Cool Backstory Syndrome

MKMcArtor · 05-04-2010, 12:43 PM

In a well-written adventure, there is no wasted back story. Assuming the PCs have any chance at all of discovering the information, it's useful. And even if they can't find out that information for themselves, it might paint how NPCs react to them. So again: useful.

Where I find game designers failing in back story inclusion is in published campaign settings. Some campaign settings are about how cool the world used to be and don't spend nearly enough time talking about how cool it is, now, when the PCs are wandering around in it. If a published campaign setting places its history chapter in the first half of the book I put it down and don't look at it again.*

* And now that I've said that I'm trying desperately to remember if the setting book I put together does this. ;D

05-04-2010, 12:43 PM	#10
MKMcArtor Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Seattle, WA	Re: Cool Backstory Syndrome In a well-written adventure, there is no wasted back story. Assuming the PCs have any chance at all of discovering the information, it's useful. And even if they can't find out that information for themselves, it might paint how NPCs react to them. So again: useful. Where I find game designers failing in back story inclusion is in published campaign settings. Some campaign settings are about how cool the world used to be and don't spend nearly enough time talking about how cool it is, now, when the PCs are wandering around in it. If a published campaign setting places its history chapter in the first half of the book I put it down and don't look at it again.* * And now that I've said that I'm trying desperately to remember if the setting book I put together does this. ;D