Lore: how do you approach it?

menedhyn · February 2017

Hello, fellow travellers of Tamriel!

Well, it seemed like a simple enough question to ask as I poured my morning coffee: how do you approach lore? Is it something you conform or strictly adhere to, or do you prefer to be guided and influenced by it? Do you feel disinterested or apathetic, see it as a waste of time, or even an obstacle to how you want to play?

Furthermore, what do you consider to be 'lore'? How do you feel Elder Scrolls Online has tackled the subject compared to what has gone before? I'd be interested to hear what you have to say on what is, upon reflection, a suite of questions that will hopefully stimulate discussion.

ArrerBoy · February 2017

Frankly I'd like to see more metaphysics. Hoping Clockwork will bring on the they mind bending stuff that comes with the Tribunal and the Dwemer. Frankly I'm hoping something involving the kalpa gets brought in. Long shot, maybe we get to learn more about the previous kalpa.

I don't expect Wheels of Lull kinds of crazy but something!

WhiteCoatSyndrome · February 2017

menedhyn wrote: »

Well, it seemed like a simple enough question to ask as I poured my morning coffee: how do you approach lore? Is it something you conform or strictly adhere to, or do you prefer to be guided and influenced by it?

In general, I have a ranking system I use.

--If a piece of information exists and nothing contradicts it, consider it truthful until proven otherwise
--If a piece of information exists and is contradicted by something else, go with the one with more evidence behind it. If they are roughly equal in terms of quantity of support, go with the one that makes the most sense.

This isn't perfect and I make exceptions from time to time. EX: Cirantille is a prolific writer, but we meet her in Wrothgar and she seems to be a sham, thus I take everything she writes with a grain of salt.

Nestor · February 2017

Guided and Influenced is so much better for just about any dogma out there.

Rickter · March 2017

Strictly

if you look at my backstory you'll notice i took much care to ensure the dates were very accurate. Ive found that if you work your story around historically stated events, a lot of things fall into place.

Magic_Longsword · March 2017

Regarding dates, historical events and such, I take them to the letter (until retcons, that is).

Regarding customs, religions, daily lives, traditions, beliefs etc. and the general world-building, I take them as a basis and then expand upon them should I be interested in it or bored enough.

I mean look at the Mages Guild in ESO for instance. While those in Oblivion as well as the College of Winterhold offered room and board to their apprentices, we see nothing of that in ESO. No dormitories or any indication that Apprentices stay at the guild beyond daily lessons or whatever it is they're doing. As such, I took the liberty of expanding a bit upon that since it was relevant to the backstory of my character.

Same goes for instance for means of transportation within cities. I mean obviously your character can ride across it and jump over people and what not, and large cities do have stables. But what about smaller ones? Can you enter them with mules or horses? Is your speed limited there? Do you have to pay a tax on it? (Just random midnight questions).

Krist · March 2017

I stick to the lore as much as possible. I even worry about my own stories not meshing well with lore, though I know I am being over concerned with that.
I very much like Elder Scrolls lore. It is so well thought out, and is very realistic in that not every bit of "history" fits together. Due to the fact that I like the lore so much, I try and incorporate it with my own stories and backgrounds, preferably using the fiction that is most proven.
We KNOW there is a faction war going on, because we are involved in it. That makes it easy to include these things in my story line.
Some things are "probably true", such as Molag Bal being accredited for making vampires. With these things, I become more vague in his roll with my character, never forming a conversation of absolute truth.
Things that are stated as rumor I try and stay from as fact, unless I incorporate it as a rumor.