I wanted to address this separately.

Quote from: AsenRG;923194Let's compare two characters from well-off families living in the plains, both of whom went to join the respective navy.

One of them is a well-off in a country that reinforces individualism, rule of law is prevalent and in his plains at least, military career or successful business ventures are thought of as a supreme accomplishment. In this setting, being LGBT is something to be hidden.

The other is a well-off family in a country where the society enforces collectivism to the point that your clan name comes before your own, criminal punishment always impact the whole clan, connections are more important than law, and the supreme career is being in the clergy or part of the administration, while money gained from business (as opposed to land ownership) lowering your standing.

Do you really think "Social 9 out of 12, melee 3, shooting 2" covers adequately the differences that the two are likely to have in their outlook on life:D?

...well, see above. What are the values of those NPCs? Do they think of their clan first (because being clanless is worse than death), or their own good name? What is the criminal system? Will the local law enforcement take a bribe to look the other way? Whether you're playing the game of politics - what will the NPCs think of you, based on your allegiances or lack thereof?
All questions for a setting book;).

That is more setting than personality to me. We tend to use a variant of DwD Studios' BareBones Fantasy Moral Code and Personality Quirks (I forget offhand their word for the latter). My players seem to like that more than the setting background type stuff you described. (Moral Code is things like being very honest and somewhat selfish. Personality Quirks are stuff like "swims every chance they get" or "has a fascination with needlessly complicated plans" or even "I like potatoes".)

Even then, what you described isn't necessarily dependent on setting. You could run either character in any of my games. We just say you're from "some other" land "way over there" or there are other reasons for being that way. In some ways, the reasons for how the character act are irrelevant beyond the fact that the character acts a certain way. YMMV.

I love thick, rich settings. I read them for enjoyment and when GMing I freely ignore stuff that I want. I encourage my players to read any setting material they want with the following warning: "All the lore you know as a player is really just some shit your character heard in a tavern. Some of it could be true but I'm not gonna tell you which parts. That's on your characters to determine."

And from there we kill monsters and make our own damn stories. And Elminster? He's just a dude with a really good publicist.

Quote from: Tod13;923209That's up to the player to decide if they wish when they pick a specific career or based on their character concept. If you want to do things randomly, this is more of "you grew up in" or "worked for a while" in the mountains, so you should know the critters, weather, and maybe mountain climbing.

Or you might not need to know the critters, because your place is secure enough that you can pass by with a "default check". Both options tell us something about your setting:).

QuoteLOL. Minimal.

Yeah, only half a setting book at best...no, wait, you said you have the gods, too, right? Then you can probably publish that;).

Quote from: Tod13;923214I wanted to address this separately.

I feel privileged. (Maybe I should go check my privilege out?)

QuoteThat is more setting than personality to me.

Your question was "how the setting would impact the personality". Of course I answered it with a list of setting traits that would, in all likelihood, impact your personality - given the exact same background...

QuoteWe tend to use a variant of DwD Studios' BareBones Fantasy Moral Code and Personality Quirks (I forget offhand their word for the latter). My players seem to like that more than the setting background type stuff you described. (Moral Code is things like being very honest and somewhat selfish. Personality Quirks are stuff like "swims every chance they get" or "has a fascination with needlessly complicated plans" or even "I like potatoes".)

Nothing wrong with that - but in my book*, this should depend on the setting features.

*Quite a literal turn of phrase, though I'm not sure I'd ever finish it.

QuoteEven then, what you described isn't necessarily dependent on setting. You could run either character in any of my games. We just say you're from "some other" land "way over there" or there are other reasons for being that way. In some ways, the reasons for how the character act are irrelevant beyond the fact that the character acts a certain way. YMMV.

I already pointed out that they should be relevant at least to the GM. And if the players have to persuade anyone, at least part of them would become suddenly relevant to the PCs as well - whether the players know or care.

And of course, mileages obviously vary, here - nothing wrong with that. I'm just pointing out that they don't vary that radically;).

Ive tried to play without a full fledged setting (published and custom) and 10 seconds in Im finding I need it.

Ill admit much of the reason is the style Ive adopted to running the narrative. I guess Ive read way to many fantasy novels because it just seems impossible to say something like "A few merchants appear, their wagons laden with goods. They wave as they pass on their way to the next village."

Ive got to mention that from the garish colors the wagons are painted and the odd way they tip their heads when acknowledging the players they recognized as Tords, a gypsy like culture from South of the Verneez Mountains that peddle their goods and perform for pennies during the mild months. One of the older men asks if the ford at the River Quay is crossable up ahead, the storms in the foothills a few days past have them worried it may not be. The players inform him it was clear two days past when they crossed but it was still raining then. He smiles and thanks them and then places his thumbs together and fingers to his temples in a time honored gesture of good will as they continue on.

Its only a momentary and essentially meaningless encounter but without even knowing it, and especially if generating such details off the cuff, Ive created details in the world that must then be recorded and filed in order to remain consistent. Its a lot easier when most of this sort of thing is prepared in advance.

I suppose even when I don't have a prepared setting, there still is one, in my head. It just takes a bit more creative energy to present it on a whim...and I think I lose something in quality, cohesiveness and originality when rushed.

Quote from: CRKrueger;923207Which culture would that be?

African. Though of the international players I know shes the only one with that particular outlook combo so no clue if others would have similar likes or not.

As someone who has written several commercially published RPG books with settings, I would say "Fuck Setting Loyalty". I want people who get my books to make their version of my setting into whatever the fuck they want.