So as I said before, Im doing a planar travel campaign and I want to ask the players the good questions that you should ask in DW. The peoblem I have is that fictionall it makes no.sense that the characters would know anything about the planes. They been on their home planet not knowing about the wider cosmos. Does this matter? Or is there a way to ask these questions to make it fictiinally appropriate.
So as I said before, Im doing a planar travel campaign and I want to ask the players the good questions that you…
So as I said before, Im doing a planar travel campaign and I want to ask the players the good questions that you…
Sure there are. Phrase the questions like “What have you heard about…?” “What do the sages say about…?”
Perhaps root information about the planes in their planets myths, legends, fairy tales. The origins of those tales could be the result of visitors or effects of the other planes.
Based on that, a question could be “This reminds you of a myth you joked about as a child. Tell us about that myth”
You could ask questions about fears, expectations, and hopes: “What’s the worst thing you could imagine finding on this new plane?” “What one thing might you find here that would mean you end up wanting to stay here, rather than return home?”
Before they travel, maybe they have had a brush with a planar thing in the past that they can tell about. Then you could do some predictive questions. But otherwise, I would wait until you “get there” in the fiction then ask. That sets up a past, future, present kind of division, so here’s one of each type.
(Past) You once had a run-in with a planar creature, how did you know it was “different” and what did it demand of you?
(Future) You have heard rumors of people going to the elemental plane of fire, what terrestrial travelers go there and why?
(Present) Before you even step out of the planar gate, what overpowering sensory impression hits you?
Not amazing questions, but I just wanted to show what I meant. Don’t try to front-load things too much. Work with hints and rumors, then ask the questions when you get there. That’s how I would do it anyway. I’m sure there are other good ways.
Planar travel is enough of a departure from standard fantasy that I’d probably start Session 0 with an out-of-character explanation that this campaign will be going to the planes. From there, I’d ask a few out-of-character questions about what people would like to see in the planes (as seed ideas), and require that all characters have planar ties somehow (ancestry, personal experience, research, etc).
From there you can just act as normal.