"Elder Scrolls"-Style Lore for D&D
Elder Scrolls provides the perfect example for delivering lore in our tabletop roleplaying games.
The Elder Scrolls video games provide a master class in dropping lore through books. As a player, you stumble across a dozen books within a few hours of play. But why does this method work so well? It's brief, enigmatic, and entirely optional. We can use this same framework to prepare and deploy lore in our Dungeons & Dragons games.
Start with a list of book titles and types. A few examples:
- Dagrim Belgad’s Journal (journal entry)
- Chalk Upon the Tower (biography)
- A Mask So Dark (myth)
Head to the RPG Resource Repository for the full table and types of books for inspiration.
The sequence goes like this:
A player character discovers the book.
Character: "What's it about?"
Game master: "Do you take the time to Study it?"
If yes, relay the type of book it is and improvise a few details (writing down any notes to remember).
If no, move on and little prep was lost.
If you want to take it a step further, write a brief and enigmatic bit of fiction or information for each book. Or become an Architect and grab my pre-written entries for all 20 books in the previous table.
Why It Works
Brief lore is easy to prep. It takes less time to create. It also takes up less room in your notes for easy reference at the table. Players are less likely to have their eyes glaze over when learning it.
adjective
difficult to interpret or understand; mysterious
Enigmatic lore is, by its very nature, mysterious. Players get curious and engage. They want to know more. They start asking questions. "Who is Dagrim Belgad? Where is the tower? Have I heard of this mask?" Writing enigmatic lore also challenges the game master to build in interesting secrets or hooks.
Optional lore is the key. Players have to have the ability to ignore it or it becomes heavy-handed. But be ready when they engage. Reward engagement with interesting quests, locations, boons, and treasure. If they only ever collect the books and ignore the contents, maybe they can sell the books themselves and still get something out of it.
Elder Scrolls provides the perfect example for delivering lore in our tabletop roleplaying games. Brief, enigmatic, and optional lore provides opportunities within a simple but powerful framework. Grab a list of books drop some lore today.
Game on.