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More setting thoughts! A friend this weekend asked me how I planned to compare the 2e Planescape box set with the new 5e Eberron book, and why I would even want to. According to him its apples and oranges. So. Lets take a look at what makes a good setting book and for who!
More than any other type of rpg book, expectations matter. Broadly speaking, I believe there are 2 types of setting books for 2 different audiences.
1) History books
2) Sandbox adventures
OR
1) To read
2) To reference
OR
1) Lore
2) Setting
1) History books
2) Sandbox adventures
OR
1) To read
2) To reference
OR
1) Lore
2) Setting
Lore vs setting. What is for the GM, or really the reader, vs what will be used at the table, get seen by the players?
Lets look at a king for example.
Lore would be family history, heraldry, all the battles fought in youth.
Setting would be motivations, desires, fears.
Lets look at a king for example.
Lore would be family history, heraldry, all the battles fought in youth.
Setting would be motivations, desires, fears.
Lore might be interesting depending on taste, but importantly its not actionable.
Many lore books have been sold. Some people fall in love with lore, and theres nothing wrong with that! It can be interesting for its own sake, and it can be inspirational. It can be what got you
Many lore books have been sold. Some people fall in love with lore, and theres nothing wrong with that! It can be interesting for its own sake, and it can be inspirational. It can be what got you
into the game. But its important to know your audience.
For me, Im largely looking for actionable information. Hooks for players to be curious about. Opportunities. Large societal changes and factions, mysteries and jobs. NPCs with competing interests, neither of them villains.
For me, Im largely looking for actionable information. Hooks for players to be curious about. Opportunities. Large societal changes and factions, mysteries and jobs. NPCs with competing interests, neither of them villains.
With that personal preference in mind, what makes a good setting book?
1) player space
2) opportunity
3) strong feel
4) living world
Im sure true to form that by the end of this I’ll have a 5th, but such is the fun of unplanned threads!
1) player space
2) opportunity
3) strong feel
4) living world
Im sure true to form that by the end of this I’ll have a 5th, but such is the fun of unplanned threads!
1)Player Space
“Here there be monsters”
If the world has a set story and its fully mapped, why are there pcs? There needs to be room for them to act, to discover, to maneuver. Also? Memorization takes a lot of prep time. Leave blanks, use tables, and embrace emergent narrative
“Here there be monsters”
If the world has a set story and its fully mapped, why are there pcs? There needs to be room for them to act, to discover, to maneuver. Also? Memorization takes a lot of prep time. Leave blanks, use tables, and embrace emergent narrative
2)Opportunity
The pcs have space to act, but why would they? A stable world is a boring world. Competing factions are one easy way to get player buy in. Organizations offer jobs, they offer membership, they offer paths to power. Dont want to join? Add western tropes. They need
The pcs have space to act, but why would they? A stable world is a boring world. Competing factions are one easy way to get player buy in. Organizations offer jobs, they offer membership, they offer paths to power. Dont want to join? Add western tropes. They need
your land. The random magic item you found is the key to becoming the next king. Make it cyberpunk. The factions are too far above you and you adventure in their shadow, hoping that they dont notice you.
Dont like factions? Add outside threats. There is a war looming. There is
Dont like factions? Add outside threats. There is a war looming. There is
a plague and only the players can find the cure. The government is repressive and a revolt is on the horizon.
The important bit in all this is opportunity=motion. Something is about to happen or just happened and the players are stepping into it. A little chaos goes a long way!
The important bit in all this is opportunity=motion. Something is about to happen or just happened and the players are stepping into it. A little chaos goes a long way!
3) Strong feel
Taste is whether you like the setting. But whether a setting book is good is independent of that. Its about consistency. The world should feel like itself whether its generic medieval fantasy or gonzo planes-hopping science fantasy. This is for 2 reasons. (Lists
Taste is whether you like the setting. But whether a setting book is good is independent of that. Its about consistency. The world should feel like itself whether its generic medieval fantasy or gonzo planes-hopping science fantasy. This is for 2 reasons. (Lists
within lists!)
The first is that tropes can be good, in their creation and use(whaaaaaaat?!?!?!). Consistency helps set expectations. It makes it easier to roleplay. People keep coming back to epic fantasy even though we all know how its going to end. Its familiar, and there is
The first is that tropes can be good, in their creation and use(whaaaaaaat?!?!?!). Consistency helps set expectations. It makes it easier to roleplay. People keep coming back to epic fantasy even though we all know how its going to end. Its familiar, and there is
power in how a story is told as much as how new or different it is.
It also means when you break convention its more powerful. I complain a lot about Marvel Comics event fatigue. What comic fan doesn’t? For those unfamiliar, every 6 months or so, Marvel does a large crossover
It also means when you break convention its more powerful. I complain a lot about Marvel Comics event fatigue. What comic fan doesn’t? For those unfamiliar, every 6 months or so, Marvel does a large crossover
event among all the heroes. Imagine an Avengers movie wvery 6 months. Exhausting. There are no stakes, because everyone knows the world has to be back mostly to the way it was in order to do another event. There is no surprise because they rubber band back to the status quo.
The power of setting a baseline is that when you choose to push against it, it counts. The players recognize something of importance is happening. They can be surprised, delighted, fearful, intrigued. Understanding what is normal allows you to play with expectations, to
understand what is important, what is normal and what is off. More importantly it allows players to make meaningful decisions because if they understand the world they understand the implications of their choices and the weight of the consequences. It gives the game meaning
4)Living World
The world doesn’t have to be real, but it should feel real. If you’ve been following me for a bit you’re going to recognize this next part, because Im going to quote a previous thread I did, because I cant think of a better way to say it. Here we go.
The world doesn’t have to be real, but it should feel real. If you’ve been following me for a bit you’re going to recognize this next part, because Im going to quote a previous thread I did, because I cant think of a better way to say it. Here we go.
Today I want to talk about RPG settings, and to get there I want to talk about cars. Imagine a world where we don’t drive them anymore. Whether this happens via better public transportation systems or autonomous driving fleets doesn’t matter. What happens next?
On a personal level, travel times will be more standardized which mrans more predictable. Less time used to prevent longer trips means more free time. The cost of maintaining and insuring a car is way higher than public transportation. More money means more economic activity.
It also means people can live farther away. On average, most people live within 30 minutes of where they work. If infrastructure keeps up then more people will have more access to more jobs. All that infrastructure will require maintenance which guarantees local jobs.
Meanwhile, architecture shifts. Houses don’t need driveways or garages without cars. There will be a clear split between newer and older homes. Some people with the money will renovate their older homes. There will be clear signs of economic disparity.
This is all in addition to intensified suburban to urban movement and urban growth. The landscape changes. Parking garages and parking lots will be converted for other use or replaced. Some percentage of this will likely be with parks or trees. Also cars store heat.
More trees means more dirt means more heat sinks. Clothing styles will likely change to account for noticeably cooler cities. So removing cars will change architecture, exonomic activity, job opportunities, and fashion style, as well as give physical hints of status and wealth
All this is to say we all live in massively interlocking systems. If you’re thinking about what you want a setting to feel like, start with first principles. What are the things you want in your setting. What are the implications? What are the knock on effects?
To make societies different in the same world ask what changing acces to a single resource might do, or a single technological change. Sometimes the things you want your setting to have might be in conflict. Why is that? Finding why will be what makes your setting unique.
Want to make your players feel special? Give them the opportunity to make a change like this. Sure, a magic sword is cool, but giving your players the opportunity to make a choice, and follow the ripples out through society. That’s the type of power they’ll talk about for years
So! That was longer than expected. But I hope that gives some insight into how I think about a setting book. What it does for the players, what it implies, how easy it is for a gm to use, and how many hooks it has. Hope this has been interesting or useful for you. Feel free to
tell me why Im right or wrong and wax poetic in the comments. Give examples. Feel free to shill!
