When you create your setting, what do you do to give your players a feel of the setting? Do you just let them assume "standard" D&D Fantasy setting and let them discover the differences as they go along? Do you just give them a list of the changes? Do you draw out maps?
I give them a map and have a 10-15(?) page document that gives in brief the religion and regions, and how the races and classes fit into the world.
Some read it, some just make sure their character fits in and learn the world as they go along.
The world itself is pretty standard fantasy so I don't have to make a lot of extra explanations. All the stuff that needs explaining is more like the politics and history of the region (when it's relevant).
I have a map that I give my players. I learned from running my first campaign that letting the players know of any prominent NPCs is just as important as introducing the well known deities.
I give them a map and have a 10-15(?) page document that gives in brief the religion and regions, and how the races and classes fit into the world.
Some read it, some just make sure their character fits in and learn the world as they go along.
According to OpenOffice, my copy is 68 pages :)
I then provide each player with several pages of maps and/or setting information tailored to their character's starting ranks in Knowledge skills. The more ranks in Knowledge skills your character possesses upon character creation, the more you get to know about the campaign setting at the start of the campaign.
I think I will be snatching this idea. This makes the knowledge skill much more interesting.
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I then provide each player with several pages of maps and/or setting information tailored to their character's starting ranks in Knowledge skills. The more ranks in Knowledge skills your character possesses upon character creation, the more you get to know about the campaign setting at the start of the campaign.
I love the idea of tailoring the starting information packet to the background/skills of each player's character. I could see someone with no knowledge skills (because they're "useless") getting half a page of text and a simple "stick figure" type map of the world.
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I can't say I like the skills-based approach. I am very much interested in the histories and wherefores of places I adventure. This doesn't need to be in-character knowledge—it just helps me place my character in the setting. If I don't know anything about the setting, how am I going to craft a backstory? How am I going to contextualize what's happening and roleplay accordingly? You're seriously hampering your acting- and story-oriented players by doing this. Do you only play with combat-oriented people? Surely someone must have asked for more information by now.
Look at this character's background as, coincidentally, an extreme counterexample of your approach. It took several hours of researching the Inner Sea World Guide and writing to find a place for her. I don't think I could have come up with this character at all given the knowledge skills that she doesn't have.
I can't say I like the skills-based approach. I am very much interested in the histories and wherefores of places I adventure. This doesn't need to be in-character knowledge—it just helps me place my character in the setting. If I don't know anything about the setting, how am I going to craft a backstory? How am I going to contextualize what's happening and roleplay accordingly? You're seriously hampering your acting- and story-oriented players by doing this. Do you only play with combat-oriented people? Surely someone must have asked for more information by now.
Look at this character's background as, coincidentally, an extreme counterexample of your approach. It took several hours of researching the Inner Sea World Guide and writing to find a place for her. I don't think I could have come up with this character at all given the knowledge skills that she doesn't have.
Hmm... Something to consider. I honestly believe it has nothing to do with whether a player prefers combat or acting. I have seen combat oriented players who will take a background to justify their build. I have also seen story / acting oriented players who take a limited background and play wonderfully enjoying the new world that they discover. That said, I have actually had a player who asked me to withhold certain details so she wouldn't metagame. I don't judge a player based on the length of their character's background.
I want to make sure that the players know all the things that should be well known. I also try to describe what is common in the areas that they may be from. However I do believe there is a limit since there are players that actually want to discover the world, not just know it and game it.
All of my campaigns are in a home brew setting.
I have a standard "package" that I give players describing the world, its history the major events all inhabitants would know, local history for PCs based on their backstory and maps showing both the general large-scale view of the world and the local area.
That includes discussion of the political and economic systems of the world that they would know, current geopolitical activities, etc.
Included in that history are any world-shaking impacts caused by previous PC parties who adventured in the world. In one case a previous PC has been promoted to demigod and now has his own followers, and in other cases the PCs have become local legends who may have taverns or even towns named after them.
Usually I have a player or two who really gets into the history and weaves it into the backstory and on occasion that adds new content to my own world backstory.
According to OpenOffice, my copy is 68 pages :)I give them a map and have a 10-15(?) page document that gives in brief the religion and regions, and how the races and classes fit into the world.
Some read it, some just make sure their character fits in and learn the world as they go along.
That's the draft of the full setting (which I think you were the only one who asked for it), not the in-brief player's guide (which I checked, is about 15 pages). :)
When you create your setting, what do you do to give your players a feel of the setting? Do you just let them assume "standard" D&D Fantasy setting and let them discover the differences as they go along? Do you just give them a list of the changes? Do you draw out maps?
This may sound like a bit of a cop-out at first, but its actually a fantastic device I always use when starting out with a new group. I have my own campaign world, and I write all of my own adventures. In it I like to have running subplots for all the characters (try to keep the groups smallish) as well as one overall plot.
The way I introduce them to my world - a world which their characters would normally have to 'fake it' through - is to have them wake up on a hillside with no knowledge of who they were or how they got there. Beside them is a chest that will have in it a few helpful items, a couple of mysterious ones and a letter from some far-off protagonist/antagonist apologizing for their situation and asking their forgiveness.
There's usually a pretty quick hook to grab their attention, some quick encounter to let them all flex their muscles, but from then on each player is trying to learn his history (which may end up very different from who their characters have become with their 'fresh slate'), and as a group they are trying to discover what happened to them as well as unfold whatever destiny awaits.
Along the way there are plenty of side adventures which may or may not advance the main plot (X-Files style), but there are always plenty of hooks for me to use, and the characters learn about my world as the players do... that way, when we decide to reboot, they have encountered organizations, NPC's, races, etc. that they may want to try out the second time around.