[DF] How Much Setting Information Do You Like?

[DAT]

The ‘Cool Backstory Syndrome’ thread (http://forums.sjgames.com/showthread.php?t=69296) over in the ‘Roleplaying in General’ forum, started me wondering…
1) As a GM of your own DF game, how much setting / background / backstory do you develop?
2) As a GM of a published DF game, how much setting / background / backstory would you want?
3) As a player in a DF game, how much do you care to read / listen to if you are making your own character?
4) As a player of a pre-gen character in a DF game, how much do you care to read / listen to?

I been in games were the starting description was something along the lines of:
The adventure starts in a standard D&D setting (faux-medieval European), and your characters are 100 yards outside the gate of the frontier town of Dodgeburg … what do you do?

And at the other extreme, 15-20 pages of general background for players to read plus 2-5 pages of personnel background knowledge (separate from the page or two of player generated backstory).
-Dan

[thalassogen]

Originally Posted by DAT

1) As a GM of your own DF game, how much setting / background / backstory do you develop?
2) As a GM of a published DF game, how much setting / background / backstory would you want?
3) As a player in a DF game, how much do you care to read / listen to if you are making your own character?
4) As a player of a pre-gen character in a DF game, how much do you care to read / listen to?

1) None. I am using published Pathfinder material.
2) By published DF game you mean adventure/setting/campaign? I am not interested in such material as there is plenty available; it's just sad that this material is using sub-optimal systems. But I would like to see (and buy) DF conversions of existing (3rd party) material (I am realizing that this won't happen, so I am converting stuff myself).
3) I don't very much like GM created worlds and instead would prefer to play in an "established" world I already know (e.g. Golarion, Faerun, Oerth, ...).
4) I don't like to play pre-gen characters. I guess I won't play in such a game.

[Stone Dog]

Originally Posted by thalassogen

3) I don't very much like GM created worlds and instead would prefer to play in an "established" world I already know (e.g. Golarion, Faerun, Oerth, ...).

As a player, I tend to agree. If I have to play in a campaign where all the information is in one guy's binder and I can't go do some basic research on the setting, I'll do whatever I can to play an outsider so I don't feel stupid when the almost inevitable Our Orcs Are Different moment comes up.

[somecallmetim]

Originally Posted by Stone Dog

As a player, I tend to agree. If I have to play in a campaign where all the information is in one guy's binder and I can't go do some basic research on the setting, I'll do whatever I can to play an outsider so I don't feel stupid when the almost inevitable Our Orcs Are Different moment comes up.

Part of the point of running a homebrew setting is that the players can't just look up NPC stats or unusual details of the setting. Surprising the players is fun (hopefully for everyone). Of course the GM should give the players any basic information the PCs should have as background.

[mlangsdorf]

My Saga of the West March game has a lot of backstory, but it did start with "You guys have just left the Inn in Polisberg. What do you do?" The total back story available to the characters was perhaps 1-2 pages.

Part of the game is finding out the back story, by exploring the ruins of the West March and learning which wave of conquerors caused which ruins.

[DAT]

Originally Posted by Stone Dog

As a player, I tend to agree. If I have to play in a campaign where all the information is in one guy's binder and I can't go do some basic research on the setting, I'll do whatever I can to play an outsider so I don't feel stupid when the almost inevitable Our Orcs Are Different moment comes up.

So if you were going to play in a new setting, your preference would be for more background material, as long as you have access to it (e.g., you were given multiple pages of details on the specifics of the setting and general knowledge your character would know)?

-Dan

[demonsbane]

Originally Posted by thalassogen

(...) I am using published Pathfinder material.(...) I am not interested in such material as there is plenty available; it's just sad that this material is using sub-optimal systems.

That's so true. . . On my view, nor even the Pathfinder RPG is substantially different than D&D 3.5, despite its improvements and polishings.

Originally Posted by mlangsdorf

My Saga of the West March game has a lot of backstory, but it did start with "You guys have just left the Inn in Polisberg. What do you do?" The total back story available to the characters was perhaps 1-2 pages.

Yeah, that was enough for starting the campaign.

And while playing, it's almost unavoidable to develop additional homebrew-setting material, session after session.