What Is A Setting?
Settings are what truly make an RPG great. I have played many RPGs with difficult or less than thrilling mechanics that were still incredible fun because of the settings. I have also played RPGs with very interesting mechanics but the games were as memorable as bland oatmeal because the settings were unremarkable.
With the Budge framework nearly finished, or I should say nearly ready for its first public appearance, I am preparing to switch modes to start developing settings for use with Budge. This has me thinking about what a setting actually is? A cast of important NPCs and locations? A cosmology that defines how the game world came to be and how it works? Or is it a bit of mechanics that tie the system into the setting such as humanity in Vampire: The Masquerade 1st and 2nd editions (I stopped playing after those versions were released and have no idea if that mechanic exists anymore)?
The answer is probably all of them, but there are probably many more. What do others think? What makes a setting? What would you expect from a setting that you paid for? Leave a comment below and let me know what you define a setting to be.
I agree that the setting makes the game.
Unfortunately, like Hollywood, once somebody seems to produce a hit there are a hundred copy cat versions produced that are almost – but not quite – a direct copy of what came before. There are dozens of fantasy settings that are all variations of Middle Earth. Talislanta made itself famous not by advertising what it WAS but by advertising what it WASN’T “Still no Elves!”.
Most if not all of these settings set themselves apart from each other by small flavour changes or by the mechanics of the game the setting uses.
To me the setting is the most important aspect of the game. If you can’t sell me on your setting then you are very unlikely to sell me on your game. The setting is the primary hook to draw me to the table (or screen) to play the game.
There are three very simple things I look for in a setting I am going to buy.
1) I want to see something fun.
This of course is entirely subjective. What I see as fun might not be the same that someone else considers fun.
2) I want something unique that is added to the setting or world
Don’t try and sell me the same thing everyone else is selling me. I am far more likely to buy something that has something new. Or if you aren’t giving me something new give me a new interpretation on something old. I don’t need another Greyhawk, Forgotten Realms, Glorantha, etc, etc…
3) I want to see the setting as a living entity.
There has to be some dynamics – some conflict to really sell the setting. You can paint a beautiful picture of a desolate planet where survival is a day to day battle or an idyllic paradise. Both can be excellent settings but what am I going to DO in the world? Do I have a hope of climbing out of the daily battle to live? or will the game just be a grind to gather enough food to survive one more day. Why is the planet a desolate wasteland? How was this paradise formed? Is it really a paradise? An ounce of conflict and dynamics are worth twenty pounds of history and exposition.
I also would like to see vibrant characters form the setting – just please don’t make them so awe inspiring and powerful that they become bigger than the setting themselves (cough cough Elminster). These ancient mages or rocket pilots or street samurai make the world more accessible, but the characters in the world should never (or only very rarely) steal the spotlight from the characters the players are playing.
Looking at the physical (or digital) product itself, it has to be well put together. I don’t mean it has to have flashy pictures – but those do help. I really want to see a well organized product with high quality content. I would rather have a book that is all text than a book with poor images or images that just don’t fit. Throwing in another subjective measurement, don’t overfill the book with fluff but don’t leave it out entirely, there is a balance between telling a story and explaining the mechanics that needs to be made. Finally, the love of all that is good – if the book is more than 20-25 pages give me an index (I’m looking at YOU RoleMaster II).
Shaneknysh – I agree with much of what you have posted. Thanks for sharing!
The most important aspect for me in a published setting is Inspiration for Adventure. Every location and NPC should have unfinished business that I can follow up on for cool story ideas. Conflicts (as shaneknysh mentioned), undiscovered secrets, rumors, and threats. I don’t need details like NPC stat blocks or location maps, I can fill those in during play, as long as the system has tools to help me do that.
Kevin Richey – You put into words something that I have internalized, but that I could never express. Settings need to have “unfinished business.” Very cool! Thanks!
To everyone: Would you buy a setting that had no stats, or very few stats? Sometimes I think that game mechanics get in the way of what a setting should be about. I’d rather have a vivid description, such as “The tower is guarded by the elite soldiers in the king’s army.” than have a bunch of stats that may or may not be “elite” soldiers in my game world.
You’re welcome.
Yes, I’d buy a setting without stats. By “stats” I mean the numbers like attack bonus, damage capacity, etc. However, descriptions of cool powers, special attack modes, tactics, etc are very useful.