Discovery
I've been thinking about discovery in role playing games recently. A science fiction setting where you can explore new star systems and new planets is pretty topical. A West Marches style fantasy game has become a staple. But there is also discovery of plots, storylines and new characters. A player might even discover new mechanical options among rulebooks and websites, or come up with combinations of abilities that provide more power or more fun. Some players like this, some don't care for it, I guess some would even oppose it altogether. But how to provide it in an RPG?
So telling your friends that you're starting a new campaign about discovery might mean different things to different players. They might assume the characters will literally be exploring the unknown, something like King Solomon's Mines. One player might think there will be scientific research going on, like the Xcom games, or magical research and discoveries to be made. Some players might even wonder if the whole rule set will be presented at the start, or if rules and mechanics will be kept secret and revealed as needed. In any case, some players will be excited about discovering something through an RPG, some won't.
In a game where you play yourself, in the modern world, what would you expect to discover? Powers and abilities? Schemes and plots? Places, people, events? I guess this is different for every player, and when a group is involved it's even harder to manage. But in this case, all the players would know about the history of the game world, they'd know enough about geography and how science works to get things done. In fantasy games there can be discovery involved in finding out what town is over the next hill. The characters might have already known, but the players didn't. Some games allow players to fill in details about the game world, rather than having the GM do all the world building, and again, some players love it and some don't. Requiring players to read textbooks about the game world so they can then make realistic decisions for their characters can be tedious, and for the player who wants to discover the world during play, this kills a source of enjoyment for them.
A way to get around this is by allowing the player who likes discovery to play an outsider character. Someone who got sent through time and/or space, or came through a magical portal. Their character knows nothing about the game world, and neither does the player. The player can discover everything that exists in the new setting, while playing a character who genuinely doesn't know what's over the next hill.
For players who don't like discovery, they could read a setting guidebook, to learn about the setting for the game. Setting guidebooks are usually aimed at GMs, but they can be for players too. In a similar vein, players and GMs who like world building can create a game world together, but a player who prefers to discover can stay out of the world building process.
Players who don't mind one way or the other can do either. There are even GMs who would like to discover the setting and NPCs, and there are plenty of options in modern RPGs to allow for this.
So, in Bruce Heard's World of Calidar setting for example, I could loan the book to some players, who will then create characters who are natives of the setting. Players who do not want to read through that book can make a character from whatever setting they like, who then gets drawn to Calidar through the vortex. Both types of player can hopefully then enjoy the setting as different areas are visited. The same can be done for players who have played before in any published campaign world. The players who know the setting well already make characters who are from the setting. Players who don't know the setting make characters who are outsiders. The changes to the Forgotten Realms caused by the Spellplague could be discovered by all the players in a group, where they all were familiar with the setting before the changes. An outsider character in this case would be discovering everything for the first time, while the players of native characters would be discovering what has changed and what has stayed the same.
So telling your friends that you're starting a new campaign about discovery might mean different things to different players. They might assume the characters will literally be exploring the unknown, something like King Solomon's Mines. One player might think there will be scientific research going on, like the Xcom games, or magical research and discoveries to be made. Some players might even wonder if the whole rule set will be presented at the start, or if rules and mechanics will be kept secret and revealed as needed. In any case, some players will be excited about discovering something through an RPG, some won't.
In a game where you play yourself, in the modern world, what would you expect to discover? Powers and abilities? Schemes and plots? Places, people, events? I guess this is different for every player, and when a group is involved it's even harder to manage. But in this case, all the players would know about the history of the game world, they'd know enough about geography and how science works to get things done. In fantasy games there can be discovery involved in finding out what town is over the next hill. The characters might have already known, but the players didn't. Some games allow players to fill in details about the game world, rather than having the GM do all the world building, and again, some players love it and some don't. Requiring players to read textbooks about the game world so they can then make realistic decisions for their characters can be tedious, and for the player who wants to discover the world during play, this kills a source of enjoyment for them.
A way to get around this is by allowing the player who likes discovery to play an outsider character. Someone who got sent through time and/or space, or came through a magical portal. Their character knows nothing about the game world, and neither does the player. The player can discover everything that exists in the new setting, while playing a character who genuinely doesn't know what's over the next hill.
For players who don't like discovery, they could read a setting guidebook, to learn about the setting for the game. Setting guidebooks are usually aimed at GMs, but they can be for players too. In a similar vein, players and GMs who like world building can create a game world together, but a player who prefers to discover can stay out of the world building process.
Players who don't mind one way or the other can do either. There are even GMs who would like to discover the setting and NPCs, and there are plenty of options in modern RPGs to allow for this.
So, in Bruce Heard's World of Calidar setting for example, I could loan the book to some players, who will then create characters who are natives of the setting. Players who do not want to read through that book can make a character from whatever setting they like, who then gets drawn to Calidar through the vortex. Both types of player can hopefully then enjoy the setting as different areas are visited. The same can be done for players who have played before in any published campaign world. The players who know the setting well already make characters who are from the setting. Players who don't know the setting make characters who are outsiders. The changes to the Forgotten Realms caused by the Spellplague could be discovered by all the players in a group, where they all were familiar with the setting before the changes. An outsider character in this case would be discovering everything for the first time, while the players of native characters would be discovering what has changed and what has stayed the same.
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