I do find the 20 Questions by Jeff Rients invaluable for world building and helping to cement ideas in my head. I haven`t quite decided if this is something to share with the players. Part of me says yes, and part of me says no. I`ve thought about the idea of letting this world grow as it`s played in. Writing these answers out cements somethings that could change. So letting that out into the wild isn`t the best idea right away.
Whatever the case, here is what I`ve got. Thanks Jeff
http://jrients.blogspot.com/2011/04/twenty-quick-questions-for-your.html
What is the deal with my cleric's religion?
There are 5 Demigods who make up the religious pantheon. None of them are named at this current time. The actual Gods died long ago during the apocalypse. The Demigods do from time to time meddle in the affairs of Non Immortals. There isn’t any real organized religion in the land, most people believe in fate.
Where can we go to buy standard equipment?
Most towns and villages have small general stores. Depending on how far they are away from Port Nightwell the prices can be a bit higher on most items.
Where can we go to get platemail custom fitted for this monster I just befriended?
Find a dwarf.
Who is the mightiest wizard in the land?
This is a bit of a bone of contention. There are at least 6 very skilled magic users living throughout the barony. On rare occasions they duel (usually because one of them wants to try out a new spell). As is typical, wizards tend to stray away from large centres and live in moldy towers filled with books. I’d find one of those.
Who is the greatest warrior in the land?
Once again, there are many. The most famous is Commander Grill, the leader of the barons army. She is famous for her reflexes and her sword “Black Orchid”.
Who is the richest person in the land?
Some would think that it is the baron, unfortunately that is not the case. The black boss as he is known is the richest person in the land. He runs many criminal organizations. He has never been seen, and some believe that he is just a figment of the imagination.
Where can we go to get some magical healing?
Elves, Gnomes, wayshrines of the Demigods, Cults, Priests of the five. Most small towns do not have any real magical healers, although sometimes you can get lucky.
Where can we go to get cures for the following conditions: poison, disease, curse, level drain, lycanthropy, polymorph, alignment change, death, undeath?
See above.
Is there a magic guild my magic user belongs to or that I can join in order to get more spells?
There is a guild of the ``higher order of magical research, technology and cross stitching`` in Port Nightwell.
Where can I find an alchemist, sage or other expert NPC?
Generally speaking port nightwell for most of these. However on occasion you can find these speciality NPCs out in the wild or living in a small town.
Where can I hire mercenaries?
Real mercenaries? Port Nightwell. Alternatively you can bribe a gang of thieves and bridgands, or hire some farmers and give em pitchforks.
Is there any place on the map where swords are illegal, magic is outlawed or any other notable hassles from Johnny Law?
In the smaller villages like longtooth and stonewall magic isn’t outlawed but looked upon with disbelief and superstition. As well when a magic user casts a spell in a small town they are inundated with requests to fix warts on toes, broken limbs, tell the future, etc. It can be rather annoying.
Walking around port nightwell brandishing any weapon visible is looked upon as bad form, as well wearing armour will usually cause citizens to ridicule the wearer. “Hey Tinman! Need some oil for yer joints!”
It is illegal to wear black on the weekend in most parts of the barony. If caught it is a 5 SP fine.
Which way to the nearest tavern?
The Wicked Wench in Longtooth
Drowned Rat in Stonewall
Balding MInotaur in Port Nightwell
What monsters are terrorizing the countryside sufficiently that if I kill them I will become famous?
There's so many. Gral the berzerker is the first that comes to mind, he's the last of the giants and lives in the Greyridge peaks.
Are there any wars brewing I could go fight?
Not as of yet, but there are always forces considering taking Port Nightwell and the rest of the barony.
How about gladiatorial arenas complete with hard-won glory and fabulous cash prizes?
Yes! There`s an arena in Port NIghtwell. There's also hamster races in the Halfing village of Stonewall.
Are there any secret societies with sinister agendas I could join and/or fight?
Assassins guild in Port Nightwell, The Black Bosses thieves guild...err ``collection of well meaning upstanding bakeries and trinket market stalls``. There is also a group of elves that feel the humans have grown to far, and they have been trying to upset the power struggles within the barony, regardless of how the upstanding elves feel about it.
What is there to eat around here?
The salted pork is particularly excellent.
Any legendary lost treasures I could be looking for?
The lost book of Narlharner, detailing the accounts of the world pre-apocalypse. The throne of the great beard (A famous dwarven king), The sword of the lifestealer, fabled demonic sword lost during the apocalypse.
Where is the nearest dragon or other monster with Type H treasure?
Legends say that a black dragon lives within the muck marsh.
I wasn’t using the 20 questions, but I was contemplating a similar write up for the Into the Odd game I’m running, which has grown rather explosively beyond the initial ‘1-3 shot’ tria — so I thought I should write down my current thoughts on how the world works to keep things internally consistent, one of the things that helps people experience the world as ‘real’l. I think there are obviously two forms of this sort of thing: one for you, the world creator, to get your thoughts in order. The other is what the players know. I think it was a Runequest supplement or maybe later rules edition that introduced the idea of explaining things in game terms with sections titled something like ‘What my mother/father told me’, ‘What the Shaman told me’ etc. That idea has always stuck with me, along with the lesson particularly observed in Star Wars when they found it necessary to explain ‘the force’ and where it comes from. It was more magical when it wasn’t explained.
ReplyDeleteLong story short: my suggestion is that once you’ve got a 20 questions that works for you, as world creator (and possible GM), *then* you have a version that is tailored for the players, and tells them just what their characters know, keeping it to as ‘in game terms’ as you can. Particularly, don’t explain everything, especially things that the characters wouldn’t know and which only you really need to know.
Thats my 2 coppers worth.