Cool Backstory Syndrome

[Irish Wolf]

Vampire: the Masquerade in the old World of Darkness was another prime example - volume after volume of interesting, detailed information about Kindred history, society, and power structures, which the PCs would be unable to learn about for years, if ever. (One of the changes I really liked in the reboot, Vampire: the Requiem, was where they decided that after the first four or five centuries, a Kindred would begin to lose the ability to distinguish between real memories and dreams in torpor. No detailed prehistory, linking to any given mythology - just vague hints. It's mentioned that scholars are pretty sure that certain bloodlines were active in the days of the Roman Empire, but that's "pretty sure", not "here are the names and positions of the undead who really controlled everything".)

I have to admit that I had a similar tendency when writing up the history of my D&D world, Aathe - but I tried to keep it under control. I have my reams of notes on the histories and personalities that shaped the world, to be sure; but there is also a four-page write-up of "the history that Everybody Knows" for the players to read. They may, over time, find clues pointing to where that history is inaccurate. It's up to them to decide whether they want to follow those clues up...