What information do you tell your players when they start in your world?

[Thrasher92]

As the title says, What do you tell your players when they first begin in your world?

I'm starting a new campaign and I have a wealth of information about my world. I'm trying to make some quick notes that most people that venture in my world would know.

Locations, People, and Groups of Note
Basic Politics of the Area
Where the main areas of each race tend to dwell

Things like that. What information would you give your players about your world? What information do you think the common man would know? As a player, what would you like to know about a new realm you have never adventured in?

[Draco4472]

I tend to give them information that would be commonplace when they reach a location, such as for example, the governement systems of Waterdeep, the major districts, etc, or how arcane magic is illegal in Mulmaster and managed by the Cloaks.

[Waterdeep Merch]

I have two types of games- ones where I give long, detailed information about the setting in a nicely laid out file that I likely also made printouts to give to people and a narrative to help give the flavor, and ones where I don't tell the party anything because they're supposed to be confused by the setting.

I have unresolved angst about the first type since most of my players tl;dr me, then get mad when there's something different in my world that they didn't know about because they didn't read the materials.

Sometimes I dream of strangling my players.

[Arcangel4774]

Sometimes you may allude to some of the campaign or setting if there's certain bits of it that mess with a character concept. If for example you your campaign won't have access to heavy armor or a rangers chosen enemy will never come up, or even if the entire campaign is in the underdark

[SiCK_Boy]

Unless your setting is drastically distinct from the basic premise of medieval fantasy, you should only limit yourself to providing the information as it becomes pertinent. Try to find ways to integrate the information into your environmental descriptions.

For example, upon entering a large city, you can describe the guards and their uniform, which you can use to branch out a bit upon the local history (ex: you see that the guards all wear red and blue with a black dragonhead on their chest tabard; that is the symbol of the Tarions - the current ruling family who took over the throne during a rebellion 3 years ago; one of their first ruling was to outlaw magic in the city).

This will work much better than handing out a ton of information to your players who may or may not read it (or remember it) anyway.

Use "in character" descriptions and events, rather than just "voice over narrator telling"; to get back to the example of the laws forbidding magic, just have the players see "wanted" signs with drawing of known magic-users and the reward offered (and obviously, a mention of what their crime was), or have them see an actual arrest just as they enter town. This should work better than simply telling them that magic is outlawed.

[Sigreid]

Unless communication and travel is exceptional, they probably would not know much about anything more than 20 miles from their home town. 20 miles is a long way on foot. They might know some likely wrong information about the nearest kingdoms and some of the more famous people, places and battles.

[Naanomi]

I have an info packet about my campaign world that is divided up into sections so... an elf player gets to read the elf part (that talks about elf culture, religion, etc) and so-on; as well as more generic info (history for people who has that Proficiency, pantheons for someone who had religion Proficiency, etc)

[Unoriginal]

Don't forget that you can tell them more infos when it becomes relevant.

Like

QM: "you arrive in the realm of Denmark, where live Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, the two noblemen your contact told you to talk with. The rumor says the son of the previous king was sent away in disgrace, after his father's death."

PC:" Seems to me something is rotten in the state of Denmark."

[Corran]

QM: "you arrive in the realm of Denmark, where live Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, the two noblemen your contact told you to talk with. The rumor says the son of the previous king was sent away in disgrace, after his father's death."

PC:" Seems to me something is rotten in the state of Denmark."
Prince: ''From this day forth my thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth!''


Of thinking too precisely on th' event—
A thought which, quartered, hath but one part wisdom
And ever three parts coward—I do not know
Why yet I live to say “This thing’s to do,”
Sith I have cause and will and strength and means
To do ’t. Examples gross as earth exhort me.
Witness this army of such mass and charge
Led by a delicate and tender prince,
Whose spirit with divine ambition puffed
Makes mouths at the invisible event,
Exposing what is mortal and unsure
To all that fortune, death, and danger dare,
Even for an eggshell. Rightly to be great
Is not to stir without great argument,
But greatly to find quarrel in a straw
When honor’s at the stake. How stand I then,
That have a father killed, a mother stained,
Excitements of my reason and my blood,
And let all sleep—while, to my shame, I see
The imminent death of twenty thousand men,
That for a fantasy and trick of fame
Go to their graves like beds, fight for a plot
Whereon the numbers cannot try the cause,
Which is not tomb enough and continent
To hide the slain? Oh, from this time forth,
My thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth!

Carry on...

[Unoriginal]

Most players would kill the hell out of Hamlet and then be surprised that his uncle was actually the villain, I think.

[Basement Cat]

One of the simplest ways to help a party to figure their bearings in a brave new world is to show them a map of said world. It doesn't have to be greatly detailed but it helps prevent players from seeing their adventure as taking place in a "pocket dimension".

A "You are here" marking helps, too. :smallsmile:

[Theodoxus]

Unless communication and travel is exceptional, they probably would not know much about anything more than 20 miles from their home town. 20 miles is a long way on foot. They might know some likely wrong information about the nearest kingdoms and some of the more famous people, places and battles.

^ This is what I'd do. Although, I'd also make it as realistic as possible. If one of the players has proficiency in History, I'd give them more 'start up' information than the others. Ditto for a Knowledge cleric or anyone with the Sage or Far Traveler background. (Though obviously tailored to their specialization or region, respectively.)

My thoughts are that in a fantasy setting, unless it's particularly urbane, schooling would be minimal for most folk. If you grew up in the capital city, you probably know some nobles by name, would know who the rulers were (monarchy, representative democracy, despot - whatever). But probably not the political bent of your neighboring kingdoms.

If you're a townie, you'd probably know most of the people by face, the mayor or lord, the local shop owners... you'd probably know the closest towns and what they're known for 'Hillsboro is known for their annual pie eating contest, but Fat Morse always wins, don't bother trying to beat him.' But nothing much more than that... (And by the time the party gets there, Fat Morse has been dead 3 years of heart failure...)

Country folk would know the closest town where they can sell goods, but 'it's a ways away, and that's darn near an expedition to get to'.

Between things like Forgotten Realms, where every inch of the map is known and everywhere has a hook, and A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones), where all the main players know the ins and outs of every House and minor Kingdom - one gets the false impression that such knowledge is common place and if you don't give your players basically your entire world neatly wrapped in a 72 page book of plot hooks and intrigue, they'll somehow not know what the heck is going on... but that's why spells like Divination, Contact other Plane and Commune were created. Before access to those spells, the world is a big scary place where your map is maybe 20 square miles and "There be Monsters!" is written along each edge.

And NEVER be afraid to say "Your information is a little outdated. Things have happened since you learned of that." It makes your world not just persistent, but living - and more so than content patches in your favorite CRPG.

[Armored Walrus]

In my experience, less info up front is better. Share only the most immediately important bits. Because in my experience, your players won't read it all, or retain it if they do. They aren't likely to be as invested in your setting as you are up front. As they explore they'll learn more and more about it, and parts of it will become important to them. At that point, you can reveal all the gritty details and they'll eat it up.

As someone mentioned above, share anything that would potentially derail a character concept, share the style of the campaign you intend to run so they can make informed choices in chargen, and then share anything that's important to the immediate story, then expand from there.

[Roan_Spence]

My current homebrew campaign I'm in had our DM link us to a google doc that had a lot of the basic information on the setting, primary races (we're a bit more limited there to a specific group of races he restated specifically for this campaign) and a minor bit of the cosmology. It's not long and didn't give much detail.

Personally for me, more detail is better than less but I know some players get overwhelmed.

[Beelzebubba]

My table is doing the 'West Marches' style game, with an overall relatively blank map with terrain, some cities, some 'rumors and knowledge of note' that serve as adventure hooks, and letting the characters fill out some regions substantially with their backstories.

"I'm the last of a band of sky pirates that had a disastrous attempt to raid a floating Storm Giant abode. I left that world for the safety of solid ground."

So, my world has sky pirates (and now we invent enough things in the sky to make it worth having pirates) and floating Storm Giant abodes (hook for a future high level adventure).

[Specter]

The setting and the people should be enough, but you can add anything you feel is necessary for flavor. I usually give a description of how classes are seen in the world (which gods are most revered by Clerics, if Warlocks are cool socially, etc.)

[Naanomi]

Some of it also comes out in character creation.

Player - 'I want to play a Dragonborn'
Me - 'Cool, most Dragonborn are the middle-noble class in an empire far to the south of the setting; but there is a nation of more cosmopolitan Dragonborn built from the soldiers of a mostly naval war against that empire just a bit north of where we are starting. Are you interested in any of those or should we work something else out?'
Player - 'I think I'd rather be from somewhere close'
Me - 'Cool, the close nation it is called Yinta; and technically is still part of the Southern Dragon Empire, but really they just pay taxes there. The leaders and military are all Dragonborn but several other races also live there... etc etc'

[SiCK_Boy]

I just want to speak against the argument that people's knowledge in the world would be limited by distance (ex: characters know only stuff about an area within 1 day of walking distance from where they grew up).

I think the main reason to limit the amount of information is purely for gameplay reasons - essentially, there is only so much a player can be expected to remember at once.

Within the game world itself, we are talking about a universe where everyone can read and write, often in multiple languages, and where there is an actual god (or gods), along with a large clergy, dedicated to the spreading of knowledge. As such, I think we should not draw parallels with how things are on Earth; the very existence of deities with specific portfolios would completely transform the dynamic in the world and make it self-evident that people have to (and do) learn a lot of stuff. Education in D&D world is nowhere close to what it is on real-world Earth.

Obviously, your specific world can be different, but for the "default" D&D world, I think most characters should have a vast knowledge of the world, its inhabitants, customs, laws, history, etc. Only some very specific topics (arcana knowledge, planes of existence, etc.) would be limited to experts, and even then, a lot of people should have basic understanding of some notions (ex: most people would know that there is an actual hell as well as an abyss, and that angels dwell in the higher planes).

[Puh Laden]

I tell them the setting's magic level (is a court wizard going to be level 20, level 10, or level 5) and political model (feudal lords, empire, republic, anarchy) and what the party is ("you have been assembled by an alliance of human kingdoms to spy on the raiding giant alliance" or "you are a team of dungeoneers who work for the cleric and paladin's church to retrieve rare artifacts from dungeons so they can be reverse engineered into working magical technology"). If it's a sandbox, I provide the map of the region.

Since I dont really have a setting I use over and over, I just try to work the PCs into the settinng. For the giants campaign I alluded to, there's a wizard in the party. The setting is low magic and the campaign starts at level 8 so I say he's a court wizard entrusted with forming a team to go on the spy mission. He's a half-orc so I say orcs in the setting arent always chaotic evil but pure orc tribes do have disputes with human and human-orc villages that belong to the local kingdom.

[Naanomi]

(ex: most people would know that there is an actual hell as well as an abyss, and that angels dwell in the higher planes).
I disagree here. One of the central tenants of planescape (which contain most of my campaigns... and all the official campaigns to a degree) is that primes are hopelessly misinformed about even the most basics of the planes; with a higher amount of provincialism around their local Gods and powers being a big problem (I.E. they think that the only 'heaven' is the local Good God's divine domain, and that all Angels serve him... and that demons are all the literal children of the local demon lord who runs many warlock circles, etc)

But overall your point about people in most DnD settings being relatively more informed than the average medieval peasant is probably valid

[Theodoxus]

My only problem with 'everyone is more learned than the average 10th Century peasant' is then they should understand geopolitics a lot better. Things like Mulmaster and Thay wouldn't have a chance against an informed populace. Cormyr wouldn't work as the example of Medieval Fantasy Kingdom. Waterdeep wouldn't be run by a meritocratic oligarchy... If every Tom, **** and Jane knew they could call upon the Gods to perform some miracle that gets them out of their crappy existence; that if you simply LOOK hard enough, you'll find a discarded magic ring of wishes, or a friendly Jinn somewhere who will intercede on your behalf - their leaders certainly know that if they're not the epitome of benevolence, a whole world of hurt will come down on them as hundreds, thousands, maybe even millions of commoners send their 'thoughts and prayers' to some intermediary god to wipe out their President Dictator God-emperor wanna-be.

No, I much prefer the idea that esoteric concepts remain esoteric. Trying to build a world and make it plausible when everyone is a graduate of the Historical Theology and PoliSci Academy is too pollyanna for my tastes.

[JAL_1138]

I have two types of games- ones where I give long, detailed information about the setting in a nicely laid out file that I likely also made printouts to give to people and a narrative to help give the flavor [...]

I have unresolved angst about the first type since most of my players tl;dr me, then get mad when there's something different in my world that they didn't know about because they didn't read the materials.

Sometimes I dream of strangling my players.

Is there a support group for this? Because I feel your pain. Oftentimes they don't even bother to read the houserules document...or the PHB...and the setting file is basically a lost cause. On occasion they forget there is one.

[Hrugner]

Tech level, how common magic is, state and scale of government, and how much of the world their civilization has explored. Then I tell them about the place they will start in and and ask them about their character filling in stuff in their backstory to fit it into the world.

[Gryndle]

generally any pertinent house rules and where to find them.

And a bit about the culture of the setting, especially if using my campaign world (culturally most human regions are Celtic/Nordic or generic middle-European; High Elves represent feudal Japan; Wood Elves are mix of celtic & native American; dwarven culture is mostly communistic where the individual's worth is measured only by their value to the clan and the legacy they leave behind in either stone, steel or deed) That blurb is pretty much what I give them to start with; more depending on their level of interest or if something is relevant to their character build or backstory.

I do have a detailed notebook with all setting background, locations and such, but unless the player is very interested or is researching something in particular it tends to be information overload.

[Waterdeep Merch]

Is there a support group for this? Because I feel your pain. Oftentimes they don't even bother to read the houserules document...or the PHB...and the setting file is basically a lost cause. On occasion they forget there is one.

My players even love talking about how different my worlds are. They know I go through a lot of trouble setting up campaigns with unique themes, environments, cultures, and cosmologies.

So when I've set up a world with completely original gods that are all selfish jerks and there are multiple theological viewpoints on them that are presently in the middle of a world war with one another as the focal point of the entire campaign, I go a little nuts when someone slaps down a cleric and says "I worship Pelor".

This is a real thing that happened.

Turns out Pelor isn't the burning hate, I am!

[Sigreid]

I just want to speak against the argument that people's knowledge in the world would be limited by distance (ex: characters know only stuff about an area within 1 day of walking distance from where they grew up).

I think the main reason to limit the amount of information is purely for gameplay reasons - essentially, there is only so much a player can be expected to remember at once.

Within the game world itself, we are talking about a universe where everyone can read and write, often in multiple languages, and where there is an actual god (or gods), along with a large clergy, dedicated to the spreading of knowledge. As such, I think we should not draw parallels with how things are on Earth; the very existence of deities with specific portfolios would completely transform the dynamic in the world and make it self-evident that people have to (and do) learn a lot of stuff. Education in D&D world is nowhere close to what it is on real-world Earth.

Obviously, your specific world can be different, but for the "default" D&D world, I think most characters should have a vast knowledge of the world, its inhabitants, customs, laws, history, etc. Only some very specific topics (arcana knowledge, planes of existence, etc.) would be limited to experts, and even then, a lot of people should have basic understanding of some notions (ex: most people would know that there is an actual hell as well as an abyss, and that angels dwell in the higher planes).

I would argue that even in the modern western world where most people are educated on a variety of topics, the majority of people don't know a heck of a lot about places or what is going on 50-100 miles from where they live, and what they do know is tainted by being seen through someone else's eyes.

[bulbaquil]

- Things that would be obvious to the characters but not necessarily to the players (e.g. "there are four moons")
- Things that they would need to know for in-character or metagame reasons (e.g. "you can, technically, play a drow, but the people in the starting area HATE drow and are likely to lynch you on sight")
- Things that notably deviate from commonplace medieval-fantasy or D&D-specific assumptions (e.g. "not all dwarves are the same; there are multiple ethnicities of dwarves")

Similarly, if a player asks a question about, for instance, their own hometown, they'll generally get advantage on the check (if 5e) or a circumstance bonus (if e.g. Pathfinder), since this is information they'd have more access to/knowledge of.

[Thrudd]

Only what their characters would know, which shouldn't be a whole lot. They know about the area where they live, what sort of people and creatures live around there, if there are any authorities or religions or organizations that have influence there. Obviously different sorts of characters will have varying levels of knowledge about certain topics, as described by their proficiencies and backgrounds - you can decide what to tell those players more info if it seems appropriate after they have created the character.

It is usually easiest for you, and them and the game in general, if all the characters are from roughly the same area and civilization - that way you don't need to worry about disrupting verisimilitude and immersion as they explore the world for the first time.

If you have used the setting many times and the players are familiar with different areas of it already, then they can start making characters from all over the place (and you have them explore places that you've newly invented for the new campaign).

[Naanomi]

Also a factor is starting level. Most of what is said assumes starting level 1 I'd guess... if you are starting as more seasoned adventurers I'd obviously reveal more

[Honest Tiefling]

I have two types of games- ones where I give long, detailed information about the setting in a nicely laid out file that I likely also made printouts to give to people and a narrative to help give the flavor, and ones where I don't tell the party anything because they're supposed to be confused by the setting.

I have unresolved angst about the first type since most of my players tl;dr me, then get mad when there's something different in my world that they didn't know about because they didn't read the materials.

Sometimes I dream of strangling my players.


Is there a support group for this? Because I feel your pain. Oftentimes they don't even bother to read the houserules document...or the PHB...and the setting file is basically a lost cause. On occasion they forget there is one.

I've been on both sides of this. Both the 'Why didn't you say that you didn't care about the setting BEFORE we started and all humans have latin-sounding names' to the 'What do you mean, you don't know the economical system of the Dragonborn empire or their many cultural pratices? How can I play one now!'


I would argue that even in the modern western world where most people are educated on a variety of topics, the majority of people don't know a heck of a lot about places or what is going on 50-100 miles from where they live, and what they do know is tainted by being seen through someone else's eyes.

I was 29 when I learned that Canada has bagged milk. I still can't wrap my head around it.

[Beelzebubba]

I have two types of games- ones where I give long, detailed information about the setting in a nicely laid out file that I likely also made printouts to give to people and a narrative to help give the flavor, and ones where I don't tell the party anything because they're supposed to be confused by the setting.

I have unresolved angst about the first type since most of my players tl;dr me, then get mad when there's something different in my world that they didn't know about because they didn't read the materials.

Well, maybe you're overestimating your writing talent and underestimating how much people want to have some of their own creativity enter the game world?

That's one thing I love about the rise of 'story games' - they introduced me to the idea of the campaign world being collaborative, and the result of not only a shared set of character events, but also a shared set of player influences.

If the player says 'I want to play an Elf noble'...then would it kill you to say 'ok, what is the name of the house? What does the heraldry look like? Think about their place in the world, what is unique about them, your relationship to them, maybe a few named NPCs in the house, and how much you want them to be involved.'

Boom! They have just given you a ton of story hooks that that player will be incredibly invested in. You won't have to dream up ways of getting them to buy in to your adventures, they are already bought in. And, I bet 95% of the set piece conflicts or adventures you've been dreaming up will fit right in with the tiniest bit of re-skinning.

[FreddyNoNose]

Unless communication and travel is exceptional, they probably would not know much about anything more than 20 miles from their home town. 20 miles is a long way on foot. They might know some likely wrong information about the nearest kingdoms and some of the more famous people, places and battles.

This is a good and reasonable answer. Add in prejudice against other locations, peoples, races and species and you can have a whole lot of wrong information.

[FreddyNoNose]

Well, maybe you're overestimating your writing talent and underestimating how much people want to have some of their own creativity enter the game world?


They can make their own campaign if they want that type of creativity. My campaign is for my creative outlet. They don't get to create things that are the game world. They get to create their characters and if their actions affect the world, then something might happen. But that is character not player.

[FreddyNoNose]

Is there a support group for this? Because I feel your pain. Oftentimes they don't even bother to read the houserules document...or the PHB...and the setting file is basically a lost cause. On occasion they forget there is one.

They can learn the house rules two ways. Reading the document or experiencing it in the game. One is usually better than the other.

[Floopay]

As the title says, What do you tell your players when they first begin in your world?

I'm starting a new campaign and I have a wealth of information about my world. I'm trying to make some quick notes that most people that venture in my world would know.

Locations, People, and Groups of Note
Basic Politics of the Area
Where the main areas of each race tend to dwell

Things like that. What information would you give your players about your world? What information do you think the common man would know? As a player, what would you like to know about a new realm you have never adventured in?

Generally people will want to know the general conflicts happening in their starting area(s). Is there a war going on? Is bandit activity up? Are poor trade negotiations creating tension between the gnomes, elves, and humans? You know, that sort of thing.

They should also know the major religions in the region, and possible key factions. My group knows about a secret war right now; because they are all former members of one faction of that secret war.

As a general rule, I do a basic rundown, and will run a Q&A while people make characters and decide on where they are starting. I start with general information, and as they get more specific as to where they are starting, I get more specific with my answers.

Thanks for reading,
Floopay

[FreddyNoNose]

Sometimes you may allude to some of the campaign or setting if there's certain bits of it that mess with a character concept. If for example you your campaign won't have access to heavy armor or a rangers chosen enemy will never come up, or even if the entire campaign is in the underdark

I don't allow people to do the "Character concept". First edition adnd here. They don't know what the world holds. Plus, people put all that time in writing up a character history when the character could be dead in the first session. They wasted their time. Also, I feel it is more organic to learn about the character as it gets played.

[Corran]

They can make their own campaign if they want that type of creativity. My campaign is for my creative outlet. They don't get to create things that are the game world.
pfffffffff

[Flashy]

I generally provide a run down of major nation states, a list of a few key religions, a brief survey of recent history, a list of magic changes and specific rulings on spells (Teleport has a max range, plane shift works in a specific way, gate is removed, healing spells are reclassified as necromancy, etc.) and then a bunch of scandalous lies about the organization of planes and the structure of the cosmos.

[Sariel Vailo]

That if you are an ******* tgey will treat you like an ******* peasants know things Dude. And some peasant might be a warlock of the GoO

[Flashy]

pfffffffff

Pretty much, yeah. Some of the absolute best things about my campaign world grew out of suggestions that players made.

[Positiveimpact3]

If your looking for more information on this - angrygm has some articles about this topic in his - how to run a campaign - articles.

[FreddyNoNose]

Pretty much, yeah. Some of the absolute best things about my campaign world grew out of suggestions that players made.

Sure gameplay stuff is great. Telling me your are a prince of some kingdom won't fly if the game doesn't have kings in the first place. that is what I am talking about.

[Honest Tiefling]

Sure gameplay stuff is great. Telling me your are a prince of some kingdom won't fly if the game doesn't have kings in the first place. that is what I am talking about.

That sounds like the party will start seeming like they're on shrooms if they weren't aware of that to begin with.

[Flashy]

Sure gameplay stuff is great. Telling me your are a prince of some kingdom won't fly if the game doesn't have kings in the first place. that is what I am talking about.

Mmm, gotcha. That sort of thing is definitely not what I was thinking about.

Though, funny story, one of the better changes to my campaign happened because I could not make a player understand that it was a fully homebrew setting and that Pelor didn't exist, but that it was fine, and he could take Radiant Servant of Pelor prestige class anyway. He insisted that he had to worship Pelor for it to work.

[Bahamut7]

I just started a campaign myself. Normally, I give the general history of the world and bits that would lead to the why of ruins, tombs, and so on. As well as any limitations due to the campaign setting.

For example, in my new campaign there was a great war between the Chromatic and Metallic Dragons that led to the extinction to all dragons. On top of that, during the war Kobolds rose up and attacked the people. After the war, the people sought out and performed genocide on the Kobolds and persecuted the Dragonborn due to their heritage. The dragonborn all but disappeared.

This explains why many locations are now "dungeons" and the limitations to character creation. With this information, the players get an idea of politics, a sense of realism with old locations becoming dungeons, and that kobolds are not a valid race choice...though Dragonborn still is but will make things difficult.

[Laurefindel]

As a player in a new game with a setting I don't know (regardless whether it's home brewed or published), here are the things I like to know:

Are the PHB default assumptions still hold? If not, what is significantly altered. I don't need a 3-page-long thesis on each difference, just the broad lines.

Which races, old or new, published or homebrewed, are most representative of this setting. Which are available for PCs?

What sets this setting appart. "Because it's mine" is a valid answer, but there is usually more to it.

If I want inspiration, where should I look? What has inspired you to that setting.

Are there any themes that are central to the setting (but not necessarily to the campaign, that's for a later part of session 0). For example, Dark sun is about survival in a harsh, desertic world, Eberron is magi-tech in a fragile post world-war truce, Forgotten Realms is about factions warring for autonomy/dominance in high magic world etc.

I'm sure there is more to it, but that would be a good start.

[FreddyNoNose]

That sounds like the party will start seeming like they're on shrooms if they weren't aware of that to begin with.

Everyone is interviewed before playing my game. They don't like it, they can take a hike.

[FreddyNoNose]

That sounds like the party will start seeming like they're on shrooms if they weren't aware of that to begin with.

as I wrote in a previous post in this thread, I don't allow character backgrounds. See post above.

[FreddyNoNose]

As a player in a new game with a setting I don't know (regardless whether it's home brewed or published), here are the things I like to know:

Are the PHB default assumptions still hold? If not, what is significantly altered. I don't need a 3-page-long thesis on each difference, just the broad lines.

Which races, old or new, published or homebrewed, are most representative of this setting. Which are available for PCs?

What sets this setting appart. "Because it's mine" is a valid answer, but there is usually more to it.

If I want inspiration, where should I look? What has inspired you to that setting.

Are there any themes that are central to the setting (but not necessarily to the campaign, that's for a later part of session 0). For example, Dark sun is about survival in a harsh, desertic world, Eberron is magi-tech in a fragile post world-war truce, Forgotten Realms is about factions warring for autonomy/dominance in high magic world etc.

I'm sure there is more to it, but that would be a good start.

What sets this setting apart? I'd likely stop the interview at this point.

[Unoriginal]

Sure gameplay stuff is great. Telling me your are a prince of some kingdom won't fly if the game doesn't have kings in the first place. that is what I am talking about.

Then tell them there is no kings.

It's better to make so the characters are integrated in the world by talking with your players.


as I wrote in a previous post in this thread, I don't allow character backgrounds. See post above.

So all the PCs in your campaign are random people who suddenly appeared in the world without identity or personal history?

[Laurefindel]

What sets this setting apart? I'd likely stop the interview at this point.

hum, why? being similar, or different, doesn't make better nor worse. It just sets your expectations. why did you see this as derogatory?

[FreddyNoNose]

Then tell them there is no kings.

It's better to make so the characters are integrated in the world by talking with your players.



So all the PCs in your campaign are random people who suddenly appeared in the world without identity or personal history?

Where do I begin. I don't want to spend a lot of time correcting you with your "creative" character choices. I shouldn't have to delineate every possible situation that your "creative" character might become. Start with a blank slate and grow your character. It is more organic that way. Do you understand organic?

Also, I have been doing this since 74. I know what works for me more than you know what works for me. Back in the 80s I experienced friend of a friend who I allowed into my game. She had pages and page of character details. She conflicted with MY WORLD and CAMPAIGN. She was a drag on the game. If she wanted to purchase a new cloak, she would roleplay details of cloth and materials then change her mind about it. Eventually she had to be booted for the good of the group and the game.

In case you are going to make a quip about this being only one experience, well it wasn't. There have been others. I decided that getting rid of background was best. They can learn about their characters as they play. Plus, in some ways, pre-creating your character background and personality is sort of anti-roleplay as you aren't doing it in the moment. If you are one of those "we are making a story" types, well that is good for you but I am not that type nor is my campaign.

I interview people before they can play in my campaign and turn most of them down.

[MarkVIIIMarc]

I think PC's should know what they need to survive in the world. Take their intelligence scores and wisdom into account of course.

Lets take ourselves for example. You can generally plop me down anyplace in the WORLD and I will have some idea how the place functions. Put me in Spain and you'd have to tell me the finer rules about licensing my auto but I'll figure it out lol. I'll have my tainted views of society in Louisianna or Maine but still I have an idea who the locals are.

Going into the past you'll have to decide how isolated the towns your characters come from are. A Barbarian with no written language from the untamed wilds will have less an idea about the world than a Bard from Constantanople in 600AD of course so reflect that.

The Barbarian will sure know where the Raman Empire is though. Let his intelligence decide if he knows facts and his wisdom and charisma how to act.

Animals are another thing. If something is common people know about it. Egyptians knew not to mess with lions. An angry hippo might get the jump of folks but man, I just know that beast has a few hit points and my bow isn't going to assure me a 1 on 1 victory.

Now don't just puke this information on ppl. When they come up to the swamp though remind them leeches and alligators are problems as their characters know.

If you told me about YOUR world I could make my character fit in. Hopefully you make people feel like part of the team more than it sounds.

[Theodoxus]

'snip'

Holy bejebuz, another ancient grognard who can't be civil on a forum? Take a step back, read what you wrote, pretend we can't read your mind or know your experiences.

Most of us don't have the luxury of drawing on however many folks you have in SoCal (so descriptive). I can't go to a Meetup without running into two or three people I know - our pool of players is quite incestuous. We get what we get and either like it, or leave. And I've left groups over incompatibility with a DM. I've known players who left because of incompatibility with me - but at least we're not arrogant enough to think we need a bloody interview to see if we're simpatico.

[Waterdeep Merch]

Well, maybe you're overestimating your writing talent and underestimating how much people want to have some of their own creativity enter the game world?

That's one thing I love about the rise of 'story games' - they introduced me to the idea of the campaign world being collaborative, and the result of not only a shared set of character events, but also a shared set of player influences.

If the player says 'I want to play an Elf noble'...then would it kill you to say 'ok, what is the name of the house? What does the heraldry look like? Think about their place in the world, what is unique about them, your relationship to them, maybe a few named NPCs in the house, and how much you want them to be involved.'

Boom! They have just given you a ton of story hooks that that player will be incredibly invested in. You won't have to dream up ways of getting them to buy in to your adventures, they are already bought in. And, I bet 95% of the set piece conflicts or adventures you've been dreaming up will fit right in with the tiniest bit of re-skinning.
Sorry it took a while to reply, but-

I'm not talking about players coming to me with ideas about what they want to play, I'm talking about them blatantly ignoring the fundamentals about the setting. Examples-

The aforementioned Pelor cleric in a world that was all about complex religions utilizing a unique pantheon. If he'd bothered reading anything, I even had a Pelor stand-in. He was central to the entire plot!

A player that played Vegeta, and all that entails, in Curse of Strahd. He was the most hated character by the other players, who often joked about leaving him to die.

A player that played Dragneel Natsu, and all that entails, as a dragonborn, in a world that has complex views on dragonborn and had grounded, gritty themes. He was the most hated character in any campaign I have ever seen to date, with the entire group agreeing to just let him die later without even a token attempt at a rescue. Even the player just accepted it, there was that much malice.

A player that chose to be a tiefling and decided to entirely ignore the world's views on tieflings and was flabbergasted when NPC's treated him poorly for it. To be fair, he did eventually read up on the setting once he realized his mistake and owned up to roleplaying it.

An elf noble who decided that they came from a human kingdom that is known for warring with a nearby elf kingdom. This came about from picking the name from a list of five important countries because it sounded cool. In a section that condensed everything into 2-3 sentences.

A paladin who found out I had a unique pantheon and basically responded with "whatever, I'm lawful good". I gave him information on the likely choices, he picked one at random, and was confused when I brought it up as though he was expected to at least adhere to some basic tenants. Because he didn't read them.


I could go on, but here's the gist- plenty of players have asked to play interesting characters and I give enormous latitude for placing them in my games, and I love utilizing their backstories. All I ask is that they work with me to integrate them. Refusing to do bare minimum reading, ignoring me when I'm trying to verbally explain important differences, and deciding backstory elements without mentioning them to me are the acts that get under my skin.

[Tanarii]

"Good luck. Try not to die." :smallamused:

Seriously tho. I have a simple rule: always start a new party at the entrance to the dungeon. Never, ever, do it in town. The home town is just the home town, a place to retreat to for safety, recuperating, restocking, and doing downtime stuff. I have a little bit of blurb about each Tier 1 dungeon / adventuring site, which I update whenever a party has assaulted it, since often the dungeon is 'restocked' with other creatures afterwards. Players that want to learn about the larger world can do it by exploring it (typically in Tier 2 adventures) or by asking me for more info.

Honestly, I've just been reading some Traveler RPG, and in Tier 1 my current campaign is remarkably similar in tone. Or to the tone of Classic D&D's 'Basic'.


Unless communication and travel is exceptional, they probably would not know much about anything more than 20 miles from their home town. 20 miles is a long way on foot. They might know some likely wrong information about the nearest kingdoms and some of the more famous people, places and battles.


In my experience, less info up front is better. Share only the most immediately important bits. Because in my experience, your players won't read it all, or retain it if they do. They aren't likely to be as invested in your setting as you are up front. As they explore they'll learn more and more about it, and parts of it will become important to them. At that point, you can reveal all the gritty details and they'll eat it up.
After 30 years of roleplaying, that's pretty much my attitude. Less up front is better, and there's no particular reason to assume that 1st level PCs are worldly. If they want to play a character that's more knowledgeable (Sage background possibly) I'll provide more details. I'm not going to hold back just to be an ass. But for the average character, they don't need, or in all honestly want, that much info beyond the basics of the local area.

Obviously my current campaign started off by taking that to an extreme. But as characters have explored the local area in Tier 1, and (after many deaths) some Tier 2 parties have managed to explore and interact with the larger surrounding area, it's developed history. Much of it caused by various parties PC's actions of course.

[Honest Tiefling]

Sorry it took a while to reply, but...*horror ensues*

This is exactly the problem I have encountered. If you don't care about the setting when there is a lot of setting...Why have you not mentioned this? Why are you playing this game if you don't care about what the DM has written? That should be a hint of what to expect.

We really need a support group.