PDA

View Full Version : Exposition in RPGs



Thrawn4
2011-10-29, 11:16 AM
Hallo playground,

I've been preparing my own RPG over the course of the last few yours and have finally enough notes to write down a coherent and (I hope) rich setting. But after figuring out the mechanics, style and details I face a new problem: What is the best way to describe a fictional world? As I see it, you can either do it as a neutral description which allows a precise description or as a report by a character, e. g. a short story or a diary, but this isn't suited to describe everything in detail.
Suggestions or general ideas are welcome :smallsmile:

Domriso
2011-10-29, 08:46 PM
I actually prefer a middling style approach. While the usual 3rd person approach is incredibly useful, it can get a bit boring at times. Splitting up the style by shoving diary entries, short stories, and other little things like that breaks the monotony and makes it possible to have other angles. Personally, I like confusing my players.

Zeta Kai
2011-10-30, 12:35 PM
Something like this question actually just came up (http://thealexandrian.net/wordpress/8257/roleplaying-games/rpgnet-reviews-immortal-the-invisible-war) over at the Alexandrian. Presentation is very important for an RPG, both for rules & for flavor text. The reader needs to understand the setting & the mechanics of the game so that they can play effectively (&, more importantly, so that they want to play).

Therefore, you can only do so much mindscrewing with your narrative before the audience throws up their hands in confusion. The White Wolf solutions, as seen in their WoD books, seems to work pretty well. Start with an in-media-res block of flavor text, which can be several pages. As long as it's compelling, it doesn't have to explain itself, & can leave the audience unsure of what's going on; it's there at the beginning to set the tone.

Then, once the tone is set, take the reader on a simple, straightforward tour of your world & your game. They just need the basics at this point; the finer nuances can come later. Make it clear when you're talking about fluff, & when you're talking about crunch. Intersperse more flavor text with the descriptions, preferably at predictable intervals (WW does this at the beginning of every chapter). And lastly, include a clear concise glossary, an index, or (even better) both.

Doing all of this will ensure that your audience will be able to easily access your setting & the mechanics involved, & will have the best chance of enjoying their time doing so. Once you've got 'em hooked, you can take them on the journey of your making.

Solaris
2011-10-30, 12:44 PM
I usually have the luxury of being able to discuss the setting with my players outside of the game. This helps in case the players want alterations to the setting itself. Otherwise, I prefer to keep the in-character exposition to the actual relating things the character learns; the player's the only one who gets told about the setting, unless the game involves more than the usual amount of exploration.