I wish we had a Glossary

[10,000 Orcs]

Hi!

I have to admit: I don't like the approach of using only in-game texts to describe the setting. Although it is very atmospheric and delivers a very special reading experience compared to other game systems and settings, I find it hard to extract important and game relevant information. So although I really love the setting, its characters, its ideas, I don't like the actual description because as a GM who likes to make up his own campaigns and adventures the accessibility is not the best.

From role-playing games like HârnWorld or Traveller I know the concept of glossarys or lexicon style setting information. In HârnWorld it is called Hârndex (an Index of the world of Hârn), in Traveller it is called Library Data and included in the core books, while additional library data is presented in setting books and often adventure modules. Although library data is handled differently in the I guess 5-7 editions of Traveller you can buy .

To my knowledge something like that doesn't exist for Shadows of Esteren. I think such a glossary, index or small dictionary/lexicon would be a great addition, especially for new players and GM's. Furthermore, English is a foreign language to me and my group. Our English skills differ widely and not everyone can read the books without trouble. A glossary with a more plain writing style - and clearly out-game - would be a great help for us. It doesn't need to contain GM knowledge (which is coming with Secrets, I suppose), "what could the average player character know on this subject" would be completely sufficient.

So I am hoping for such a product in the future.

I mean a glossary or lexicon, where there is not only a sentence in a dictionnary style to explain terms like Tri-Kazel, Varigal, Magientist or Demorthen, but maybe one or two paragraphs per entry, depending of course on the complexity of the subject. It would be meant as an addition, not as a replacement of Book 1 etc.

Maybe I have overlooked something and something like that already exists. In this case I would appreciate any pointer where to find it. Especially if something exists as fan material I will have missed it for sure.

However, maybe I am alone with my opinion and the majority of the players aren't interested in such a product, although it wouldn't do any harm, to have it. What do you think?

[StripelessTiger]

When I first started reading Esteren, I realized the same thing, mainly because of how the Books synergize and reference one another a-chronologically. This is primarily due to the fact that they are still be translated and altered as they release in English.

However, as I started immersing myself into the atmosphere and novella-like presentation of the world, the roleplaying aspect trumps the use of lexicons because I believe that you will come to understand the world better if you read and absorb the information organically.

I understand that not everyone has a perfect memory, and Esteren can feel like research trying to piece together the puzzle that is its information and plot, but you have to put this in context of the style of game it is. It is meant to not be a black-and-white, hard system. It leaves mystery and room for alterations and growth, and IMO is not for ill-seasoned tabletop GMs.

This is unfortunate in some aspects, but also keeps it from falling into the rote and mundane. It forces you to read and make connections, which for me as a Game Leader feels like I am uncovering and playing the game just by learning about it. If it was all spelled out for me, I would feel pretty unfulfilled running it.

And not to upend your statement, but I feel like the Glossaries do a fairly good job of outlining the key aspects, and if using the PDF versions, CTRL+F and the Bookmark feature help me immensely on that front.

The game has too much meat to boil it down into cliffnotes, so that should be something fans need to do for themselves.

If you need any outlines of the Books, their contents, or all released products (categorically) there is plenty out there, and I can even provide some myself.

Trust me, it only feels broken apart weirdly, but its a style thing, not an oversight. I believe its intentional and feeds to the narrative, which is what Esteren is all about - storytelling.

[Clovis]

Thank you for your thought-out and comprehensive reply, StripelessTiger! I am definitely with you: Esteren might appear confusing and disjointed, but in a way, this is on purpose (it's a feature, not a bug ): the idea is, as you put it, to "read and absorb the information organically," build your own idea of the universe, and go from there to draw your own conclusions and make a gaming world that is truly yours.

10,000 Orcs, I understand that it might be frustrating in some respects. We know it is a somewhat divisive stance, and that not everyone might be happy with it... and that's okay! To each their own, as they say

That said, as with pretty much any other thing, if there is a strong demand for a Glossary like the one you are wishing for, we will definitely consider it, at the very least. We do our best to listen to our community and provide content that they will enjoy

And finally, if you are after a comprehensive Glossary, feel free to lay the groundwork for it! If you create a Wiki or something of the sort, there will certainly be other GMs who will be interested in contributing to it