name a game setting the players must be familiar with before you run it.

Schwartzwald · October 21, 2017, 03:43:37 PM

Are there game settings you won't let a player into unless they are pretty familiar with it? I had a case where I let a guy who knew exactly jack shit about warhammer 40,000 into a game of dark heresy.

Let's just say the game became one of "let's explain to the FNG why we do everything grimdark here". I mean he just didn't get the settung at all.

I had him read a couple of my 40k novels and he finally got it then. Then he didn't want to do all that dark depressing stuff. :mad:

From now on anyone getting into a 40k RPG I'm running better know what it's about.

Any games you want players to be grounded in before playing?

Angry_Douchebag · October 21, 2017, 03:53:15 PM

Dresden Files. Especially if someone wants to play a wizard; the rest of it, not such a big deal. There's enough baggage to playing a wizard with the Council and Laws of Magic that I don't want to have to explain it before hand.

Quote from: Schwartzwald;1002621I had him read a couple of my 40k novels and he finally got it then. Then he didn't want to do all that dark depressing stuff. :mad:

Can't say I blame him. It was one thing when back in the day when it was more satirical. It became less appealing once the company decided the setting needed to be serious instead of tongue in cheek. Burned out on grimdark myself.

christopherkubasik · October 21, 2017, 03:58:16 PM

There are two things here:
1. Knowledge of setting
2. Expectations of tone and play

They're connected, but not the same

I always make it a point to lay out expectations for both of these as clearly as possible before even considering play -- so either people can bail, or a new game is picked. I want everyone on board before we go any further.

Shawn Driscoll · October 21, 2017, 04:02:26 PM

Players just need to know how to role-play. Especially if a game session will only take place on a city block during a festival, and the players don't need to know anything about a galaxy's setting.

Omega · October 22, 2017, 07:11:29 AM

I'd like the players to be familliar with the setting of Albedo before I GM it. Though Ive gotten fairly good at giving a basic rundown of the setting by now.

Past that Im not too demanding other than that the players at least try to work within the general setting and premise.

TrippyHippy · October 22, 2017, 07:23:47 AM

Ancient Mesopotamia.

Dumarest · October 23, 2017, 10:42:08 PM

I wouldn't bar a player but it certainly helps if they are playing a (traditional) super hero game and they understand the good guys aren't trying to kill the bad guys and other conventions of the genre.

Aglondir · October 23, 2017, 11:10:37 PM

Quote from: Schwartzwald;1002621Are there game settings you won't let a player into unless they are pretty familiar with it? I had a case where I let a guy who knew exactly jack shit about warhammer 40,000 into a game of dark heresy.

Let's just say the game became one of "let's explain to the FNG why we do everything grimdark here". I mean he just didn't get the settung at all.

I had him read a couple of my 40k novels and he finally got it then. Then he didn't want to do all that dark depressing stuff. :mad:

From now on anyone getting into a 40k RPG I'm running better know what it's about.

Any games you want players to be grounded in before playing?

It certainly helps, but it's not required. I'd love it if all players in my Middle Earth game had read the books. If not that, then I hope they've seen the movies. If not even that, I'll prepare a one-page synopsis. One page, that's it. So here's your 40K challenge: Sell your players on it with one page. If you can't do that, you probably don't have a good grasp on your premise and the game will fall apart.

Christopher Brady · October 23, 2017, 11:29:51 PM

Warhammer 40k, Exalted. Marvel or DC superheroes setting (they need to know and understand characters and tropes)... Most licensed settings in general, now that I think about it.

darthfozzywig · October 23, 2017, 11:48:43 PM

Empire of the Petal Throne. I honestly have no idea wtf that setting is about, and it looks like it's all about the setting and themes.

Quote from: ChristopherKubasik;1002627There are two things here:
1. Knowledge of setting
2. Expectations of tone and play

They're connected, but not the same

I always make it a point to lay out expectations for both of these as clearly as possible before even considering play -- so either people can bail, or a new game is picked. I want everyone on board before we go any further.

Yup. Good to have everyone on the same page there.

RPGPundit · October 26, 2017, 02:15:07 AM

Doctor Who.

Manic Modron · October 27, 2017, 06:27:50 PM

All of them, but I don't think it needs more than a single page of bullet points to get somebody up to speed on everyman knowledge.

Schwartzwald · October 27, 2017, 07:16:30 PM

Quote from: RPGPundit;1003656Doctor Who.

Yeah, the silly putty science is something people have to expect. It's not too good for hardcore sf people.

Schwartzwald · October 27, 2017, 07:19:14 PM

Quote from: Angry_Douchebag;1002625Dresden Files. Especially if someone wants to play a wizard; the rest of it, not such a big deal. There's enough baggage to playing a wizard with the Council and Laws of Magic that I don't want to have to explain it before hand.

Can't say I blame him. It was one thing when back in the day when it was more satirical. It became less appealing once the company decided the setting needed to be serious instead of tongue in cheek. Burned out on grimdark myself.

Well, in the 40k universe sometimes you must sacrifice or even kill thousands of innocents to save millions or even billions. Yeah, grimdark, but in the real world Churchill let the Nazis bomb the British city of Coventry to keep the Nazis from learning about the British radar network.

Achaerone · October 28, 2017, 09:21:03 PM

Monster Hunter International. I have had some luck explaining the setting to people, but it's usually easier if I just have them read the first Larry Correia novel or two.