Setting Kit Musings: Familiar is Good

With four Setting Kits under my belt now, I have learned quite a bit about this simple format and how to best utilize it. When I originally went about creating these kits one of the main goals was to create an easy reference point for Gamemasters and players alike, a product that made it easy to all be on the same page and utilize the low-prep environment of Savage Worlds.

The thought struck me recently, that one of the easiest ways to keep in line with this ease of use and understanding is to bring about a setting based in our reality (or something familiar) with a very simple twist. For example, Fable Hunters came about when I thought it would be cool to run a modern vampire hunters game, but with dragons instead of vampires.

Now I know what you're thinking. Having a twist to any setting, regardless of size, is a good idea. I totally agree! However, with the low-prep, and simple applications of Setting Kits, this can be VERY important. It's key to have a world that primarily relies on the core book so that there's a very easy reference. If the setting takes place in modern day, we all have a solid idea of what to expect. Unless stated otherwise we know that the characters have access to things like the internet, cell phones, guns, etc. A lot of RPGs rely on familiarity, but it's doubly important when you want something that's pick-up and play. This doesn't mean you can't do something pretty out there, Skies of Lynteer is far from modern, but it still has that reliability of standard elves and dwarves.

Essentially, the more things about the setting that are completely odd and unusual, the more you have to explain which increases the page count and decreases accessibility. This certainly doesn't mean that one can't do crazy awesome and unusual ideas, but a campaign with a simple premise is far more likely to work as a Setting Kit. If less is more, then the familiar really becomes a friend.