Lessons Learned:
- Despite entire fandom constantly talking about the Chaos Gods and threat Chaos poses, most of the Imperial Guard aren’t supposed to know anything about it, less alone the specific names.
- Despite their enemeis in Sabbath participating commonly in diablerie and fandom making big deal out of what an unforgivable crime it is, it is not something an average Vampire of Carmarilla knows about in any way.
With the Dragon Age series, a map of Ferelden was created for use in the first game, and became the map of the region for a long time after. The TTRPG used the same map, and even had a printout in the box set for it. Many players, and even some GMs, base their understanding of the setting on this map.
This map includes:
- The Circle Tower. There are two circle towers in Ferelden, and many more further afield. Only one is marked.
- Lake Calenhad Docks. Lake Calenhad is massive. There should be many docks.
- Ostagar. This is an abandoned fortress only notable for a battle that took place there.
- Lothering. It’s an unremarkable and short-lived village you briefly visit.
- The Dalish Camp. The Dalish are nomads. How the hell is that on a map?!
All that stuff appears in Dragon Age Origins, so it’s a good map of what a player might experience playing the video game. As a setting guide, it’s awful.
Oh yes, regular folks in the Imperium are absolutely forbidden from knowing anything about or even talking about chaos at all. The guard may even be sent to fight chaos directly without being told what they’re fighting or why, just that they are fighting heretics. And if they ask for more information they will be made an example of so nobody else thinks it’s a good idea.
The Imperium is not a nice place to be, mostly
And if they beat chaos, they still have a pretty good chance of getting shot for knowing things they shouldn’t.
The imperium has access to mind wipe technology, and has used it for those that survive incidents with chaos or xenos that are considered classified. They can’t really afford to simply kill everyone exposed to these things.
100% correct about 40K but i dont think thats accurate about VTM. Yes the Amaranth is a massive taboo and stigma but its not realistic to think that vampires who drink humans blood never imagined that maybe they could drink each others blood too. Even if they didnt know it could lead to some special outcome. Something cant be a stigma unless its well known of.
It’s always difficult finding the balance between in character and out of character knowledge. I recently had to explain to my players that their characters definitely knew about a major historical event in the setting, because while it happened 10,000 years ago it’s important to the origin of several gods, so is a widely known story.
