#table talk

now, a couple of caveats i'll open with to differentiate from the cited post: i don't think every game necessarily needs to have a defined default setting. Legacy: Life Among the Ruins, for example, makes creating and filling in the nature and specifics of the game's setting part of the character creation process, which makes sense considering the way that one of your two playbooks in that game is an established faction/settlement, and something that big and influential you kinda have to let the players have more control over the world in order to be able to flesh out as their own unique "character" if you want them to be any less restrictive than fully pre-built factions you pick between. it also helps that in making world creation part of the first session's gameplay, this becomes a fun part of the game done collaboratively.

there are also plenty of games that don't want to have a specific setting (which doesn't automatically make them universal, by the way! and well-designed games know and understand this!) like Old-School Essentials or Fabula Ultima. games like this just want to be rules engines for a collection of well-worn tropes and/or modular toolboxes that can be mixed-and-matched or reflavoured for whatever setting you and your friends are most excited to use to engage in that game's mechanics with. these games will often have supplements that introduce optional mechanics or character options that

but then we come to something like Armour Astir: Advent, a game with a lot of pretty specific assumptions about its setting, and several original terms and concepts. and yet...

The very first part, and arguably one of the most important parts of playing Armour Astir, is setting up the world in which your game will take place. Other than the existence of a few things, like Astirs and other magical devices (which you and your group are free to re fluff to suit your personal tastes, of course), this game doesn’t assume much of your setting—meaning as a group you have a lot of freedom when coming up with the setting you’d like to play in. There are a few important things to iron out, however.

like... hate to break it to you, but players always have the freedom to refluff things to suit their personal tastes. i've been playing Pathfinder for over a decade, and you know how much of that time's been spent playing in the world of Golarion the game ships with? not even half. i've reworked Lancer to take place in the setting of Heaven Will Be Mine before. i'm currently working on adapting Legend of the Five Rings to be in a Chinese xianxia setting (which it honestly feels more suited for to me, than its original fantasy Japan-inspired setting).

the players do not need your permission to adapt your game for their own setting, if they want. but especially if you clearly have such a specific idea for what the setting should look like, much like shipping your game with a sample module to essentially function as a tutorial level both for how to play the game as well as for how to prep your own adventures for it, shipping with a sample setting both helps a new group start playing your game faster since they don't have to stop to homebrew all their own lore, but also helps give a better idea of what a setting for this game is expected to look like.

it doesn't need to be exhaustively fleshed out, you don't need a three-page timeline followed by dozens of pages of minute lore details including itemization of what each city's major exports are. it doesn't even necessarily need to be something that gets its own section in your book. D&D4e actually makes for a solid case example here. officially, there wasn't even supposed to be a "default" setting in the core books, just a generic "Points of Light". and yet, we still get plenty of proper names, geographical and historical references, and blurbs about, for example, dwarven society and how paladins fit into the world, all to help new players orient themselves and provide a framework that they can fill in rather than have to create from whole cloth.

DIGITAL VERSION HERE

CLICK to apologize! CLICK to be saved! CLICK to forgive! CLICK to forget! CLICK to be pure!

There goes my pretty-looking OC talking with Barry...

[Note: Alex Miles's POV.]

“Being an Officer’s hard work, Alex. It’s like watching your OWN children. It’s like I’m being a father of a dozen kids.” Barry said, comparing taking care of his troops to a parent looking after his children. I mean, the similarities are there, and both people need to be responsible in taking care and disciplining them. It truly is a grueling task, but a responsibility to hold.

“At least I have seven men, Barry.” I said. “It’s a bit easy for me since it’s just a group of seven, even one of them’s a Lance Corporal.”

“Lucky guy, you are.” Barry smirked. “Had you become an Ensign in my company, We would have behaved like parents. I’m the dad, and you being the mother. It’s like this Company is one giant family. I just need help from everybody in it. I am not strong enough.”

“Always think about me, then James, Michael, and even your family too. They inspired you.” I said. “Don’t forget Captain Pilkington, He remarked that you have potential to be a high-ranking officer, and he’s proud of you.”

“Even you too, Alex. He promoted you to Sergeant after your performance in Boot Camp. Don’t forget about that.” Reminded Barry. “Anyway, Let’s have sandwiches, I’m already craving for one.”

Miles Kane – Table Talk with Vernon Kay

- @casinokitty75

YESSS I WANT ONE

I want one so bad

Its gonna be a black bun named Spade

I already looked into all the care for one and plan to try to support one when i can afford my time and money (primary thing lol), they are adorable

Like i love sending bunny photos to my GF and when i see one i go "So cute, so cute. . ."

I'm gonna be the best little bunny guy owner the world has seen