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Level of detail in an original sci-fi setting


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When joining an original sci-fi board, how much do you want to know about the setting? How much detail do you think is required about technology? And what about history from now to the future age when the story is set?

 

To put things in their right perspective, I'm thinking to a science fantasy / space opera kind of thing, as opposite to hard sci-fi, however I also like to keep some internal consistency.

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I need details in any story I am joining to write, in order to be sure that I can contribute meaningful things which aren't against the lore. If it is fantasy or Sci-Fi, I have to rely on what the staff provides as lore. If it is historical, I research on my own.

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I'd go with whatever Lore members need to know in order to effectively be part of the game.  Like, if certain genre "staples" are going to be played up or played down for Worldbuilding reasons, it'd be nice to have a heads up what is okay and what should be avoided. 

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It kind of depends on how persnickety you are about detail as an admin. The main question is do you want what you imagine played out to a T, or do you want to see your members build and expand world detail through their threads. 

 

Beyond clarification on what tech is available, a general description of geography/setting, and a list of the kinds of creatures and plant life characters could encounter I let my players more or less do as they will. If I really like something I find in a thread, I incorporate it into the canon lore and slowly expand it that way - I've found this is a good model to work with, because it really gets members involved and invested long term because they see their efforts being incorporated into the canon. It shows them that their contributions to the site are appreciated and make a difference. 

 

Being too strict and in depth with your lore can stifle that part of the experience for players. So I usually advise a bit of a loose approach. Give enough information to set solid boundaries, but let players do their own thing within those boundaries whether that's setting description/use or tech related. 

 

 

 

 

 

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Enough detail for members to know how the technology and lore of the world function in the setting, but not so much that it prevents members from coming up with their own things.

 

For me I'd need to know the average level of advancement of the technology, what it's capable of, and what common effects it has in the society at play. I wouldn't necessarily need to know how the tech works scientifically, just the way it impacts the world.

 

So rather than saying, most people have iPhones, I might say something like most people have portable internet and communication devices, or most people are plugged in to cyberspace to allow members to figure out exactly what those devices and mechanisms are for their characters to reach the singular external effect.

 

the only time to maybe go into more specific details is if everyone is supposed to have the exact same piece of technology

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Like Dragon said, depends on how picky you are!

 

Personally, I would explain the gist of the internal consistency. Refer to any fandoms that might help your member's picture the setting, and then explain anything that can not be done. Finally, set up the expectation for how realistic the setting is. Aaaaaand as kazetatsu touched on, terminology!

 

As for history, big global/intergalactic events that focus on recent history, but I wouldn't go into the nitty gritty. 

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So as a Sci-Fi player myself, I'm huge into this stuff. Sometimes it can be important to set up a lot of details because there is a point that there is not enough.

 

So to explain: If you are a sandbox site, explain enough to leave your players open to creating new things. To add to the overall lore of the site. A old Sci-Fi site I simply allowed people to do what they want but they had to get technology approved to be sure it was fair overall, and make sure it fit in the world.

 

If you have, for example, a specific set of technology and that's it (lets say for Lost in Space) and everything has to be fabricated then you are specific and you don't allow custom creations unless it's explained IC.

 

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Wouldn't it be much easier to related to something that is already published for example "Lost in space the series, not the movie nor the original?". This way people can still use their imagination without going too overboard. 

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I think this is a complicated question because to me ... it matters more how much you know than how much I do... if that makes sense. 

 

In other words, i agree with what a lot of people are saying. You don't have to or want to write a novel for lore. I get overwhelmed pretty easily by lore by the boat load.

 

That said, the fastest way to make me start to 😐 is when I ask an admin a question that seems pretty basic about their site lore (let's say "Can vulcans and humans have a child?") and the admins don't seem to have any idea or solid foundation to their lore. 

 

So. Basically, you should know everything but you don't have to post it all... 

 

Does that make sense? #mytwocents

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18 hours ago, Espatier said:

Wouldn't it be much easier to related to something that is already published for example "Lost in space the series, not the movie nor the original?". This way people can still use their imagination without going too overboard. 

 

That's matter of opinion but that also requires being a fandom. I was using Lost in Space as an example of a self contained technology item. There is no trade etc to give them new technology. So the technology is set in stone unless explicitly fabricated in game.

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