This all came about because of a posting to an author’s mailing list. Said author is Canadian, and the poster wanted to know if said author was being discriminated against by the Hugo Awards committee because of his nationality. So I got to thinking.



Do the races, peoples, nations, and lands in your campaign world have a reputation? Are there legends and myths about them? What do people think about such and such a nation, people, or race?



In America Afghans are thought of as belligerent, warlike, and stubborn. Italians, on the other hand, are considered passionate, incompetent, and disorganized. Americans are viewed a variety of ways depending on the person you ask. Would it really be different in a fantasy game?



We form opinions about others. Some are good, some are bad. Sometimes those opinions are based on fact, more often they are based on misinformation. All too often they are based on incomplete information or first impressions.



How many people in your campaign think of dwarfs as drunken louts with beards that reek of stale brew? How many consider elves arrogant pansies with a taste for small animals? Is there a country known for its fussbudget laws and labyrinthine bureaucracy?



Is everything known about a people etc. accurate? Why? Add a few things that are just plain wrong. It’ll help make your world more “real” and help draw the players in during a sessions.



In case you were wondering, that’s what the last few columns have been about, drawing the players in. Making the milieu more alive, more real. Giving the campaign a greater depth, instead of a place to go out, kill monsters, and loot their remains.



The more there is to get involved in, the greater the chance the players will get involved. The greater the chance you will have stories to remember.



And on the subject of first impressions; have any of you ever used a PC’s behavior to give the locals an impression of his race? Let’s say a halfling gets into a scrape through an impulsive act, then out of it using his wit and skills in entertainment. He’s also the very first halfling the locals have ever seen. Now, what sort of ideas are the locals going to have about halflings based on that one individual? The International Order of Halfling Fuddy-Duddies ever came to town the locals would be in for a big surprise.



Legends et. al. How do people in your world view the other? Give it some thought.



*****



In WwD v.2 news, nothing to report. Missing my meds screwed up the schedule. I have been giving some thought to the basic outline, but have nothing concrete. Expect a preliminary outline for your comments and feedback by tomorrow (if I don’t put it up tonight)



Tomorrow expect a Writing Practice about music in your campaign. No, not background music, but what role music plays in the various cultures and societies in your campaign world. Till then.



Alan