessed with symetry and wheneve they can things are matched in symetrical or geometric patterns


#4 Frepor – This is the city of Freedom, a city and its villages dedicated to runway serfs and slaves and the proposition that all are worthy of equal rights. Its precarious position is maintained by its furious defenders, and \its usefulness and tolerance almost anything except slavery. It also has a unique alliance with Vinyar, Ashanan and the Brin Republic called the Charter Alliance
. A pecular custom in Frepor is that no one will where jewelry except for rings. In fact offering jewelry when you know better is a blood insult, a way of saying you should be a slave. Wealth is displayed in clothing and dyes and recently Frepor fashions have began to catch on in the Brin Republic and elsewhere.

 

[Byrons_Ghost]

When I ran my Glantri game, the Secret Crafts played a large part, since just about every PC had one. But both the Gaz and the box set have always been a little lax on implementation details, other than "they're secret, and here's the abilities they give".

The player of the illusionist/dream master had an idea that his craft would meet only in dreams, and not know each other's identities. From this, I extrapolated that the High Master of the craft (Prince Jheryk) was the mysterious Jade Mandrin, a masked sorcerer who used deception and illusion more than raw power to lead the group.

For most crafts, one challenged the High Master to a duel in order to take his place. For the Dream Masters, one needed to penetrate the Jade Mandarin's Dream Palace and unmask him to learn his true identity in order to take the position. The PC never made it that far, but he was planning...

 

[szilard]

In a game I am playing in, I'm playing a Dwarf. I wanted to get away from the pseudo-Scottish stereotype, so I decided to base my interpretation of Dwarven culture very loosely on the Amish instead. Among other things, Dwarves tend to wear dark, wide-brimmed hats that have a chip of stone sewed into them - Dwarves should always have some stone above their head.

-Stuart

 

[Ace]

In a game I am playing in, I'm playing a Dwarf. I wanted to get away from the pseudo-Scottish stereotype, so I decided to base my interpretation of Dwarven culture very loosely on the Amish instead. Among other things, Dwarves tend to wear dark, wide-brimmed hats that have a chip of stone sewed into them - Dwarves should always have some stone above their head.

-Stuart

Yoinked for my mountain dwarves!

 

[Khairn]

Society in my homebrew measures time by candle use. A long scented candle is lit at sunrise and burns throughout the day and night, finally sputtering out just before sunrise the next day. Different scents are added to the candle at specific times. What this means is that in a city where many candles are burned in homes and shops, the scent of cinnamon is in the air at noon, while at dusk its almond. This leads to conversations such as "I'll be at your shop before sandalwood is over."

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Among other things, Dwarves tend to wear dark, wide-brimmed hats that have a chip of stone sewed into them - Dwarves should always have some stone above their head.

Ooh, I like that. I have a clan of "fundementalist" dwarves in my game (developed independently of Discworld, I swear), so I may have to yoink that.