People who play RPGs with me or follow me on Twitter probably know that I kind of hate “lore” in RPGs. Those pages and pages of other people’s stories that fill the gaps between the actual rules in RPG books, the world maps in the back pages, the detailed histories, timelines, lists of characters that probably feature in novels I’ll never read. I just don’t enjoy that stuff. (Except maybe the maps. Maps are cool, even if I don’t use them in game.) I like creating my own worlds, inventing nations and histories as needed. Improvising at the table, without worrying that I’m contradicting something that a player read in the book but I missed.
But, on the other hand… making everything up is a lot of work. Official settings and lore are popular for a reason. So my approach to this game is not to define the whole game world for you, but rather to give you chunks, lore components, that you can mix and match as you want to create your own lore, your own world. I want to make it easy to play in the world you want, without feeling too restricted by official material.
The part I’m talking about today pops up in the very first session you play, during character creation: Culture.
Players will select a culture alongside their species. Whereas species is “what you’re born with”, culture is “what you’re born into”. Culture is what it sounds like: The traditions, beliefs, customs and social hierarchies of the community that raised your character.
Culture is primarily story-focused, rather than providing specific mechanical effects. It helps you determine your character’s backstory, and maybe even their motives. You’re not bound by your culture, of course — becoming a treasure hunter is almost always a break from social norms. Some treasure hunters keep up the traditions of their culture, while others reject them completely.
Culture does also provide two concrete effects: you always know the language of your culture (in addition to the common language of Elderword) and you also have one keepsake from your culture: a minor, but potentially useful object.
The keepsake is a brand new rule. I’m considering making the effects of the keepsakes a bit more clearly useful, with concrete effects. Regardless, weapons and armor are not going to be in the lists of keepsakes.
Here is a sample culture:
The Ancients
This land is dotted with the now-decrepit ruins of a long-fallen civilization. Most of these ruins are only half-standing, and the historical record of the people who made them is incomplete.
The Ancients are the people who live among the ruins. They claim direct ancestry from the original builders. That nation left behind beautiful ruins and artifacts, most of which have long since been looted. Ancient artifacts are a common sight in the marketplaces of this land.
Some people will come to live among the Ancients, adopting their culture and religion. Once they are accepted into the culture, they are said to have joined the lineage, and thus will also consider themselves descendents of the fallen civilization.
The Ancients that live now have never truly seen their nation. They are taught to remember history, and many even worship their supposed ancestors.
Ancient settlements are crumbling and underpopulated. Ancient leaders rarely wish to repair these settlements, for fear of distorting their history with the influence of the present.
“The Ancients” is also a term used to refer to the people of the fallen civilization. Some Ancient leaders claim to know the actual name of that nation, and will refer to it as such.
Ancient Characters: Ancient communities tend to keep to themselves, for fear of losing their history. Some folks rebel against their traditions, seeking a better, or at least easier, life elsewhere.
Others leave out of need. Ancient ruins can be quite limited in resources, and some communities are forced to disband, partially or wholly, when they can no longer support themselves.
Still others leave to help their communities, seeking out resources that their people lack.
Language: Ancient is a dead language, primarily written and read. When it is spoken, it is a coarse approximation of its original sound. Its text is complex, and its grammar laden with historical inferences. Ancient is commonly seen in magicians’ documents and manuals. Some magicians write their scrolls in Ancient, even if they don’t actually know the language.
Keepsakes: Choose one:
Roll of parchment, pen and ink
Musical instrument: such as a hand harp, brass horn or clarinet
Brass walking stick or cane
Heavy robe
Earhorn
Next week, we’ll check in with the playtest again, for another ghost story.