Ep 51 - Lore

Passive (Aggressive) Perception

This week we cover the importance of a tabletop roleplaying game's setting lore. We discuss why we think it's sometimes neglected and cover the potential risks of not being wholly acquainted with your in-game world. We touch on topics such as setting uniqueness, campaign scope, bringing real-world assumptions into sessions, the loremaster player archetype, and much more.
Website: https://icastspells.com
Twitter: @passive_podcast
Email: [e-mail]
Show Breakdown:

• 0:00: Intro
• 0:59: TTRPG News
• 13:20: @BurnelDan "What is your favorite character you've had in any game?"
• 21:36: Main Topic
• 23:19: Dispelling the misconception that some games don't have lore
• 24:53: What exactly we mean by TTRPG lore
• 25:56: The subtlety of deep lore games
• 28:37: TTRPG lore is what players fall in love with and remember
• 29:55: Lore knowledge helps us play our most genuine characters
• 31:27: Not using the available lore can strip a setting of its uniqueness
• 34:29: The absence of lore can serve as a hook
• 35:18: Emergent lore, while useful sometimes, can be a cop-out for players who don't want to do their research
• 39:47: Gaining a working knowledge of a game's lore informs the scope of the players' actions
• 41:02: Gaining a baseline of lore knowledge shows respect to the game and the GM
• 42:40: Knowing lore prevents us from bringing real-world assumptions into the game
• 44:45 Knowing game lore cuts down on lengthy exposition dumps (employing the loremaster player archetype)
• 49:27: Wanting emergent story has merit, as does targeted learning
• 53:32: Outro

Chapters

1. Intro (00:00:00)

2. TTRPG News (00:00:59)

3. @BurnelDan "What is your favorite character you've had in any game?" (00:13:20)

4. 21:36: Main Topic (00:21:36)

5. Dispelling the misconception that some games don't have lore (00:23:19)

6. What exactly we mean by TTRPG lore (00:24:53)

7. The subtlety of deep lore games (00:25:56)

8. TTRPG lore is what players fall in love with and remember (00:28:37)

9. Lore knowledge helps us play our most genuine characters (00:29:55)

10. Not using the available lore can strip a setting of its uniqueness (00:31:27)

11. The absence of lore can serve as a hook (00:34:29)

12. Emergent lore, while useful sometimes, can be a cop-out for players who don't want to do their research (00:35:18)

13. Gaining a working knowledge of a game's lore informs the scope of the players' actions (00:39:47)

14. Gaining a baseline of lore knowledge shows respect to the game and the GM (00:41:02)

15. Knowing lore prevents us from bringing real-world assumptions into the game (00:42:40)

16. Knowing game lore cuts down on lengthy exposition dumps (employing the loremaster player archetype) (00:44:45)

17. Wanting emergent story has merit, as does targeted learning (00:49:27)

18. Outro (00:53:32)