Tell me /tg/, how do you like setting information set out in a rule book?
>Separate entity / entry in the book, has basic information presented from top to bottom in a factual way
>Sprinkled among the rules and chapters of the book; in the form of quotes, short stories, fictions, or other methods
>Book has little to no setting information injected
>The entire book is setting information
How do you absorb fantasy/science fiction settings /tg/ the best? Do you think 'setting bibles' are a good idea on their own (as in a book without many game mechanics, contents or rules but more focused on the game world), or do you prefer the more mechanical side of things?
>>46642936
The way the new Unknown Armies edition set up its setting stuff in the books is probably my favorite. Rules are in book one, GM advice is in book two, and book three is entirely dedicated to dumping setting information on you. Book one has some little flavor text sprinkled in here and there to help you think of a character, and the GM advice book has stuff to get you in the mood.
>>46642936
1 and 2 are good combination for core rulebooks: Nothing like having some inspiration while you read the rules, wrapping your head around as you go.
Still it's important to add a dedicated book on the setting, detailing more complex details
>>46642936
>>Sprinkled among the rules and chapters of the book; in the form of quotes, short stories, fictions, or other methods
along with the fact that the rules are specific to the setting
>>46642986
>>46643002
>>46643018
Thanks for feedback. I ask this, of course, because I plan on making my own rulebook soon and I just wanted to know which way to present my special snowflake setting would be best.
>>46642936
For detailed settings I like the way Tenra Bansho and Iron Kingdoms do it, one book for rules and another for setting. If it's just generic fantasy setting 74 with a few quirks or the setting isn't too important, I like it sprinkled around the rulebook with an introduction and stuff.
>>46642936
The rules should fit in a small pamphlet.
>>46643237
Do you mean just the game rules or the game rules AND the setting rules?
Because I'm a fan of minimalist rules myself, but I'm not sure exactly what you mean.
>>46643208
I like this, for example in a setting agnostic game, just to have fairly generic fantasy stuff sprinkled into it or whatever.
Short stories to convey the moods and concepts, but mostly like to discover the world through it's mechanics as a game.
>>46642936
Separate chapters discussing the setting in broad sense combined with informations sprinkled here and there between rules.
If the rulebook then gets expansions, the expansions should be mostly about providing data about specific subjest within the setting, some minor crunch here and there and that little crunch also sprinkled with setting data.
This way you can very easily ommit the setting if you want, since you just don't go for specific chapter(s) of the rulebook and the rules are clean, with the fluff being separated in special sections within rules, so you know which parts can be skipped too.
>>46642936
Are there some "standard" designs or are they all just on certain preferences of authors?
Depends on what the system is FOR.
A system developed for a specific setting with no intention of it being used for other settings? Go wild. Preferably some sort of intro to the setting in the beginning, with more information sprinkled around among the rules.
A system meant for specific genre, but not necessarily a single setting? Bits and pieces of fluff here and there flirting with your own setting, with maybe suggestions for how the fluff can be changed if it doesn't fit with what you have in mind.
Generic systems, of course, should have minimal amount of fluff in the corebook.
>>46647931
One standard that I like is to open with a chapter laying out the basics of the setting, then moving on from there with mixed crunch/fluff. You do character creation, you mention the different archetypes of the setting; you cover advancement, you talk about the different organizations a player could join; you talk about 'rounding out the character', you give the stuff like the different gods of the setting and some tidbits about big historical events. Then you go into the magic chapter, and there's some fluff about who uses magic and how it works mixed in with the rules for spells.
Every time I see crunch, I like to also see the fluff alongside it, showing why the rules are that way to help the setting.
