Using Character Creation to Teach Setting
Thoughts on how to get players invested in an RPG campaign's world building
While getting ready to run a fantasy campaign with Index Card RPG I realized a lot of setting lore is built into character creation. If you play a Dwarf in ICRPG’s Alfheim, you won’t read about general Dwarven traits. Instead, you’ll learn how their homeland Iradrum was destroyed by the ancient dragon Durathrax and the survivors have gathered in Duradin to repel an Elven invasion.
The setting assumes you know what a Dwarf is and focuses on the situation of Dwarves in the world. Then it presents four backstory hooks, each tied to the setting and providing a reason for adventuring. Character creation guides players through the world’s lore and makes it personal to their characters.
We can borrow that idea for any game, regardless of genre or system. It starts with an outline of the world and continues with descriptions of available ancestries.
Things Your Character Knows
Start by giving players a short list of what’s going on in the setting. Keep it to a single typed page with a few key facts. Focus on what makes setting different than other settings in the same genre.
Here’s the list I’m giving my Mythaven players:
Ancient ruins and artifacts
Scattered throughout Mythaven are RUINS, caches of magic technology left behind by a forgotten civilization. Adventurers explore these RUINS looking for RELICS to sell or keep.
Dungeons are warping the world
A dark MIASMA poisons the land around RUINS, twisting them into living structures called DUNGEONS. Adventurers fight the monsters inside to harvest magic stones and slow the spread of corruption.
The Sobek are migrating north
In the Southern deserts of Zaqarra, beastfolk worship animal-headed gods and chart the course of the universe. Lately an increasing number of Zaqarrans are heading north, especially the crocodilian SOBEKS.
A mysterious island appeared in the Eastern Sea
Less than a year ago a huge island appeared off the coast of Hyperion. The horned ONI who come from there are skilled warriors, strict and formal yet also playful and strange. No one knows for sure where they came from or what they want.
Halfling rovers built the city of Wayfare
A traveling band of HALFLINGS suddenly settled down and built a city at a major crossroads near the center of Mythaven. Boasting an endless festival it is a favored stop for merchants, nobles and anyone looking for a good time.
Orc raiders founded the nation of Kazan
The nomadic ORCS of the Kazan steppes have always fought each other almost as much as their neighbors. Ten years ago that came to an end when Yaghur Khan succeeded in uniting several of the larger tribes. He’s since declared himself Khan of Khans and struck a shaky peace with nearby kingdoms.
Keep this list short and focused on major driving events in the setting. The idea is to give players something to latch onto and to get them thinking about what parts of the setting they want to explore. Since the list is short it won’t take long to make or read. If players want to know more you can reveal more details you’ve prepared or invite them to create the details with you.
Ancestries
a.k.a., Species, Races, Life Forms, Lineages (or whatever makes sense in your game)
Sum up the major playable ancestries in a single paragraph each, then add a list of 3–5 backstory hooks to each one. Note that you’re not trying to detail every possible ancestry here. Stick to the ones you have the most interesting story hooks for, but work with players to come up with other ancestries if it makes sense.
For my Mythaven backstory hooks, I’m using a simple spark list:
Paragon: You are the ideal version of your ancestry in the setting.
Rebel: You actively work against norms or break major taboos.
Outcast: You’ve been cast out and can’t return unless something changes.
Oddball: You represent an unusual interpretation of your ancestry’s ideals.
Here’s what the Sobek look like in Mythaven:
SOBEK » +1 STR, +1 MAGIC EFFORT
In the pyramid city of Shenakhen, SOBEK priests perform the daily rituals to keep the serpent god Apep bound and the world from falling into darkness. Blessed by Ra with strength and magic, they protect order in the kingdom and the cosmos. When you play a SOBEK in Mythaven, you bear the weight of centuries of ritual and duty.
Choose one:
CHOSEN BY RA: The oracles of Amun-Ra have declared that Apep will soon break its bonds and devour all of existence. You are one of the supplicants called by the gods to find the RELICS and allies needed to prevent the end of all things.
COILS OF DARKNESS: You have heard the hiss of the undying serpent on the winds and seen its track in the sands. You will hunt down its cult members one by one, even if you damn your own soul in the process.
RITE OF PASSAGE: You are not a true SOBEK yet. To earn your place you must first journey into the world to discover your true self and your purpose in the cosmic order.
JOURNEY OF MAAT: You believe that the true understanding of the cosmic order of Maat is found in the stars. You’ve followed them out into the world, unsure where their path might lead.
Why It Works
You can do this in 5 pages or less. That’s enough to give players a sense of the world, a reason to care, and a clear way to connect their characters to the setting. Since the world-building is personal and focused on the characters the players are more likely read, remember and get inspired by it. That shared foundation gives you something to build on together.
Other Thoughts
Valentine Voisin explains how to keep your world-building tight and character-focused:
Matt Coleville discusses Lore Delivery Systems and how to make it fun for players to engage with your world-building:
Ginny Di encourages including the players in world-building: