What Should I do with All this Awesome Lore?

[Tsarak]

Hey everybody! First post

So I've been lucky enough to acquire the handsome hardcover 3ED sourcebooks over the course of a few months. I've also snapped up the Nations of Barsaive series digitally. I have every intention of grabbing the Theran sourcebook and several other old ones digitally, soon. I'm looking forward to assembling an Earthdawn group at a local comic shop soon, likely of players that are completely new to Earthdawn.

Plenty of money well-spent on everything so far (though I have a love/hate thing going on with Cathay)-- but there's where my problem arises. I'm a storyteller at heart, and I can see myself getting swept up in recounting the martyr scholar/the rise of Thera/the Scourge/Blood Wood/the opening of Throal/races/disciplines/adepts/thread magic/local cultures/Thera and Cathay/Passions/everything that's cool about the setting.

What is absolutely vital to most new players to Earthdawn?

What would fall into the category of "players might appreciate and could be used to get them excited about the game"?

What awesome lore should I hold back, revealing based on Knowledge Skills and PC discovery/exploration?

What would simply be a distraction?

For context, the campaign I'm cooking up would start several PCs as low-ranking emissaries of His Majesty's Diplomatic Corps in Throal, then have them explore the city and Bartertown to stumble upon and hire the rest of the PCs for their envoy to Kratas, attempting to persuade Garlthik to stand with Throal against a looming Theran invasion.

Thanks in advance for the advice!

[Panda]

As you have noticed, there is a lot going on in Earthdawn. This is, without reservation, a good thing. However, it presents an intimidating front if attacked head on. My recommendation is to figure out what parts of the setting you are most passionate about. What gets you exciting and thinking of new awesome plots. You're going to almost certainly want to use that as your long-term plan.

Learning the mechanics of the game is going to be important. That seems silly to state outright, but they can be complex and may not be intuitive when first encountered. The game will build the complexity over time and the early Talents will form the core competencies of a given Discipline, but the selection of Talent Options can be fraught with peril if your players are unfamiliar with the system. It is also worth mention that while humans are typically the go-to race for new players in most fantasy games, this is as far from the truth as you can get in Earthdawn. They are complex and require a certain degree of system mastery to get the most out of them.

I've yet to experience a group that doesn't love Thread Items, and with good reason. They are a big draw to the setting. However, it's generally best not to introduce them until everyone can use them (4th Circle). Some groups house rule that magicians cannot weave permanent threads until 4th Circle.

When figuring out what to introduce your players to, see what setting elements appeal to you and your players the most. It seems like you want diplomacy to be a major feature of your game. A fair warning, your premise will require a fair amount of upfront assimilation of the setting. Built into the game is that all of the characters can come from a kaer that has just opened; learning and experiencing this new world together. It is definitely a fantastic way to show, rather than tell, them about the world. Given the cosmopolitan nature of Throal, they could easily earn those positions through their legends. Perhaps they could gain the support to explore the hinterlands, searching for lost kaers and knowledge.

If the characters are a part of the Diplomatic Corps, they will probably be well educated about Barsaive, perhaps even some lands beyond. If they have just emerged from a kaer, they will know nothing and you have clean slates to teach them. I personally prefer to hold back some of the more astounding pieces of the setting, like Blood Wood, Death's Sea, Crystal Raiders, etc.

Whatever isn't relevant to the story you are telling is a distraction. It's not much of an answer, but it is the best that there is. Most would probably consider everything outside of Barsaive a distraction, unless you are actively visiting it. Beyond that, feeling the need to cleave exactly to canon. Change whatever needs to be changed to make it the story you want to tell.

Hopefully there is something up there that can provide some assistance. Let me know if you have any questions, or whatnot.

[Tsarak]

Thanks for the response, Panda.

I always felt the kaer opening was a little too convenient (with the mixture of races/disciplines present in any party of adepts, I feel like it would have to be more than a podunk little kaer). However, giving it some thought with this campaign in mind specifically brings in a few interesting possibilities. Perhaps it was a fairly substantial kaer a week's travel from Throal whose original scouting attempt (around the same time as Throal's) never returned and they went a more cautious route. Being in close enough proximity to Throal, that's where they would send a delegation of brave adepts, longing to see the world promised in The Book of Tomorrow. It also allows a really eerie opening with no signs of Namegiver life until the skies clear of clouds near enough to Throal to spot airships travelling in and out of the great city.

Then players would have to do something with those left behind in the kaer before getting offered a job by Neden/the leader of HMDC (can't remember the name on that one). An added benefit is that this prologue-type adventure gives PCs the chance to possibly circle up at least once before they start to mix things up in Kratas, a noticeably more dangerous environment.

[Panda]

Here's an idea that I have toyed with for a while as a premise (in the vein of "go big or go home") that may be something to consider:

A major citadel was assumed to be yet another casualty to the Scourge, though the ruins lost. Legends over the years speak of sightings of this citadel, but no expedition could find anything, not even ruins. In truth, the denizens followed a similar train of thought to the hubris of Parlainth, though significantly less ambitious. The citadel was mostly removed from reality, relying on seals that would weaken as the magic levels decreased. When low enough, it would be returned entirely to the world. Instead, the magic levels stabilized, causing it to flicker in and out of its otherworldly prison.

Eventually, enterprising adepts from the Diplomatic Corps discovered the seals and broke them, luckily causing the citadel to manifest back in Barsaive. The return of this old regional power has shifted the delicate balances as they venture into this changed world and the province assesses what this new presence will mean.

Alternatively, they solve things on their end and explore the world on their own terms. But the players could represent emissaries from a newly emerged power. One that relies on them to bring back news and establish ties with their neighbors and other powers. The size of the power base could allow for a multitude of characters, perhaps a Liferock was instrumental in maintaining that link to the world.

Just thoughts that may be useful. In the end, whatever it is that is going to get your group excited to play.

P.S. Yeah, Kratas is pretty brutal for Novices. I tend to treat it as a Journeyman locale, but that is me - you should run it how best fits your game.

[Darculius]

if the players have a hankering for the Diplomacy corps, they could always get all the major players to side with Throal. There's the T'skrang Houses, Cara Fahd, Crystal Raiders, Blood Wood, Kratas, and maybe even Travar. (I bet Omasu has some missions for some Theran thumping).
HMDC though, tends to leave them a disjointed and doesn't focus on little things. Traveling from place to place they focus on the big picture, not on the local farmer that needs his sick livestock cured. Now, those kind of adventures might be great for the power player (Garlthik, Alachia, Krathis...) to hand out in order to sign the "I hate Thera" document, or it could be a lieutenant and the players never meet the power until way late in circles.

Vital to new players? Story story story. It is so rich with story that even the experience is called Legend Points. What I make my players do is they don't automatically get the LP for defeating the monster, they have to tell people and spread their legend.

Holding back lore? Depends on how they lived their life before they met up. Did they start in a kaer just emerging? Been around enough to not get stabbed in Bartertown? Kaer emergence they would still have knowledges, thanks to the Book of Tomorrow. But it'd be limited especially concerning specifics. They'd have general knowledge that the elves are up in Wyrm Wood, but maybe not why now its called Blood Wood.

A distraction? Adding things that aren't needed. If they do said above and gather folks to fight Thera, they could probably rule out even visiting Iopos. Unless you plan on throwing in a little cloak and dagger to assassinate a Denairastas (good luck!). Also, don't put the Passions or Horrors on the front burner as they're not a large part of the plan. Don't exclude them (they still exist!) but the players threat is with Thera, not the corruption of Dis & Co. or big nasties like Artificer or Giftbringer (one of my faves. Love Needful Things)