Give me your opinion! Fiction within rulebooks

[Rob Lang]

Do you like fiction within rule books? As side panels, building up a story as you move through the book. Do you think it gets in the way? Can you think of anywhere where it's really good or really bad?

[Onix]

I'm not a huge fan of it. I've tried it a bit but when I hit it in a book I kind of have a hard time reading it. That said I remember sections of the Cyberpunk 2020 that gave flavor text that was very informative. So

[madunkieg]

I find that a bit of fiction works like an illustration in that it gives the players information about the setting and the roles they play. If it features the same character or characters, it can also tie together the game by providing continuity .

That said, be careful with closing off avenues of exploration or mythologies with your fiction.

For these reasons, I prefer vignettes to full story arcs.