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<blockquote data-quote="Hussar" data-source="post: 3485739" data-attributes="member: 22779"><p>But numerous RPG's are set in the "real world". WOD for one. </p><p></p><p>Personally, I really do think that bringing Tolkien into this is akin to Godwinning. No matter what criticism or interpretation is made, you will get those who have enshrined the Professor in his proper place in Valhalla and will brook no maligning of the great man. </p><p></p><p>We've talked about Star Wars and world building. For the moment, just stick with the original 3 movies. By the end of Return of the Jedi, what do we know about Chewbacca? Pretty much nothing. We don't know how he came to be with Han, we don't know anything about his world or his background. He's pretty much a complete cipher despite being in nearly every scene in the movie.</p><p></p><p>The same can actually be said for nearly every character. Han, Lando, the droids, we know next to nothing about them even after three movies. In a world building story, we would have detailed stories relating their history and the cultures from which they came. None of it would actually be needed for the plot as shown by three pretty good movies.</p><p></p><p>Oblique referrences to elements that don't factor into the story are not world building. They're just setting. Until you actually start detailing those referrences, you aren't really doing any world building, just making up words. Ewoks have been mentioned. What do we know about Ewoks and Endor by the end of Return of the Jedi?</p><p></p><p>They're short, furry, say "zub zub" and are pretty primitive. That's about it. That's all we need to know. We don't need a backstory, or a history lesson, or anything else. That's all superfluous to the plot. We have cute furries in need of help. Ok, next scene.</p><p></p><p>While I agree that the Buffyverse is well detailed, again, that's through accretion more than world building. 9 (10?) seasons of an hourly show means that you have hundreds of hours of details. Even if they only mention a couple of elements in each show, that will add up to quite a bit in the end. But, still, in each show, setting is not the focus of the episode. The setting, if it gets referred to at all, simply ties into how to kill the next demon/vampire/whatever. Heck, it's not until almost the very final episode that we learn how the Slayer came into existence. Several years of episodes and not once do they tell us how Slayers started. In a world building exercise, that would be the FIRST thing they would tell us.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Hussar, post: 3485739, member: 22779"] But numerous RPG's are set in the "real world". WOD for one. Personally, I really do think that bringing Tolkien into this is akin to Godwinning. No matter what criticism or interpretation is made, you will get those who have enshrined the Professor in his proper place in Valhalla and will brook no maligning of the great man. We've talked about Star Wars and world building. For the moment, just stick with the original 3 movies. By the end of Return of the Jedi, what do we know about Chewbacca? Pretty much nothing. We don't know how he came to be with Han, we don't know anything about his world or his background. He's pretty much a complete cipher despite being in nearly every scene in the movie. The same can actually be said for nearly every character. Han, Lando, the droids, we know next to nothing about them even after three movies. In a world building story, we would have detailed stories relating their history and the cultures from which they came. None of it would actually be needed for the plot as shown by three pretty good movies. Oblique referrences to elements that don't factor into the story are not world building. They're just setting. Until you actually start detailing those referrences, you aren't really doing any world building, just making up words. Ewoks have been mentioned. What do we know about Ewoks and Endor by the end of Return of the Jedi? They're short, furry, say "zub zub" and are pretty primitive. That's about it. That's all we need to know. We don't need a backstory, or a history lesson, or anything else. That's all superfluous to the plot. We have cute furries in need of help. Ok, next scene. While I agree that the Buffyverse is well detailed, again, that's through accretion more than world building. 9 (10?) seasons of an hourly show means that you have hundreds of hours of details. Even if they only mention a couple of elements in each show, that will add up to quite a bit in the end. But, still, in each show, setting is not the focus of the episode. The setting, if it gets referred to at all, simply ties into how to kill the next demon/vampire/whatever. Heck, it's not until almost the very final episode that we learn how the Slayer came into existence. Several years of episodes and not once do they tell us how Slayers started. In a world building exercise, that would be the FIRST thing they would tell us. [/QUOTE]
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