Differing Lore per each player?

[Kessel]

Starting a summer campaign shortly that I’m DMing, the players have all been hired for a heist, none of them know each other from before.

I don’t want to bury them with a lore-dump at the start, I was thinking of privately giving each of them a page or less of info. All pages with different lore. Each would include some info of the area, some contacts, key campaign info – but all different pieces of the puzzle. All this to encourage communication between the PCs, to suss out the puzzle pieces they have. Pieces of lore becoming part of them.

Have others tried this before? Any tips or things to watch for? Any material to draw from would be appreciated.
My thanks!

[Skrum]

I go back and forth on this sort of thing all the time. I don't think anyone particularly enjoys the 20 minute DM monologue describing the local area or setting, but especially if the characters are from the area, they should know quite a bit about it. So it's often necessary to do at least a little bit of exposition (that's a lot of the DM's job, really). I would assume your page of info for each player doesn't include the elevator-pitch, back round info of the world?

I think your idea looks like a good one, though? Is this heist a Reservoir Dogs situation, or Fast and the Furious? (I.e., do the PC's know each other already). If it's the latter, it's possibly a little weird that they all have different info.

[Kessel]

They will absolutely get the elevator pitch of basics prior to start.

The heist itself is taking place on a group of islands, just at the end of a civil war. Most boats destroyed, pirates/mercenaries/soldiers all mixed together and stuck there for the moment. No one knows each other so their knowledge of the islands/contacts/allegiances differ.

A patron hires our four to pull off a robbery while things are still in a mess, for a fee and transport off to sea.

[MaxWilson]

Here's an idea: go the Gold Box route and give them all the same pages and pages of lore, with each "fact" numbered. Some are true, many are false, but it gives the players an idea of the kinds of things which could be true ("Old Man Idris howls at the moon, and the neighbors' cats have all gone missing"). Then if you give certain players a list of numbers for the facts on the numbered sheet which they personally know to be true, it's easier to integrate that knowledge with things known by other PCs or NPCs. And you can hand out clues by describing what the NPC tells them and then adding, "you write this down as clue #17," and it's already on the fact sheet so they're less likely to forget it. And of course certain key facts may not be on the sheet at all, and are learned only during play--you still have flexibility to give out a map or something as a separate prop. .

I suggest this route because I want to make it as easy as possible for players to combine information and get interested in showing true from false, otherwise they might never catch on to the idea of combining knowledge and might just go with whatever the most confident player believes.

[greenstone]

I've done this twice, with two different groups.

In both groups, no-one read it.

Or at least, no-one remembered it.

GM: The merchant tells you to head to Trestlebridge.
Player: What's Trestlebridge?

GM: You are talking to Mayor Ellison.
Player: Who's he?

GM: The mercenary makes a gesture of the god Nevyn.
Player: Who's Nevyn?

GM *sigh*

[Unoriginal]

I think it's a great idea that'd work well, but only if all the players are the kind to enjoy that kind of things.

Giving each of the players a small notebook could help encourage them to files their own info they think matter, too.

[Pex]

This will not work if you have a That Guy. That Guy will not share information he learns. He feels a sense of superiority knowing something other players don't.

Give everyone the same information. It's up to them to read it before the game. It saves time. Run the game as if they read it. If they forget something it will come back to them when it becomes relevant. Players would work together when they remember different things. It's possible players will have different opinions or ideas about Why or How something in the world is as it is, but it couldn't hurt to have a few vague facts that are open to such interpretation. Perhaps you don't have a distinct answer and will choose something a player comes up with. The player will think he figured it out, and in a way he did. Players like figuring things out.

[Stabbey]

I'd give everyone generally common knowledge about the setting, but I do like giving in addition to that, extra information about the specific locations that individual players would be familiar with based on their backstory.

So everyone in the campaign knows that Aginzborg is the capitol city of the Kingdom of Cyrell, and the current Monarch is King Sheezle XVI, but only the character(s) who grew up in Aginzborg know the city layout, the names of the local lords and people of importance, the disctricts, the best pubs, where the best stores are. Only the people who grew up in the farm town of Zell know the local lord of Zell, what the industry of Zell is, the local history of Zell's founding.

[Theodoxus]

Put me in the camp of 'tried it, with limited success'. The players that enjoy exposition and build their backstories to fit the campaign loved it. The players that are playing their 15th fighter in a row... not so much.

The second time I tried it, I had the fortune of knowing which were which, and gave out information that was tailored to the player, not the character.

The 'Lore' guy basically got my entire campaign notes in player friendly format. A couple other not as detailed but like to build on a theme got a page of back lore and highlights. Mr. Fighter XV got three sentences: name of the capital city and dominate races; name, symbol and domains of the dominate god; the list in ranking order of expense of all the taverns available in the campaign.

That worked much better.

If you know the table, plan to their strengths. If they're all new to you... plan that they won't take your prep as seriously as you do.

[Mastikator]

In my experience the best way to deliver lore/exposition is via play: NPC dialog, puzzles, exploration.

Speaking of that: I once had a DM who did a separate session -1 for each player before session zero, during that session we constructed/played out the background. It made the character feel a bit more lived in from the start of the game.

You could combine these, give each player a very short "let's play out your background/how you get into this game" session where you can feed them lore via gameplay.

I agree with others about giving homework, players never read it, and don't give a monologue, players won't remember.

[Chad.e.clark]

.......Perhaps you don't have a distinct answer and will choose something a player comes up with. The player will think he figured it out, and in a way he did. Players like figuring things out.

This x1,000. And in as many ways as possible for as many aspects as it turns interesting for. Social interactions, exploration, combat, every pillar can benefit from it. Keeping an open, malleable, and fun mind as a DM tends to encourage the same from PC's, which gives all of the people at the table the space to create those super individual, organic moments that weren't written into the module, but are what sticks out the most when you think back to that campaign.

[Unoriginal]

This will not work if you have a That Guy. That Guy will not share information he learns. He feels a sense of superiority knowing something other players don't.

Playing with people OP knows aren't That Guy would be the solution here.

[CapnWildefyr]

If you do break up the knowledge among the players, make sure that multiple players know the same thing. That way, it's more likely that Shy Guy, That Guy, and Just-Tell-Me-When-To-Roll Guy (or Gal) won't be the only one who knows the thing that's really needed. Also, it wouldn't hurt to make sure the players know that they do not have the same starting info -- that way, they might all read the background info (even if only while sitting at the table).

Personally I think whether to do this depends on your players -- can they handle it, or will they still expect to be spoon-fed?

[KorvinStarmast]

...I was thinking of privately giving each of them a page or less of info. All pages with different lore. Each would include some info of the area, some contacts, key campaign info – but all different pieces of the puzzle. All this to encourage communication between the PCs, to suss out the puzzle pieces they have. Pieces of lore becoming part of them.

Have others tried this before? I've done that a lot over the years; it's a way to get the players to compare notes and to work together. Roll with it.

I have a group on roll20 that I try to, during the campaign, give different info to via PM and then see how they relate to each other. Sadly, only two of the five players do that; the tool is a great one, but if the players don't care enough to take that and share with each other, it becomes a matter of me having to promp them.

Each group will respond to this a little differently. I think it's a good idea to let your players know "you each know things the others don't" so that they aren't surprised by the set up.

[Sigreid]

This is actually a really good idea that works great...for the right group. I'd suggest if you do it you tell them as a group that they each have gotten the information that their character has and it's not all the same information.

[jjordan]

Love this idea and do it all the time with mixed results. I build the data dump for each player around the background they provide. There's frequently give and take as I work things out with them and ask questions about their background and provide them with context from the game world. Some players use it, some don't.

[Lupine]

I’ve been planning to do this for my own table, giving each player different information as to the world, based on their culture.

Then, it gives them stuff to debate as campfires / long rests.

[Zhorn]

Love this idea and do it all the time with mixed results. I build the data dump for each player around the background they provide. There's frequently give and take as I work things out with them and ask questions about their background and provide them with context from the game world.
A very health and collaborative approach you have there, good job :smallbiggrin:

That give and take attitude I think is the best mindset to have while DMing. You personally might have a particular vision you love, but what sounds cool in your head might not translate al that well to someone else's. Being flexible and willing to incorporate aspects and snippets from the input of the players can really serve to draw them into being included in the narrative of your setting and gives them points to anchor their own personal interests and investments onto.

There's always a risk when developing your world's narrative from an isolated viewpoint of it coming across as a "my precious setting". Sure some folks are VERY good story tellers and world builders, but the goal of the game is for players to be participants in the setting, not solely spectators, and being flexible with a give and take approach makes the act of getting involved and invested more inviting.