The question is referring to the amount of background info you, as GM, build into your game.

Are you the "there are some spooky old ruins in the valley below" type or the "the temple ruins date from around 3975 BBY when Revan led the Sith counterattack during the Mandalorian crucade through this sector. The Sith occupied the planet for over 80 years and they built it to..." type instead?

There are all kinds I know I just wandered how many of you enjoy dreaming up all the goodies behind the obvious?

More the first kind, and let my players make it up if it fits threir character and they are interested... If it`s not very important for the plot, then I`ll add the necessary detail.

I run a homebrew galaxy. It's set in the Milky Way, but draws heavily from "hard science" fiction, Warhammer 40k themes, and I've shown Star Wars to it. I write the fine details as they strike me, and keep those notes handy, but know enough about the setting to run completely off cuff.

I don't know enough about the Star Wars galaxy to run a legitimate Star Wars campaign, but nor do I want to, which is fine, because my players are of the same mind. Star Wars has what, a gazillion planets? I've got nine and counting. The players get to discover new systems and worlds, so do NPCs. I do use SW elements...like Hutts and YT-model ships...but many elements just don't fit, like...well, like a lot.

Something I learned about my players long ago when we tried a Rogue Trader campaign: the sandbox is more fun for them when it's smaller.

It would **** sure be easier too!

I've run a few completely home-brew games and I have to admit, I am kind of missing those. Sure, I sat down and planned things out, made up a bit of the area where the players were headed etc. But I made up a ton, probably 75% during the game and just jotted it all down afterward so as to remain consistent. Star Wars is exactly the opposite. I spend easily 3/4 of my time reading and researching, then the other 1/4 adding to what I just learned. In the end you have a lot more original stuff than established canon but researching and familiarizing is terribly time consuming.

I find Im deviating a great deal but no matter what I do, I feel the need to at least adhere to canon a bit, maintaining a tie with the... well REAL Star Wars universe, if you will. (I know that makes no logical sense but it does to me for some reason.)

I could add cities and starports and mountain ranges and monsters and other species and so on to Tatooine and love doing so but I couldn't just turn it into a jungle world or something. I feel I have to adhere to what has already been laid out as best I can, but boy is it a pain.

Every game is a homebrew. And every GM uses whatever works for their game and either ignores or discards whatever does not. In my game their are no more Mandalorians. Their equipment lies around to be found but they do not appear. I only give details where it is important or necessary.

I'm of the latter category, but what I let my players know is of the first category.

In other words, while I know that the "the temple ruins date from around 3975 BBY when Revan led the Sith counterattack during the Mandalorian crucade through this sector. The Sith occupied the planet for over 80 years and they built it to..."
the information the players get is "there are some spooky old ruins in the valley below".

Now, if there's a scholar in the group that manages a roll on archeology or history or whatever, then it's a different tune.

The former, but with more details available if it's necessary for the plot. I only tell them stuff that's necessary for plot or verisimilitude. If they ask for more sometimes I just wing it, or let them invent it through Advantage/Triumph.

Not sure if you've read any of the published modules yet, but they provide very useful examples of how to parcel out information using the narrative dice.

That said, there's certainly nothing wrong with fleshing something out in as much detail as you want, if the players are interested in that kind of thing.

IMO, the bones of the information needs to be there, but it doesn’t need any flesh put on the bones until the story or the players drive that direction and require it.

The more that you generate but don’t use directly, the more you risk becoming hide bound and you tie your own hands behind your back.

If you’re trying to write a novel, you need to create the world first, and then reveal little slices through the story. But 90% or more of the world remains unseen, and is needed in order to help hold the other bits together.

But in a collaborative story telling process, you don’t have total control over where the reader goes and what parts they see. So, any plans you make might as well be thrown out the window as soon as the PCs hit the ground.

As much as possible, I believe you should stick to overarching themes and motivations — knowing what kinds of things are going on regardless of whether the PCs are involved or not and how the PCs might be able to influence that if they did choose to get involved.

If you have a good skeleton in place, and generate additional world-building stuff only as needed, then the story and the universe can change as it needs to in order to adapt to the story that is being collectively generated, while causing a minimum of additional unnecessary problems for yourself.

At least, that’s my ideal. I can’t claim to actually be able to deliver on that, at least not all the time.

Since our group is actively seeking out abandoned Jedi/Sith temples, we generally know that the ruins were once occupied by members of one order or the other, but we don't have any in-depth details until one of us makes the appropriately difficult Lore check.

Mind, a good number of our players are aware of the history of some of the sites we've visited, but they've been good enough that their characters were still surprised by some of the things we've found.

Since our group is actively seeking out abandoned Jedi/Sith temples, we generally know that the ruins were once occupied by members of one order or the other, but we don't have any in-depth details until one of us makes the appropriately difficult Lore check.

Mind, a good number of our players are aware of the history of some of the sites we've visited, but they've been good enough that their characters were still surprised by some of the things we've found.

The gm had to make up that level of detail eventually. That's what I was asking about. Some, like me, think it kind of important, others call it a temple and move on.

Since our group is actively seeking out abandoned Jedi/Sith temples, we generally know that the ruins were once occupied by members of one order or the other, but we don't have any in-depth details until one of us makes the appropriately difficult Lore check.

Mind, a good number of our players are aware of the history of some of the sites we've visited, but they've been good enough that their characters were still surprised by some of the things we've found.

The gm had to make up that level of detail eventually. That's what I was asking about. Some, like me, think it kind of important, others call it a temple and move on.

I like to write way more than I plan on discussing at the table, so that I have some idea of a location's history but can change it if a player guesses it too fast I get another idea.

I'm of the latter category, but what I let my players know is of the first category.

In other words, while I know that the "the temple ruins date from around 3975 BBY when Revan led the Sith counterattack during the Mandalorian crucade through this sector. The Sith occupied the planet for over 80 years and they built it to..."

the information the players get is "there are some spooky old ruins in the valley below".

Now, if there's a scholar in the group that manages a roll on archeology or history or whatever, then it's a different tune.

^This

Much more the first approach, but with a lot of description, and with flavor (read sensual information). But I have a Player who plays an advisor that heavily invested into knowledge and will remember a fact about mostly anything.

I am heavily invested in background and detail, much to the detriment of me actually writing scenarios.

No detail is too trivial, no historical anecdote too superfluous.

I often find myself writing mini-biographies for incidental NPCs, which on more than one occasion has spun off into entire sub-plots which the players don't come close to initiating.

I think an important way to stave off GM Detail Frustration is to prepare some stock histories, anecdotes, and references, and have them on hand for useful points -- but not to hard-code them into specific moments for the campaign (short of necessary exposition). I maintain specific "Background on [sUBJECT X]" files for all major NPCs and plot points but try not to make them essential for plot movement. I always reward investigation INTO detail, but don't front-end-load it anymore.

I'd say I fall into the second category, but agree with Oddball. I write a lot of detailed background for the NPCs, locations, and situations that surround my players' group, but I don't reveal everything to them until they seek out that information, either through knowledge checks, social checks or a computers check.

Obviously though, a lot of what being a GM is about is being able to improvise. If your players want less detail, you don't have to give them as much. If they want more and you have it, great. If they want more and you don't have it, you can either tell them "I don't know / it's not important" or be creative and come up with it on the fly. Sometimes making up the background details with the group is almost as much fun as playing the game.

Mostly what I do is research using Wookiepedia and all the starwars books available like the atlus and guide to species.

Until it is observed, everything is in a state of flux in my galaxy. I try to respect canon and even interact with it sparingly.

That said, I do still keep ingesting more data about the setting, even if it doesn't directly apply to my stories presently. I enjoy knowing the information without excruciating detail.

Some of you guys sound just like me, flashing out my galaxy in a way my players can't hope to discover. It's fun but does take a lot of work.

Every game is a homebrew. And every GM uses whatever works for their game and either ignores or discards whatever does not. In my game their are no more Mandalorians. Their equipment lies around to be found but they do not appear. I only give details where it is important or necessary.

I notice that you mention that there are no Mandalorians in your world a lot. No offense intended, just curious why.

Every game is a homebrew. And every GM uses whatever works for their game and either ignores or discards whatever does not. In my game their are no more Mandalorians. Their equipment lies around to be found but they do not appear. I only give details where it is important or necessary.

I notice that you mention that there are no Mandalorians in your world a lot. No offense intended, just curious why.

Because I liked them better when they were a mysterious lost culture and Boba Fett was wearing a remnant of that culture. Kind of like Spartans in space but that were eventually wiped out or absorbed into other cultures. They were once known to rival the Jedi with their warrior traditions but were unable to adapt to a galaxy that was becoming more peaceful due to the work of the Jedi and civilization. Unfortunately for them the wiping out of the Sith down to two was also their downfall. I picture them as having been mercenary armies fighting for the highest bidder and looking much like the Alien Legion with a mix of races.

Just the way its worked out for me.

Since I started my F&D campaign on Spintir, and described it as a huge planet thrice the size of earth, I have been contemplating how much the locals know about it, and can provide to the characters.

Basically, the galaxy has some slices. First, the planet and it's history and local interests. Later the sector (depending on the idea that most systems might be only a few populated planets, and much less of them elaborated info to give), the region and then the wide galaxy populace (like HoloNet, very common lore, etc). Now consider that each slice had it's own slices of knowledge, info, etc...

So you first should consider what your locals are interested in, this is what they know. Later, greater interests of greater local forces, and how it shapes how and why the micro slices are formed.

Also consider the counters to knowledge, like censorship and deterioration.

Lastly, compile all this as notes and small drafts, and see what is important to your story, game concept and will & feel of the players.

For example, I wrote a very big doc this way for the planet history, but only a very small fraction of it was accessible or relevant to the characters. This parts were developed as session prep, and post session a few hooks were also developed according to players interests and actions.