Topic: Earth, Aerth, or somewhere far, far away?
Started by: dmkdesigns
Started on: 12/6/2010
Board: First Thoughts
On 12/6/2010 at 3:14pm, dmkdesigns wrote:
Earth, Aerth, or somewhere far, far away?
I have been thinking about an idea for a while and keep circling back and around. It's something I need to hear other opinions on, so here goes.
What do you think the pros and cons are to basing a game on Earth, an alternate Earth, or on a completely different world usually are?
Thank you,
-David-
On 12/6/2010 at 4:04pm, chronoplasm wrote:
Re: Earth, Aerth, or somewhere far, far away?
Well, a game set on Earth is more relatable to your Earth-based demographics (who I assume will make up the bulk of your fan-base. I'm not sure that beings living on other planets play a lot of role playing games.)
On the other hand, setting a game on another world allows you a lot of creative freedom.
An alternate Earth makes for a good sweet spot; there will be things familiar to your players, but you can take creative liberties with them.
On 12/7/2010 at 12:06am, Chris_Chinn wrote:
RE: Re: Earth, Aerth, or somewhere far, far away?
Hi David,
What do you think the pros and cons are to basing a game on Earth, an alternate Earth, or on a completely different world usually are?
I'm going to say the thing I always say: Everything depends on the context of the goals of your design.
What does your game require of it's setting? What do players need to know to play it successfully?
Some games, like Breaking the Ice, Drifter's Escape, Dirty Secrets, or Contenders use our world with no real setting text and work great. Some games use our world with specific setting detail - Spione for example. Some games use fantasy worlds with barely any detail at all - In a Wicked Age, S/Lay w/Me, Burning Wheel. Others give hundreds of pages - Exalted, Legend of the Five Rings, etc.
All of these work different because the way the game works is different.
What does your game need? What can you assume people will "get" with just short hand statements ("Superheroes", "Cowboys", "Victorian")? What do you have to explain or detail?
Otherwise, anything that can be said is too generalized to be useful. ("Is North or South a better direction?" "A better direction -for what-?")
Chris
On 12/7/2010 at 12:34am, dmkdesigns wrote:
RE: Re: Earth, Aerth, or somewhere far, far away?
chronoplasm wrote:
Well, a game set on Earth is more relatable to your Earth-based demographics (who I assume will make up the bulk of your fan-base. I'm not sure that beings living on other planets play a lot of role playing games.)
On the other hand, setting a game on another world allows you a lot of creative freedom.
An alternate Earth makes for a good sweet spot; there will be things familiar to your players, but you can take creative liberties with them.
I think I'm concerned about not having enough setting text or accurate history text in the game because I am not a historian. And yet, in the design so far, which can be changed, I reference cultures and mythological stories directly. I am searching for a way to establish a setting that is believable without having to argue my case or having to generate tons of history to define a game that could take place in any part of the world. I feel a bit trapped by my own enterprise.
-David-
On 12/7/2010 at 12:46am, Chris_Chinn wrote:
RE: Re: Earth, Aerth, or somewhere far, far away?
Hi David,
I am searching for a way to establish a setting that is believable without having to argue my case or having to generate tons of history to define a game that could take place in any part of the world.
Start by assuming the people who will love your game do not need to be convinced or argued to. Set "believable" at whatever level makes sense for your game ("There's cyborg monkeys!" "Ok! cool!"). Don't write your game to convince the people who wouldn't be interested in it- write your game for the people who are.
Give the amount of setting context you think is important. What do you tell your players when you sit down to play? That's probably a good place to start.
After you start having blind playtesting, you may find setting bits to reword or add, but that's later.
Chris
On 12/7/2010 at 1:02am, dmkdesigns wrote:
RE: Re: Earth, Aerth, or somewhere far, far away?
Chris_Chinn wrote:
Hi David,What do you think the pros and cons are to basing a game on Earth, an alternate Earth, or on a completely different world usually are?
I'm going to say the thing I always say: Everything depends on the context of the goals of your design.
What does your game require of it's setting? What do players need to know to play it successfully?
Some games, like Breaking the Ice, Drifter's Escape, Dirty Secrets, or Contenders use our world with no real setting text and work great. Some games use our world with specific setting detail - Spione for example. Some games use fantasy worlds with barely any detail at all - In a Wicked Age, S/Lay w/Me, Burning Wheel. Others give hundreds of pages - Exalted, Legend of the Five Rings, etc.
All of these work different because the way the game works is different.
What does your game need? What can you assume people will "get" with just short hand statements ("Superheroes", "Cowboys", "Victorian")? What do you have to explain or detail?
Otherwise, anything that can be said is too generalized to be useful. ("Is North or South a better direction?" "A better direction -for what-?")
Chris
Hi Chris,
I don't know if this really answers your great questions or not, but here's more info.
Part of my idea for the scope of the game is that it can take place in different time periods I call Ages, but that is not at the core of the game. So from the get-go I am establishing historical settings within the confines of the game. Perhaps this is too much to ask of the game at the outset. For me as a designer, I think it would be interesting to be able to play some character types in the past or future if that interested a gaming group. There is at least one character type who could even live long enough to have been involved in more than one Age. However, maybe I need to scale this aspect back for a potential future supplement to get it out of the way of the core game idea?
In short the game is about power. More broadly, a struggle for metaphysical resources and life on the last living world in the universe ... Earth, or Aerth, or whatever it will be. It's a science-fantasy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science-fantasy) game. The initial setting I have it based in is a (possible near post-apocalyptic) 20th century Earth, but as I flesh out setting information I keep running up against the question of how much to provide. I do have story ideas for the development of character types, etc. involved in the struggle up to this point. Information going back to the earliest civilizations that have come to be important now for the game.
Part of me wonders if I should nix the initial idea of there being a core setting established by myself. Perhaps construct the game in a manner that provides topical hooks as suggestions for how things came to be and a gaming group selects the pieces they like, or sub in their own, to create their own universe. I just want to provide enough information to give gamers a good foundation without them feeling like they are reading a strict encyclopedia. I also don't want to make stupid historical mistakes if/when I reference actual events.
Questions for myself I'm trying to answer:
If the game involves characters dealing with uber-powerful aliens throughout the rise and fall of civilizations, should it be on our Earth?
If the game involves organizations fighting one another throughout the rise and fall of civilizations, should it be on our Earth?
If the game involves competition amongst the "races" developed throughout the rise and fall of civilizations, should it be on our Earth?
-David-
On 12/7/2010 at 3:30am, Ar Kayon wrote:
RE: Re: Earth, Aerth, or somewhere far, far away?
For the sake of design utility, I believe the alternate-Earth is the best.
1. Half the setting work is already done for you.
2. It's believable.
3. And like another poster said, it grants you creative liberty.
An Earth-based game runs the risk of being too dry. Making your own world is mentally straining - no, excrutiating - because it requires a deep well of creativity, themes in which people can relate to, and consistency (comedic subgenres notwithstanding).
On 12/7/2010 at 5:35pm, dmkdesigns wrote:
RE: Re: Earth, Aerth, or somewhere far, far away?
Chris_Chinn wrote:
Hi David,I am searching for a way to establish a setting that is believable without having to argue my case or having to generate tons of history to define a game that could take place in any part of the world.
Start by assuming the people who will love your game do not need to be convinced or argued to. Set "believable" at whatever level makes sense for your game ("There's cyborg monkeys!" "Ok! cool!"). Don't write your game to convince the people who wouldn't be interested in it- write your game for the people who are.
Give the amount of setting context you think is important. What do you tell your players when you sit down to play? That's probably a good place to start.
After you start having blind playtesting, you may find setting bits to reword or add, but that's later.
Chris
Thank you, Chris.
-David-
On 12/7/2010 at 5:39pm, dmkdesigns wrote:
RE: Re: Earth, Aerth, or somewhere far, far away?
Ar wrote:
For the sake of design utility, I believe the alternate-Earth is the best.
1. Half the setting work is already done for you.
2. It's believable.
3. And like another poster said, it grants you creative liberty.
An Earth-based game runs the risk of being too dry. Making your own world is mentally straining - no, excrutiating - because it requires a deep well of creativity, themes in which people can relate to, and consistency (comedic subgenres notwithstanding).
I think that the alternate Earth setting is where I want to go and I just need to find the right balance. But as it's been suggested, provide the material and test it.
Thank you, Ar Kayon.
-David-