What should the players be expected to know about the setting and their characters?

[Kzach]

One of the things I've never quite managed to do (as a DM), is play with a group who all had a vested and shared interest in the setting we were using. Try as I might, I just can't seem to get the players engaged at that level.

This makes it difficult to run adventures with any scope beyond the character's direct interactions during the game. So the games I run tend to be focused around the very, very, very small world of the players experiences within the setting.

The group I'm putting together next will be different as a requirement of joining the group will be to have an interest in collaborating in a shared creative effort. Through their games, I want them to WANT to engage the setting and all it has to offer and through their characters, shape that world.

Towards that end, what I've decided to do is, after working with each player to create a character with a strong tie to the setting, make up a reference booklet specific to that character. The idea being that the player might recall some bit of information that their character should know but not the specifics, since they're not the character after all, but having recalled that tidbit, can look it up in greater detail in their reference book.

Now of course there should be some basic things every character is aware of, like the general price of ale, or a horse, or a sword, and basic protocol and laws of the land, but there should also be specific things to the character and their background.

On the flip side of this, I also don't want to have so much detail that players are overwhelmed and end up flipping pages for half the session trying to reference anything. The idea here is simply to enrich everyone's gaming experience by providing some depth to their knowledge of the setting and their character.

So, with all that said, what things should I concentrate on putting in such a reference booklet and what should I avoid?

 

[the Jester]

IMHO more than one page is too much to expect the player to ingest all t once. I'd give an overview of the culture, laws etc. and flesh out more detail in game over time for the player; it's much easier to 'get' an in-game culture when you see it in action than when you read about it, at least for me.

But your reference book idea is cool, as long as it's very clear to the players that they aren't expected to read it as homework.

 

[DragonLancer]

This is my take on this.

1. Players should be aware what the known world map looks like. Usually this falls me (as DM) to have a map to hand for reference. Shouldn't be hard for players to start remembering nations and relevant place names.

2. Players should take an interest in the major nations and races. They should know something of them even if it's notes from a Q&A session before play starts in that game world. More preferably, players should read the world gazetteer if such a thing exists.

3. Thirdly, they should know the major deities and if they have a patron deity then they should read that god's entry in the campaign literature.

4. Lastly, players should make notes on recent history and be aware of any significant events that are still common knowledge.

In my experience though it is very difficult to get players interested in any of this. Players just want to play, and it's a shame that more don't take notes or pay interest to the campaign setting.

What I suggest is that you write up a basic document (4-5 pages max) with house rules, brief run down on major nations, races and gods. Some history as well, as mentioned in section 4 above. Get them to read that and have a copy on hand during each session.

 

[Baron Von Mandrick]

It sounds like a really cool idea. I love getting involved in the world as much as possible.

But I don't know the players. If it feels like homework to them, then it wouldn't be as fun.

I do think it's possible to slip players notes about details they would know based on their background as some things come up, or mention them aloud if it wouldn't ruin any of the other character's perspectives.

As a player I would be excited that you had thought out the world that much, and plan on having that work play a role in the upcoming campaign.

 

[Crothian]

What I like to do when I have the time is personalize the info each player has based on their character. I did this once with rumors and legends. Each player got a sheet and they had all assumed that it was the same. But in like session five they hear the story about one of the legends and one of the players remembers something from his sheet. So, he tells the group that info and another player looks confused and says "That's not right, here's what I heard..." It was a good moments when they all realized that they did not have the same information and not everything they had was truthful as some of the information was conflicting. It really helped set the stage for that campaign arc and made them much more interested in what was going on.

 

[Thunderfoot]

Plug for Charles Ryan's "5 things everyone should know about ..."

Basic nut shell is instead of a large catalog of information that will never be digested by the players, set up 5 bullet points that are short, sweet and to the point. As the campaign goes on, you can post new ones and the players are none the wiser that you are slowly giving them information to memorize so your world seems more cohesive.

That said, I would keep a regular tome of knowledge for yourself, especially if you are running a homebrew. Your booklet idea is sound, if you give them a page of 5 points per session, they may easily take it and may even begin to look forward to it, if you plant little "secret" nuggets for their character's only. (Another great way to sucker a player is make them think they know something no one else knows.)

I'm not sure why players usually feel the need to ignore setting details (generalization - I know this is untrue about all players) but I think my sig has one of the greatest truisms about D&D of all time. Thank you Shamus for your DM'ing wisdom.

 

[Stoat]

In my experience, players are interested in the things that impact their PC's. If you want them to care about an NPC, make that NPC an ally or an enemy, and don't be subtle about it. If you want them to care about a place, give them in-game connections to that place, make it the home of friendly NPC's or valuable resources or make it into a place where they have a memorable adventure.

Also, repeat yourself. Repeat yourself and make sure that you repeat important information repetitively. Repetition will help the players remember meaningful information, but only if you repeat it enough.

And don't drown the players in setting detail. Five details about a thing is probably just about as much as most players can keep up with. For less important things, I might only use two or three.

 

[Theo R Cwithin]

At the outset of a campaign, I like the bullet point approach, too. Five or so that all the players know, and another 3 to 5 specific to each player. Between starting knowledge and houserules, I don't think more than a page or two should be foisted (or rather, "is foistable") on players. I supplement this during the campaign with emailed recaps, rumors and the like.

In principle, I really like the reference booklet idea (as well as group references like wikis, etc). But nowadays, in practice, I probably couldn't be bothered unless I knew for certain the players were gung ho about it, too.

Regardless of the initial resources available, I've found that it's easier to keep players invested when things are simple. It's easier for players to remember a familiar name ("Sir Michael") than an exotic one ("na beyffendi Miq'haelim-ka"). It's easier to remember a single interesting cultural detail about a tribe, than a vast anthropological treatise. It's easier to keep track of two or three NPCs at each others' throats, than a dozen noble families conspiring against each other in a confusing web of intrigue.

 

[Umbran]

The player should know enough about the setting to make their character concept work.

 

[Bluenose]

My model for this sort of thing is Heroquest Voices. It's a free download, describing the cultures (of Glorantha, in this case) through "What my Father told me" and "What the Priest said." What a young person growing up in that society would think was expected from them, and also what their neightbours are like, is covered by the first part. The tone is a significant part of it, formal and dry for some and more boisterous for others. And it's worth noting that some of the things you're told in it aren't entirely true, especially about your neighbours, but also about your own people.