What does "Necessary World Info" mean for your rol

[Minibit]

When posting a signup or advertisement for a roleplay set in a world you built, what sort of information do you present to players as necessary to know for the roleplay? How much detail do you tend to go into? Do you build most of the world yourself and have additional info available on request, or do you build the basics and let players fill in the blanks?

From the other side; when you're looking at joining a roleplay, how much information is 'too long, didn't read'? Have you ever had not enough info provided, leaving you with too many questions to try and join? Do you like it when the GM has all or most things mapped out, or do you like to have a strong role in building the world as a player?


I'm a strict one x one-er, which changes the GM-Player dynamic a little bit. Since I only play with one partner, it's a lot easier and faster to let that partner help build the world with me. How much detail I have prepared for the world varies; some I get really excited about and plan everything, but I usually have no problem bending or changing things I've come up with if my partner has a different idea. I think it's more fun to build than to play in a built world, and I try to allow that sense of fun to my partners. When I do have a lot of ideas about a world, I usually keep most of them to myself, and present the generic cliffs-notes to my partner; this way they don't feel bad offering a different idea to what I had come up with, because they didn't know I already had a plan for that to start with. Often if it's a world I came up with, my partners ask me questions like "how would x work" or "is there Y in this world?" to which I offer any info I had prepared, or ask for what their preference would be if I didn't have anything for that aspect yet.
I would say the minimum of world info I provide for a person would be the world's name, outstanding features, technology level, whether or not there are canon fantasy elements, and, if the story happens within a smaller area, some notes about that area's culture.

when I'm looking at applying as someone's partner, I get put off when there is too much information up front. Generally I'm not willing to read more than a page or page and a half in Word of world info. I like to have lots of info available as things come up during the roleplay, but I don't like to have to do a lot of reading before I can start just to be on the same page. I also favour partners that will let me play a role in shaping the world; I love worlds that are created collaboratively.

 

[Amaranthe]

When posting a signup or advertisement for a roleplay set in a world you built, what sort of information do you present to players as necessary to know for the roleplay?

I usually present a summary because I've yet to seemingly hash out main driving plotlines. I'll also add in little things like species they can play, alignments, or maybe the geography and other things such as the main genre, subgenres, plot flow, and plot type, et cetera.


How much detail do you tend to go into? Do you build most of the world yourself and have additional info available on request, or do you build the basics and let players fill in the blanks?

This depends on whether or not I've actually decided beforehand to go a little more in depth with development. My world building is kind of all over the place so it feels like nothing's set in stone but it's official, if that makes any sense. The most detail I've ever gone into was probably trying to establish some form of government and very little details on society. However, I've never gone so far as to make roads, mechanics on magic, religions, et cetera. I tend to establish basics most of the time and expand along the way with collaboration on what I already have in mind.

How much information is 'too long, didn't read'?

I'm not sure how to put this into words but I've seen some roleplays around here that has a lot of tabs and/or posts filled with very extensive information to the point where I'm doubting whether or not I'll be able to believably fill a role in that world more typically because there's a very complex and detailed history as well as occupations and factions, alongside the roleplay being a serious one with everything hashed out.

Have I ever had not enough info provided, leaving myself with too many questions to try and join?

Absolutely. In the past, it didn't happen for a long time as I was just getting into roleplaying, but as I continued roleplaying, questions just started popping in my mind. However, that's a bit off topic for the question, although somewhat similar. Regardless, yes I have. It happened here on Iwaku. There was some group roleplays I wanted to join but the only things provided were a very short synopsis, not even a full plot or summary, and/or just the character sheet. So many details were left out and I just left it alone.

Do I like it when the GM has all or most things mapped out, or do I like to have a strong role in building the world as a player?

This depends on many things but primarily on whether or not I'm totally all for joining something because of the main genre, subgenres, plotline, and rules laid out.

 

[Rainjay]

I have a tendency to provide too much information. I have this internal fear of not meeting up to a GM's standards, mostly in properly conveying the universe of their roleplay, and as such I like to have a lot of information in my own roleplays as well. I'll be in the middle of a post and start wondering "Does this exist?" "Does that exist?" "What kind of clothing would they be wearing?!" and I suppose as a result whenever I do worldbuilding for a roleplay I end up trying to address the issues I end up encountering in other roleplays. But to balance it out I try to label all the excess information as superfluous, as "You don't HAVE to know this but it might come into play in the story later. I'll explain it later in the story, but if you know about it already, it might help".

And maybe I just like to have lots of tabs full of useless information on my threads. Goddamn BBcode is corrupting me.

Usually if I find a roleplay with a lot of information, I feel more compelled to join it than one with little information, particularly huge adventure roleplays with a plot synopsis, a character sheet, and maybe a few paragraphs on the playable races. I end up with too many questions. But if the information isn't presented in a readable, and dare I say pretty fashion, then I lose all interest. Wall of text = no no. Pretty text and accompanying images = Hell yes.

 

[Killjoy]

Depending how invested I am in the idea, I tend to provide a lot of information up front...there's tons of pictures, too, but I know it still turns people away. I eventually feel guilty for making players read so much and start putting "additional information available".

In the past I've had issues with just providing a loose world outline and relying on players to help fill it in. Nobody wanted to no matter how many times I assured them that collaboration was not the same thing as "taking over" a roleplay. In the end, I guess they were either too nervous or too lazy. The world structure was about as stable as soggy bread.


As for joining these sorts of roleplays, if it's a solid wall of text coupled with poor grammar/punctuation I tend to lose interest. As long as it's broken up or at least legible, I'm game.

I don't mind if the GM has everything mapped out, as long as there's just a little bit of wiggle room for creative freedom. It's easier to make references to things in my posts when the world has been well-outlined, like Rainjay said.

 

[Drakken]

When I still hosted/GMed RPs, I tended to flesh things out with a fair bit of detail, though sometimes it depended on the genre or the story in question. As someone who loves having magic in my RPs, magic mechanics is one of the things I would cover frequently, though I don't think I ever went so into detail that it stifled creativity. Generally I would outline the races that were acceptable (and note any changes I may have made to them, as well what particular archetype of a given race was in play, like 'this world uses more Bram Stoker, traditional undead vampires' for example). I'd also give a synopsis of the state of the world, and give at least some idea of where the story is intended to go. Sometimes I'd make a Plot Vendor NPC who'd help keep things focused, other times I'd give the players a little more freedom in how exactly they proceed, so long as things keep going in the general direction of the story.

As for joining RPs with lots of info... maybe I used to be up for reading tons of info for an RP, but nowadays my free time is a lot more limited, and there are other things I like doing that take a lot of time (drawing, in particular). So now, if I see an RP with, like, five+ tabs of extensive information I'm just like 'No thanks, I don't have time to read all that.' I don't want to have to invest that much time into reading up on an RP, just to have the information I need to start making a character. Plus I do like having some room for making my own mark on the world in question, so a world that's totally fleshed out just has less appeal to me in general.