Writing a ttRPG - Wyverns & Warrens (Pt 12 - An Assumed Setting) (Patreon)

(This article is not part of the content of this blog that is covered by the OGL 1.0a.)

I'm designing Wyverns & Warrens (WyvWar), an effort at a short, easy-to-learn, easy-to-play, fast-playing fantasy ttRPG that still has a depth of options. And I am doing that in weekly installments, exclusively for my paying Patrons!

You can check out the earlier articles at the links below.

First Look - Wyverns & Warrens Fantasy ttRPGPreview 01 - When Are Hit Points Not Hit Points?Preview 02 - Paths & EdgesPt. 1 Writing and RPG (How We Got Here)Pt 2. First Outline DraftPt. 3 - Core Mechanic, Attacks, and DamagePt. 4 - Target NumbersPt. 5 - Damage and BenchmarksPt. 6 - Time, Space, Scale, Distance, Movement, and RangePt. 7 - What Defines A Character, First Draft: AttributesPt. 8 - Hero McHeroFacePt. 9 - A Framework for MagicPt. 10 -Enough to Start WritingPt. 11 - What Is A Roleplaying Game... and How Do I Design For That?

As I worked on WyvWar, I've been focusing almost entirely on the game rules. My biggest nods to a setting for Wyverns & Warriors is to note that it's inspiration is "driven by the effort to recapture how it felt when I played Tunnels & Trolls solo adventures, or D&D games that use the original booklets, Basic, a Boxed set, Dragon articles, and stuff we graphed on from Boot Hill, Gamma World, Gangbusters, and anything else that seemed to use a d20 or percentile."

Well, that and the art. The fact I've been using a specific aesthetic for the art (full color, realistic-style illustrations with fantasy elements) says a lot about the world I expect WyvWar games to inhabit. In fact the vast majority of that art has been by Dean Spencer is both a nod to my wanting a unified style for the visuals of this game, and a nod to how much amazing ttRPG artwork he has done. I want WyvWar to inspire a specific feeling in its players, and that feeling is closely tied to what I think of as a "standard" ttRPG fantasy.

(Elves, brownies, dwarves, and orcs, oh my! Art © Dean Spencer, used under license)

Interestingly, David Chart and I had a discussion on the comment of last week's article, What Is A Roleplaying Game... and How Do I Design For That?, that touched very strongly on the importance of setting to a ttRPG. I'm not yet fully convinced by David's position... but I DO find it a strong position. It's definitely given me a lot to think about, and I may well come to agree with him. I recommend everyone interest in the questions of "What is a ttRPG" and "How important is setting to a ttRPG?" go read our short exchange. (Also I'm a fan of David's writing overall, so I kinda recommend you join his Patreon, too.)

I had already planned for this week to speak on setting, but even if I hadn't I'd want to do so now given that conversation with David. And even though I wanted to start with game mechanics, I always intended to give the setting thought before I began any attempt to write an actual full first draft. Since I want to start that work nowish, that means I have to think about how I am going to present that world to the readers in the first WyvWar book.

And the answer is: I'm not going to. Well, I'm MOSTLY not going to.

There's a common tactic for cramming setting information into a core ttRPG rule book called an "assumed setting." Essentially, that means there is a game setting, and the rulebook is written on the assumption you're using it, but it's not described beyond what is needed to present the core rules. For example, if a game presents rules for being a dwarf then the game's assumed setting includes dwarves. If the description of dwarves includes typical dwarf names or notes on how non-dwarves commonly see you, then the assumed setting is where those details come from.

The more noncombat rules you have in a game, the more of its assumed setting you are likely presenting without giving much of a sign you're doing worldbuilding at all. Things as simple as equipment lists, potential professions, social interaction rules, and exploration rules present to the readers what they should be able to expect as typical options in the campaign world the game is set in. Often those things are easily changed by a GM without too much effort -- if the GM wants a world with no dwarves, he can just declare they aren't an option for players and won't be encountered in-game.

The more essential a change from the assumed setting a GM makes, the more work they may have to do. Removing all magic may cause problems if the game assumes magic is available to overcome some problems. Removing dwarves is easy, but replacing them with robots likely means a full set of robot rules is needed. Moving the entire game to a new setting where the only tools are psionic crystals means removing everything that touched on tools, and replacing it all with the new psionic crystal system.

In my opinion, an assumed setting is a reasonable choice for a game that is looking for a short rulebook AND that isn't trying to create a setting radically different from what most players are familiar with. Since the core setting of Wyverns & Warrens is a fantasy world with a few different sapient species, generally feudal governments, and monsters (such as wyverns) and dangerous places that need exploring and/or quelling (likely referred to in some places as "warrens"), I can get away with saying that in the introduction, and making sure the rules support it, and for a core rulebook not worry about it much more than that.

Since I'd like this to be a game its easy for new players to pick up, it's important that I look not just at other ttRPGS when deciding what the common perceptions of my assumed setting will be, but the overall zeitgeek. If someone is interested in a game that looks and sounds like the marketing text of my game, what are they likely to be familiar with even if they've never played 'underground ruins & fire-breathing lizards' before? Luckily, the type of adventures I want for WyvWar games are extremely common in geeky movies, shows, books, anime, and so on. As long as I'm okay with ym dwarves having Scottish accents, I probably don't have to explain them much for GMs and players to feel they have a basic grasp on that element of the setting.

Where I DO want to have things that deviate from that 'standard fantasy' norm, it's on me to make sure there's enough information on that element to clue in GMs and players. For example, I intend for the starting player species to be dwarves, elves, humans, orcs... and brownies. The general concept of multiple sapient species in common, but brownies don't have enough of a universally accepted nature for players to feel like they know what brownie characters are like or how they are seen by society. So, even if I don't go into descriptions of the greatest brownie-centric strongholds and where brownies are a common part of other communities, I need to add at least enough info about brownies to give GMs and players some direction. But it doesn't need to be much.

For example:

BROWNIES

Of all the common species found in major cities and societies, only brownies have a history that goes back far enough to challenge elves for the title of Eldest. The earliest brownie histories are seen as myth and legend by most others, but brownies believe there really was a time when gods walked the lands, the stars spoke to flowers, and every animal had a Greatest of their kind that acted as monarch and guiding spirit. Few non-brownies take these claims seriously, but the fact brownies have access to magics and knacks other species seem unable to master is often seen by brownies themselves as proof their worldview is more than fables and folklore.

As one of the smallest sapient species, with an average height of just over two feet, most brownies simply accept they live in a world of giants. Rather than try to make brownie-sized versions of 'big-folk' tools, furningishing, or accommodations browniest typically find something used by larger people that works well-enough for whatever purpose a brownie puts it to. Three legged milking stools become tables, flower boxes become beds, firepit pokers become spears, vambraces are used as shields, and so on. The one area brownies rarely compromise is clothing, and as a result a much larger percentage of brownies have some skill at tailoring than most species. Of course where a large brownie population settles, they have their own craftfolk who can cater to their size and preferences, but even then much of a brownie crafter's time is taken making tiny, detailed work for big folk.

Though the unwise and uncouth sometimes mock the idea of brownie adventurers, no one who has seen a brownie archers shoot out foes; eyes, brownie wildspeakers set packs of wolves on entire towns, or a brownie swordsman run blades through chinks in the most masterfully crafted armor makes the mistake of underestimating them.

Then if I WANT to, I can add other bits of Brownie-centric worldbuilding elsewhere in the book.

Meals: The following prices are for fine feats, festive meals, good meals, common meals, bad meals, and iron rations. Elves, dwarves, humans, and orcs all need 1 day worth of food each day. A single day of food can feed a brownie for a week. A brownie also CAN eat as much as any of the bigger races at each meal without suffering any drawbacks, and some prefer that. ... No one knows where it all goes.

The OTHER place assumed settings often get fleshed out is adventures, and I do intend to both include a starting adventure in the core set (whether in the core rulebook or as a separate thing is not yet settled). I don't intend to describe the whole world in that adventure, but plan for it to present at least one settlement, one bigger settlement at the edge of or just off the map, and at least one region that reasonable has more threats than just those of the adventure.

And for the first products, that's it! Having some outlines of the greater world is a good idea (and I already do) to make sure the things I want to be represented can be described in the rules as necessary. But I also want GMs to feel empowered to create their own worlds, and run games in them using Wyverns & Warrens.

Next Week: The First Stab at Skill Descriptions