Game Environment
From Tazlure Gaming System Wiki
The Game Environment is the beginning and the end of determining the Game Reality. It establishes backgrounds for your players. It has built in plothooks. It explains the logic behind everything. It inspires both the moderator and the player to write because it gives life to the world.
Basically the Game Environment is the whole of the IC reality, both past and present, of your game, including the NPC's. It is the thing that moderators change and adapt based on the actions of players and NPCs, time and time again determine what IC consequences create the new Game Reality. Ultimately it is the modeator who is in control of the Game Environment and the moderator who determines the next Game Reality.
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Inner Logic of the Game Environment
A setting creates the stage where you play is set. Your readers will look for the familiar (if you make it too exotic or far-fetched you might lose your audience half way), yet at the same time yearn to escape into your story, creating a suspension of disbelief. They are entering a contract with you, the writer, that you'll make the story realistic, believable, no matter what fantastic elements are introduced, and that they are able to understand what is going on. There is an inner logic to the setting, without readers going "hey, but what about... ?" in protest.
Don't be fooled into thinking that creating a setting for your game to take place in is something for historic, fantasy and sci-fi genres only. In contemporary settings accuracy is even more important as mistakes will glare out to readers. What are the elements that make the area where your game is situated special? What does it add to your game; why could it only have taken place right there?
Whether you are creating a fantasy/historic/sci-fi game or a completely contemporary one, you will still need to ask yourself how your world looks. Even if you are not acutely aware of it at the start all kinds of little elements will slip in during the writing of your story. So stop right there and make it a concious choice that will improve the consistency and thus the Continuity of Content.
Some elements will be easy to define, but you still need to answer the question for the specific area that your work is taking place in.
Sharing your Setting
Creating the setting for you game is not just so you have ample notes for your moderating. Players also want to know about the world their characters are living in. The more detail you can give it, the more easily they can integrate these elements into their writing, adding depth and enjoyment. While you need not make everything available and can certainly expand as time goes on, there is no reason to keep back information unless it concerns secret organizations that a PC could never know about.
By sharing your setting, even down to the details, you will stimulate your players in being pro-active in their storytelling.
Suggested Write Up
Below is a lay out for a write up as can be presented to players. It gives them a quick overview of the most important facts. You do not need to list all details that you have available, but you can. Giving your players a lot of data to work with may increase the way they can immerse themselves in the game.
- Population & Races
- Religion
- Languages
- Geography and Climate
- Economy
- Imports
- Exports
- Trade Routes
- Culture & Society
- History
- Local Leaders
- Law, Lawenforcement and Military
- Special Interest
- Current and Recent Events
