What players want to know: 21 needed answers for session 1

When you want to tell your players about your unique setting for fantasy medieval campaigns, you need to be able to answer some basic questions. 

There are other versions of this questionnaire. This one is mine. These questions are centered on the players' experience. Because I am who I am, these questions have tarot theming. 

These questions were crowdsourced through Gygaxian democracy. Many thanks to Patchwork Paladin, Luke Murkdice, Valeria Loves, Gus L., Joao, Lyme, Warren D., Warren F. Smith, Nael, Amanda P., Lysus, Aryxymaraki, Zak H., and Mezzie.

1. Where can I learn new spells? Who is the greatest wizard in all the land?

a. Is this wizard hot or not?

2. What are the major religions? Who are the gods?

a. What do my minced oaths sound like?

3. Where can I be from?

4. Who holds power? Who is marginalized? (Put another way: Who tills the land, and who "owns" it?)

5. Where can I receive magical healing and be cured of curses?

6. How are families organized? 

7. How do you usually travel between cities?

8. Who is a renowned hero from the past? What is their name and what did they accomplish?

9. How does magic work? 

a. Can I buy magic potions at a store?

b. Can I buy magic swords at a store?

c. Can I sell magic potions and magic swords?

10. What are three mythic treasures of this land and where are they rumored to be?

11. I'm being accused of a crime. What happens next? Who judges me and what sort of punishment can I expect?

12. What do we spend our hard-earned gold on? Where do we spend it?

13. What great disaster happened in the past that still echoes on today?

14. What are the biggest yearly festivals? 

a. What can I do during these festivals that I can't do at other times of the year?

b. What sort of food can I eat during these festivals?

15. Where does the oldest dragon lair? What is her name? 

a. What does she demand of her vassals?

16. What monsters are common and what do we know about them?

17. If we're not sure where to go next, who should we ask?

18. How is the moon fucked up?

19. What guilds, orders, or secret societies can I join?

20. What threatens the peace of the world or the status quo?

21. What would a traveler from our world recognize as being immediately different? (e.g., the world is flat, humans change gender many times throughout their lives, a single season lasts years, etc.)