What kinds of, and how much, content do you want in a T2k regional sourcebook?

[Raellus]

For a small country or a US state, what kind of information would you, as a potential user, want to find in a T2k sourcebook? As a creator, it can be tricky to determine how much information to include- one wants to be helpful whilst not losing the reader's interest, or forcing the reader to wade through excessive fluff to find important information. TLDR (Too Long, Didn't Read) is a growing problem these days (how many of you are tempted to jump ahead at this moment ). As online content gets distilled into smaller and smaller, attention-grabbing, dopamine-producing chunks, consumers are conditioned to expect more of the same, and attention spans, it seems are shrinking. On the other hand, one doesn't want to drift too far in the opposite direction by being overly concise. If a sourcebook doesn't include enough relevant information (details, colour, etc.), it's not going to be very useable, and users are likely going to feel short-changed.

For creators, looking at existing T2k sourcebooks can be helpful, but times have changed, as have TTRPGs to a degree.

• How much non-directly-related T2k history for that place do you want?
  
• How much information about geography, economic activities, and/or culture do you want?
  
• How specific do you want descriptions of places of interest and/or factions to be?
  
• Is there anything else that you want, or don't want, a regional sourcebook to include?
  
• As a user, what is more or less helpful, content-wise?

Any and all thoughts on these, or other related questions, would be much appreciated.

-

[kato13]

It is easy for anyone now to get current data about an area, so information of how it was during 95-2000 would be the most useful. (China has transformed in the past 30 years)

I would also like information on how the alternate timeline has changed things. Military bases or munition plants that were not BRAC'ed for example could totally change an area.

Personally I like minutia in all the RPGs I have researched as everything enters the hopper for my own creativity.

[Tegyrius]

Sounds like someone's got the writing itch again...

- C.

[ToughOmbres]

Originally Posted by Raellus

For a small country or a US state, what kind of information would you, as a potential user, want to find in a T2k sourcebook? As a creator, it can be tricky to determine how much information to include- one wants to be helpful whilst not losing the reader's interest, or forcing the reader to wade through excessive fluff to find important information. TLDR (Too Long, Didn't Read) is a growing problem these days (how many of you are tempted to jump ahead at this moment ). As online content gets distilled into smaller and smaller, attention-grabbing, dopamine-producing chunks, consumers are conditioned to expect more of the same, and attention spans, it seems are shrinking. On the other hand, one doesn't want to drift too far in the opposite direction by being overly concise. If a sourcebook doesn't include enough relevant information (details, colour, etc.), it's not going to be very useable, and users are likely going to feel short-changed.

For creators, looking at existing T2k sourcebooks can be helpful, but times have changed, as have TTRPGs to a degree.

• How much non-directly-related T2k history for that place do you want?
  
• How much information about geography, economic activities, and/or culture do you want?
  
• How specific do you want descriptions of places of interest and/or factions to be?
  
• Is there anything else that you want, or don't want, a regional sourcebook to include?
  
• As a user, what is more or less helpful, content-wise?

Any and all thoughts on these, or other related questions, would be much appreciated.

-

Geography of a small nation or a few states is great.

Frankly unless you're talking about California, Texas, Florida or New York (or one of the larger sized states geographically) I'd love to see another Pacific Northwest Style Sourcebook-that is, a regional sourcebook.

Mid-West Sourcebook? Great Lakes Region Sourcebook?

For the level of detail, something more than Howling Wilderness (which was quite good) more along the lines of the updated Germany in Going Home.

Places of interest (such as possible Strategic Reserve Stockpiles), yes please. Persons of interest and an updated OB for US Military and other forces where applicable.

A chronology of relevant events would be interesting too.

The Korea, Romania and Pacific Northwest Sourcebooks were great. Along those lines. Just my .02