Would this bother you?

[Elf Witch]

I DM every other Saturday and I have been dying to play. So my roommate decided to run a game on the other Saturday.

She wanted to run an established setting because she does not feel she has the time to build and maintain a home brew.

She picked Kalamar because it is my favorite setting and hers as well and we played in it for three years amd she knows it inside and out. It also has some excellent modules that we never played in to help her with some of the work.

Two of the players from my game were invited the third already plays in an Age of Worms game on that Saturday.

They both said yes they wanted to play and we started making characters. I was really exicited I have not played in such a long time.

Suddenly it came to a screeching halt. One of the players did not want to play Kalamar because she and the other player didn't know the setting and I did and that would give me an unfair advantage.

I don't understand this yes I know the setting but I don't know the modules and the game my roommate is going to run is new not based on the old game we played with a different group of people and DM.

This of course lead to a lot of issues we could not play Eberron because I know that setting.

We have other setting books but my roommate does not know them and really does not want to run something new because as I said before lack of time.

My question is would it be an issue for you to play in a setting where one player knew the setting and the others did not?

 

[cignus_pfaccari]

Nope.

If something came up, I'd in fact look to you first to explain stuff.

The DM might want to say "Hey, I'm not going to do stuff that delves into minutiae of setting history for a long time, if ever" to help out.

Brad

 

[Victim]

Not really. It can cause issues, but so can having no players who know the setting. They understand that it's sort of a team game, right? It generally going to be in your interest to provide setting info to them, if it seems important.

 

[Afrodyte]

No. I played in a Wheel of Time game without even reading the first page of the first novel. I don't know how it would've turned out.

Also, I got into Tolkien via Deciphers LotR RPG. Started out without having read any of LotR. Now I have a shelf full of Tolkien books (but not LotR - The Silmarillion is more my speed).

 

[Sol.Dragonheart]

No, it would not be an issue, as the only reason for objection would be due to metagaming concerns, which is a separate topic that should be dealt with as such. In fact, I would be more interested in going over that, as that would really be the problem that the other players may be having. Are they concerned that you will use your superior knowledge of the setting to construct characters who can better navigate the politics, terrain, and personas contained in Kalamar?

I would begin by alleviating any such concerns, if they do exist, and than work on assisting them in learning the setting. Also, personally, I really don't see the problem here, it just strikes me as being far too petty over a problem that, even if it does exist, can easily be circumvented by gaining knowledge of the setting.

 

[S'mon]

My question is would it be an issue for you to play in a setting where one player knew the setting and the others did not?

No, no problem.

 

[Corsair]

One of the players did not want to play Kalamar because she and the other player didn't know the setting and I did and that would give me an unfair advantage.

I don't think this player quite understands the purpose of cooperative role play.

 

[Whimsical]

I can think of a couple of possible concerns that is driving the player.

1) She's concerned that you will be able to get more "spotlight" time and also to be able to "work the world" to your benefit. You already have a strong relationship with the DM, which may concern the player that you will end up with an unfair amount of attention and the game will become about Elf Witch and some others of lesser importance.

2) She's concerned on the DM's behalf. That you will use you knowledge to disrupt the DM and her plots by pointing out how she is running the game is inconsistent with the world.

 

[Michael Silverbane]

That wouldn't bother me at all. I don't usually keep up with a setting (via novels or source books) unless I am running a game in it, and I most often run games in either a homebrew setting, or in a meta-setting (like spelljammer or planescape), neither of which require me to have an in depth knowledge of any specific published setting... So I usually know less about a given setting than others in my group.

Just as a for instance, I am about to start playing in a Star Wars Saga Edition game set some time in the future (a hundred and some-odd years after the movies). My only real exposure to the Star Wars setting comes from the movies, so I have no idea what might have happened since then. Others of my gaming group apparently do have some knowledge of those events.

Later
silver

 

[Dice4Hire]

My question is would it be an issue for you to play in a setting where one player knew the setting and the others did not?

Honestly it would depend on how good of a roleplayer the knowledgeable one was.

One of my serious pet peeves (which usually came out in FR games, but could be others) is people who take no knowledge skills at all, AT ALL, and then know everything about the most obscure monster, cult, or village the whole world over. Yes, I know that player loves the realms,and has read everything, but your character has an Int of 10 and not a knowledge skills to his name.

That would be the only thing that would botehr me.