Campaign Stylee: Regional Data




I'm planning to pose a number of questions on this topic over the next few weeks in order to find out people's preferences in old-school campaign settings. I'm not really looking to discuss the relative merits of different settings, but rather to get a handle on the best features & presentation style from a practical standpoint.

What kinds of National/Regional data and detailed descriptive text is necessary?

Using the minimalist Greyhawk Folio as a starting point, what would you add or present differently? Do you prefer a more exacting Wilderlands-style hex-by-hex approach or a mixture of the two (similar to the AH RQ Heroes of Genertela supplement)

Here's a sample template to show you what I'm thinking of.

NAME of NATION/POLITICAL DIVISION/REGION
Name of Leader & their Title (Class, Lvl, Alignment)
Capital: Name (Population)
Population: Racial Type (XX%, 000,000)
Resources: Type (Amount I~IV)
Features: Name (terrain type)

Description: 50-100 words covering important facts and geographical information and likely encounters.
Settlements: List of named settlements
Adventure Sites: List of named sites or module tie-ins (is that legal?)

Sidebar Graphic: Heraldic crest, flag or symbol
Sidebar Detail: List of 8-10 events (rare/uncommon/common)

Comments

Unknown said…
I was looking through the 1983 edition of the World of Greyhawk the other day and it has a breakdown of each country much like your example. After I tried reading a few, I came to the conclusion that they were pointless.

How often is this information going to be used by a GM?

What I would like to see, for each country, is a 250 word adventure hook. This hook should give a feel for the country by incorporating a major city, event, ruler or a historical fact.

This allows the GM a handy resource of adventure ideas rather than dry factoids that no one uses.