what works for me: a basic research on the setting and making the character backstory as a foreigner, where most of the lore is understandably unknown to the character.
this is exactly what one of my players did. I started a 40k campaign, and one of my best roleplayers had very little knowledge of the lore. So she asked me if she could play a character that was a curious outsider type (so she didn't have to know tons of stuff already and would be able to ask questions in-character). Then it turned out she was the only one in the entire group with any investigation skills (in a campaign where it was known investigating would be important).
Okay, just to add a tidbit from a very lengthy hobby-time... I'll only point out that with so many systems out there already, and the chances of running across something that's just THAT weird... Whatever you like to run as a PC... SIMPLIFY the hell out of it, and you're usually not too bad off. In any setting, there are people who are good at fighting, and there are generally thieves... If there's a chance at religion, a basic "journeyman" cleric isn't out of the question, but you might best press more toward a clerk than a particular practitioner... AND most systems have an allowance of some kind for a musician, or some other performer(ish)... So a bard isn't necessarily a terrible choice. This "bare-bones" outlook on characters can let you "switch things up" a bit, gives a GM something interesting to do (in case he or she needs that)... And can always add comical relief to the table in general... which any truly great campaign requires. :o)
I was invited to play in a cyberpunk game a while back. We were using GURPS, so the system was familiar, but the genre was completely new to me. My character didn't wake up in a box with amnesia, but he did wake up in a hospital bed with amnesia. He was a cyber-enhanced medic, so he fell into a support role as well. It worked pretty well.
"The last thing you want to do is nerve pinch that Dalek while flying around on the Millennium Falcon." That was probably the best way to cram Dr. Who, Star Trek, and Starwars in a single sentence I've ever heard. Granted, it's the only sentence combining all three I've ever heard, but it was still a great line.
No it’s “the doctor.” Please read any comments of mine with a heavy grain of salt. I rarely ever get mad on the internet and will not attack other people. So if it looks aggressive it’s humour
I dunno if the Fighter thing will work with 40k considering the primary melee person in the 40k most people would be familiar with- Dark Heresy: a COP, and Rogue Trader: a PRIEST. I mean I guess you could be an Arch Militant that punches people in RT but I wouldn't recommend it when everyone else is shooting guns...because guns.
I like guns. You don't need to be strong to use a gun and you don't even need to be very skillful to hit someone who's less than 50 yards away. Hell, you don't even need to see around your cover to suppress or hit an enemy, thus making the weak characters (such as the adept and psyker) in your Dark Heresy or Rogue Trader games useful. (No, psykers are NOT useful for their intended purpose.)
There is an assassin that could be built into a particularly deadly mellee fighter the group im in has 2 but 1 lost an arm so she cant dual weild chain axes anymore.
These are roughly the rules I've used. My usual groups have a tendency to hop into systems unexpectedly and all of these are pretty much what I do when I show up and they say, "Oh we're not running X today, we switched to Y." This is roughly what I'm planning to do for the next campaign they've talked about. I've researched the setting a fair bit, but it's extremely detailed (they like detailed settings) and I prefer to err on the side of caution, so my character is essentially a young, human farm kid just setting out from a rural farm. He hasn't interacted with the other countries and doesn't know much about the more complex aspects of the setting either. (I will point out that typically, if I know a setting, I will tailor my character to some facet of that setting extensively, it's not uncommon for me to write three page summaries of character backstories in settings I know.)
"You wanna understand Doctor Who? Go to the public crapper for five minutes. "You wanna force people to fit in with you, rather than you fit in with them? Pretend you have a serious medical illness. "You want it okay to seem like an idiot? Care about other people. "You hungry? Eat a hobbit."
"No no, I have no idea what the name "Doctor Who" means, from setting to character details, to anything. Please explain this setting and stop fucking with me for your own amusement!"
In Shaan renaissance it's very complicated to play a human for a new player ^^ It's the only wierd case I can think of but you may want to take notice of that one as well ;p
Hello there! I have a question/concern that you may be able to give some advice on. I play pathfinder as both a GM and Player using the Roll20 online table top. I am finding that a lot of players have a hard time keeping emersion with this setting as you can't always see facial expressions or the body language of your fellow players/GM. Any advice on ways to improve or encourage interaction in this setting? P.s. I enjoy your videos and link them to my players and other parties regularly as reference material.
Thanks so much for the feedback and glad our videos are helping. That's a great question and think it expands past the app and to the table itself but could focus on the online aspect. Could you please add the question here: www.greatgamemaster.com/suggestions/ We are trying to collect our questions all in one place and our Patreons vote for which topics we cover, so if it's on the list it can be voted for :)
This video... right in the nerd. x_x And the only way I can keep living my life is to just pretend the first bit didn't happen. Sam didn't need to know how the elves worked? SAM DIDN'T NEED TO KNOW HOW THE ELVES WORKED?!?! *falls out of her chair, foaming at the mouth* ... but you won me back over with the Abrams ST diss. ^_^
i have another solution to the question the answer is play an outsider. Litterally someone from either another system of from an althernate universe so essencially litterally someone who doesnt fit in with the rest of the party. For the start trek example play a human dressed as a knight and play them as you would someone from 5th edition dnd
Lexx... *Shudders.* That show had some seriously messed up episodes, and a rather juvenile obsession with sex in various forms. Okay, that describes about 75% of Hollywood's production, now that I think about it. Although some shows due substitute either violence or preachiness instead of sex. Or mixed with sex. Or all three.
That's not *quite* what he said; he said the most bizarre humans got in a setting off the top of his head was Titan AE, because they were on the decline. Really, the problem with depicting humans in any other setting is if you get too outlandish with them, they cease to be human one way or an other. *EDIT*: Also, Transmetropolitan had some pretty crazy humans too.
I have a friend who GMs every other weekend opposite me, and he's taken to introducing a new system once a month because he bought some fancy new hardcover book he saw at the store. While this video is helpful, what's the best way to approach my friend and tell him that I'm getting sick of making the 4th character for yet another game he's inevitably going to get bored of? Is this my fault for my game not being engaging enough?
a guy... Actually... no. This is not your fault. Don't blame yourself or your fellow players over this one person who feels some need to collect and fiddle with about every possible iteration of every possible number-system and generator or storyline creation he or she can possibly get his or her grubby mitts on... It's apparently a sort of normal phenomenon... It's a little more pronounced for some people than others, but almost every player and GM in the course of roleplaying hobby gets some urge to test new ground... so to say. As for a solution (or suggestion anyways) on how to "approach the problem"... You can start with "the cookie-cutter"... I've used it myself over the years of dealing with noob'/overtly curious GM's... AND at some considerable success, frankly... (For purposes of explanation, I'll assume you're familiar with D&D)... So to start, in your spare time, just sit down with the PHB and generate some basic characters... You don't need to get too specific, but fill in some crude details for each, and span them over several basic classes BUT keep them simple... (I'll go with my favorite "cutter's") Build a Rogue, A fighter (of course), A cleric (focus more clerk than priest), and maybe go so far as a Ranger or Bard... These basic classes can be relatively easily "converted" from D20 systemics to others without a lot of hassle of "full-on" character generation, so the more you fill into their "sheets" or "templates" , then the fewer questions you have to answer to build a PC for the latest game system... There are, of course, going to be some mathematical differences, but the worst come from trying to convert from D20-systems to "Dice Pools"... But a little in-game "fudging" of the stat's is alright... The short-cut of already having a kind of clear character in mind before you start is a HUGE GREAT BOON... BUT you pointedly asked, How to approach him with the "I'm getting tired of this crap." sentiment... Among friends, this can be "hinted at" with a regular expression of "Here we go again..." whenever you know you're about to be bombarded with new PC-generation and an all new campaign that's destined to fade instead of conclude. You can also ask the other players how they feel about the new systems every month or even every couple of weeks (should it get to that)... And get a consensus as to whether you're maybe tired of it alone, or if you have a shared sentiment... It helps to know you're actually speaking for the whole table when you suggest as politely as possible that "we could please at least conclude a full campaign before going to something completely different"... AT THE SAME TIME, the purposeful use of "cookie-cutter" characters with very similar sounding names and very similar sounding backstories, hobbies, fanaticisms, even tattoos and rashes might just drive the point home quietly that since he isn't going to predictably take any gaming system seriously, you don't plan on generating PC's seriously either. IF and WHEN he asks you about that, just remember there's no point in getting irritable or being mean spirited. You can be quite pleasant in tone and still get the point across that you're not exactly investing a great deal of emotional context to a character for a game that's only going to go on a couple hours a week for about a month before the whole world and system is transformed into something else... You still enjoy roleplaying (with him/them) so you're not about to run off either... Just that focusing on one greater game would be really nice in your personal opinion, if anyone wants to take the game seriously... :o)
Trying to research Legend of the Five Rings didn't work out very well for me. How's a Scorpion supposed to remember every arcane detail about what every clan does, what they expect me to do, and how to keep someone from trying to kill me for not refusing a gift the proper amount of times (or anything like that) all within a week's time?
hey I got a question, maybe a topic video. I want to play a star wars RPG game and I have a very interesting character I made but I know so much about star wars it's ridiculous so how would I be able to still use my knowledge but not be overpowered in game? also what if you know something extra about something but the book dousnt cover it? can I still add it in? like let's say a lightsaber form that the book touches on but doesn't know the full story. BTW I love watching your videos and I'm so happy I have someone to learn from, keep up the great work :)
Metagaming is a very common question every player encounters on day or an other. At your third dragon, your starting, as a player, to get who it works and it's weaknesses. And in 10 years of playing, you will usually know too much for your character, especially if you GM as well. And it gets even worse when you have other medias like films. But this is roleplay. This is "tell a story", not "beat the game". So all your knowledge can be used to create a wonderful character, anchored deeply in the lore, and with great knowledge. But you always have to remember two things : - What does my character know? Ask for lore checks if you know something but your character does not. It can be frustrating to know that this desert will kill you, but when you crashed, your character had no idea of that. Always think story, and always ask that question : "Does my character know that". - What is canon for my GM. Yes you know every tiny bit of the wiki, but your GM could have other plans. And at the end of the day, he's in charge. You can discuss things with him, but don't get in his way and don't contest or complete everything he says. Go and GM if that's what you want. But try to keep it fast. And if the GM says "This is how it works in my Setting", don't argue. There is a reason, mainly plot related. Instead note it on a paper and after the session you are free to share your knowledge with others. Your knowledge and ideas enrich the story. work with your GM and you'll have a blast, creating super rich stories. Hope it helped ^^
What Nibilli B said :) To add on to that there are many instances where we know more than our characters. Heck, in fantasy if you can read and write, you're ahead of the curve. I remember AD&D actually had Read and Write as a skill you had to take in order to be able to do so. It's been dropped because well... it didn't make the game fun. So how do you work with it? With all your knowledge? You have to reign it in. You have to play as if you don't have it. Unless everyone else is as knowledgeable you can ruin everyone else's game by simply avoiding scenarios, or knowing what to do in certain situations etc. And always talk to your GM. She'll appreciate it or as Nibilli B said - over rule canon. It's tough, and my advice would be - try find a group who are equally as fanatical. I know when I do Star Trek, I am happy for players to not know the universe, but when I get players who do... oh boy... then I find a little piece of heaven!
Also, Hc Svnt Dracones has no humans. Because humans are both technically extinct, and also eldritch abominations (very) slowly spreading from Earth. Then again, it's arguably a deliberately "furry" RPG, though it's more Transhuman via genetic modification to protect against super plagues, with some cyberpunk dystopia mixed in. And of course, I'd want to play a character who is as human as possible if I ever played it.
What do Death Star corridors smell like... the musty smell of long unwashed humans. It seems storm troopers don't bathe and never clean out their armor.
Always play a human. Play a character that ALSO has no idea. Make up some excuse as to why the wouldn't know what is going on. In a Doctor Who setting, think of how all the companions never know anything or what is going on at the start. Be that guy (Or Guyess), that learns.
Wasn't the line "Live long, and may the force be ever in your favor?"
Sacrilege!!!
Jk jk jk
what works for me: a basic research on the setting and making the character backstory as a foreigner, where most of the lore is understandably unknown to the character.
shadow8928 That is actually pretty ingenious. Thank you.
this is exactly what one of my players did. I started a 40k campaign, and one of my best roleplayers had very little knowledge of the lore. So she asked me if she could play a character that was a curious outsider type (so she didn't have to know tons of stuff already and would be able to ask questions in-character). Then it turned out she was the only one in the entire group with any investigation skills (in a campaign where it was known investigating would be important).
Okay, just to add a tidbit from a very lengthy hobby-time... I'll only point out that with so many systems out there already, and the chances of running across something that's just THAT weird...
Whatever you like to run as a PC... SIMPLIFY the hell out of it, and you're usually not too bad off. In any setting, there are people who are good at fighting, and there are generally thieves... If there's a chance at religion, a basic "journeyman" cleric isn't out of the question, but you might best press more toward a clerk than a particular practitioner... AND most systems have an allowance of some kind for a musician, or some other performer(ish)... So a bard isn't necessarily a terrible choice.
This "bare-bones" outlook on characters can let you "switch things up" a bit, gives a GM something interesting to do (in case he or she needs that)... And can always add comical relief to the table in general... which any truly great campaign requires. :o)
I was invited to play in a cyberpunk game a while back. We were using GURPS, so the system was familiar, but the genre was completely new to me. My character didn't wake up in a box with amnesia, but he did wake up in a hospital bed with amnesia. He was a cyber-enhanced medic, so he fell into a support role as well. It worked pretty well.
"The last thing you want to do is nerve pinch that Dalek while flying around on the Millennium Falcon."
That was probably the best way to cram Dr. Who, Star Trek, and Starwars in a single sentence I've ever heard. Granted, it's the only sentence combining all three I've ever heard, but it was still a great line.
Dr Who?
I know him!
He's on first isn't he?
"Dr Who?" They say "yes!"
No it’s “the doctor.” Please read any comments of mine with a heavy grain of salt. I rarely ever get mad on the internet and will not attack other people. So if it looks aggressive it’s humour
This is actually very useful as we have a new player in our dark heresy game (warhammer 40k) i will have to share this with her
You've never played 40K?! HERESY!
I'll never play 40k
"I'm Han Solo...from Star Trek!" - American Dad
Star Trek tried that... with "The Outrageous Okona", who was so boring he made Wesley more likable.
I dunno if the Fighter thing will work with 40k considering the primary melee person in the 40k most people would be familiar with- Dark Heresy: a COP, and Rogue Trader: a PRIEST. I mean I guess you could be an Arch Militant that punches people in RT but I wouldn't recommend it when everyone else is shooting guns...because guns.
Guns... I hate guns... :p
I like guns.
You don't need to be strong to use a gun and you don't even need to be very skillful to hit someone who's less than 50 yards away. Hell, you don't even need to see around your cover to suppress or hit an enemy, thus making the weak characters (such as the adept and psyker) in your Dark Heresy or Rogue Trader games useful.
(No, psykers are NOT useful for their intended purpose.)
I hate playing fighters, I would try to find the class closest to the idea of a rogue xD
There is an assassin that could be built into a particularly deadly mellee fighter the group im in has 2 but 1 lost an arm so she cant dual weild chain axes anymore.
These are roughly the rules I've used. My usual groups have a tendency to hop into systems unexpectedly and all of these are pretty much what I do when I show up and they say, "Oh we're not running X today, we switched to Y."
This is roughly what I'm planning to do for the next campaign they've talked about. I've researched the setting a fair bit, but it's extremely detailed (they like detailed settings) and I prefer to err on the side of caution, so my character is essentially a young, human farm kid just setting out from a rural farm. He hasn't interacted with the other countries and doesn't know much about the more complex aspects of the setting either. (I will point out that typically, if I know a setting, I will tailor my character to some facet of that setting extensively, it's not uncommon for me to write three page summaries of character backstories in settings I know.)
“Naked, unconscious and in a box” wasn’t that the plot of the first episode of Firefly?
"You wanna understand Doctor Who? Go to the public crapper for five minutes.
"You wanna force people to fit in with you, rather than you fit in with them? Pretend you have a serious medical illness.
"You want it okay to seem like an idiot? Care about other people.
"You hungry? Eat a hobbit."
A hobbit! A hobbit! That's just... wonderful :)
"No no, I have no idea what the name "Doctor Who" means, from setting to character details, to anything. Please explain this setting and stop fucking with me for your own amusement!"
In Shaan renaissance it's very complicated to play a human for a new player ^^ It's the only wierd case I can think of but you may want to take notice of that one as well ;p
Hello there! I have a question/concern that you may be able to give some advice on. I play pathfinder as both a GM and Player using the Roll20 online table top. I am finding that a lot of players have a hard time keeping emersion with this setting as you can't always see facial expressions or the body language of your fellow players/GM. Any advice on ways to improve or encourage interaction in this setting?
P.s. I enjoy your videos and link them to my players and other parties regularly as reference material.
Thanks so much for the feedback and glad our videos are helping. That's a great question and think it expands past the app and to the table itself but could focus on the online aspect. Could you please add the question here: www.greatgamemaster.com/suggestions/ We are trying to collect our questions all in one place and our Patreons vote for which topics we cover, so if it's on the list it can be voted for :)
1:30 - Hey, don't lie to people about Firefly like that!
This video... right in the nerd. x_x And the only way I can keep living my life is to just pretend the first bit didn't happen.
Sam didn't need to know how the elves worked? SAM DIDN'T NEED TO KNOW HOW THE ELVES WORKED?!?! *falls out of her chair, foaming at the mouth*
... but you won me back over with the Abrams ST diss. ^_^
Bunnies and Burrows: Play a human!
No, no... That's the "How To Play a Monster" video.
i have another solution to the question the answer is play an outsider. Litterally someone from either another system of from an althernate universe so essencially litterally someone who doesnt fit in with the rest of the party. For the start trek example play a human dressed as a knight and play them as you would someone from 5th edition dnd
Great and really useful tips... Ow, I already said it? Nevermind)))
Hehehehe... it's always nice to hear it twice!
If Titan AE is the most bizar sci fi setting you can think of, you need to watch more. See Farsape and for over the top bizar see Lexx.
Lexx... *Shudders.*
That show had some seriously messed up episodes, and a rather juvenile obsession with sex in various forms. Okay, that describes about 75% of Hollywood's production, now that I think about it. Although some shows due substitute either violence or preachiness instead of sex. Or mixed with sex. Or all three.
That's not *quite* what he said; he said the most bizarre humans got in a setting off the top of his head was Titan AE, because they were on the decline.
Really, the problem with depicting humans in any other setting is if you get too outlandish with them, they cease to be human one way or an other.
*EDIT*: Also, Transmetropolitan had some pretty crazy humans too.
I have a friend who GMs every other weekend opposite me, and he's taken to introducing a new system once a month because he bought some fancy new hardcover book he saw at the store. While this video is helpful, what's the best way to approach my friend and tell him that I'm getting sick of making the 4th character for yet another game he's inevitably going to get bored of? Is this my fault for my game not being engaging enough?
a guy... Actually... no. This is not your fault. Don't blame yourself or your fellow players over this one person who feels some need to collect and fiddle with about every possible iteration of every possible number-system and generator or storyline creation he or she can possibly get his or her grubby mitts on... It's apparently a sort of normal phenomenon... It's a little more pronounced for some people than others, but almost every player and GM in the course of roleplaying hobby gets some urge to test new ground... so to say.
As for a solution (or suggestion anyways) on how to "approach the problem"...
You can start with "the cookie-cutter"... I've used it myself over the years of dealing with noob'/overtly curious GM's... AND at some considerable success, frankly... (For purposes of explanation, I'll assume you're familiar with D&D)... So to start, in your spare time, just sit down with the PHB and generate some basic characters... You don't need to get too specific, but fill in some crude details for each, and span them over several basic classes BUT keep them simple... (I'll go with my favorite "cutter's") Build a Rogue, A fighter (of course), A cleric (focus more clerk than priest), and maybe go so far as a Ranger or Bard...
These basic classes can be relatively easily "converted" from D20 systemics to others without a lot of hassle of "full-on" character generation, so the more you fill into their "sheets" or "templates" , then the fewer questions you have to answer to build a PC for the latest game system...
There are, of course, going to be some mathematical differences, but the worst come from trying to convert from D20-systems to "Dice Pools"... But a little in-game "fudging" of the stat's is alright... The short-cut of already having a kind of clear character in mind before you start is a HUGE GREAT BOON...
BUT you pointedly asked, How to approach him with the "I'm getting tired of this crap." sentiment... Among friends, this can be "hinted at" with a regular expression of "Here we go again..." whenever you know you're about to be bombarded with new PC-generation and an all new campaign that's destined to fade instead of conclude. You can also ask the other players how they feel about the new systems every month or even every couple of weeks (should it get to that)... And get a consensus as to whether you're maybe tired of it alone, or if you have a shared sentiment... It helps to know you're actually speaking for the whole table when you suggest as politely as possible that "we could please at least conclude a full campaign before going to something completely different"...
AT THE SAME TIME, the purposeful use of "cookie-cutter" characters with very similar sounding names and very similar sounding backstories, hobbies, fanaticisms, even tattoos and rashes might just drive the point home quietly that since he isn't going to predictably take any gaming system seriously, you don't plan on generating PC's seriously either.
IF and WHEN he asks you about that, just remember there's no point in getting irritable or being mean spirited. You can be quite pleasant in tone and still get the point across that you're not exactly investing a great deal of emotional context to a character for a game that's only going to go on a couple hours a week for about a month before the whole world and system is transformed into something else... You still enjoy roleplaying (with him/them) so you're not about to run off either... Just that focusing on one greater game would be really nice in your personal opinion, if anyone wants to take the game seriously... :o)
Trying to research Legend of the Five Rings didn't work out very well for me. How's a Scorpion supposed to remember every arcane detail about what every clan does, what they expect me to do, and how to keep someone from trying to kill me for not refusing a gift the proper amount of times (or anything like that) all within a week's time?
hey I got a question, maybe a topic video. I want to play a star wars RPG game and I have a very interesting character I made but I know so much about star wars it's ridiculous so how would I be able to still use my knowledge but not be overpowered in game? also what if you know something extra about something but the book dousnt cover it? can I still add it in? like let's say a lightsaber form that the book touches on but doesn't know the full story. BTW I love watching your videos and I'm so happy I have someone to learn from, keep up the great work :)
Metagaming is a very common question every player encounters on day or an other. At your third dragon, your starting, as a player, to get who it works and it's weaknesses. And in 10 years of playing, you will usually know too much for your character, especially if you GM as well. And it gets even worse when you have other medias like films.
But this is roleplay. This is "tell a story", not "beat the game". So all your knowledge can be used to create a wonderful character, anchored deeply in the lore, and with great knowledge. But you always have to remember two things :
- What does my character know? Ask for lore checks if you know something but your character does not. It can be frustrating to know that this desert will kill you, but when you crashed, your character had no idea of that. Always think story, and always ask that question : "Does my character know that".
- What is canon for my GM. Yes you know every tiny bit of the wiki, but your GM could have other plans. And at the end of the day, he's in charge. You can discuss things with him, but don't get in his way and don't contest or complete everything he says. Go and GM if that's what you want. But try to keep it fast. And if the GM says "This is how it works in my Setting", don't argue. There is a reason, mainly plot related. Instead note it on a paper and after the session you are free to share your knowledge with others.
Your knowledge and ideas enrich the story. work with your GM and you'll have a blast, creating super rich stories. Hope it helped ^^
Nibilli B yes that helped Alot ,thank you so much.
What Nibilli B said :) To add on to that there are many instances where we know more than our characters. Heck, in fantasy if you can read and write, you're ahead of the curve. I remember AD&D actually had Read and Write as a skill you had to take in order to be able to do so. It's been dropped because well... it didn't make the game fun. So how do you work with it? With all your knowledge? You have to reign it in. You have to play as if you don't have it. Unless everyone else is as knowledgeable you can ruin everyone else's game by simply avoiding scenarios, or knowing what to do in certain situations etc. And always talk to your GM. She'll appreciate it or as Nibilli B said - over rule canon. It's tough, and my advice would be - try find a group who are equally as fanatical. I know when I do Star Trek, I am happy for players to not know the universe, but when I get players who do... oh boy... then I find a little piece of heaven!
Sweet this is all great advice, I'll keep it in mind haha thank you both :)
:)
..."even in fantasy settings, humans are invariably around."
Welp, I think I fucked up with my RPG world. No humans. Welp.
1:02 He is mi and I am yu
Also, Hc Svnt Dracones has no humans. Because humans are both technically extinct, and also eldritch abominations (very) slowly spreading from Earth. Then again, it's arguably a deliberately "furry" RPG, though it's more Transhuman via genetic modification to protect against super plagues, with some cyberpunk dystopia mixed in.
And of course, I'd want to play a character who is as human as possible if I ever played it.
What do Death Star corridors smell like...
the musty smell of long unwashed humans.
It seems storm troopers don't bathe and never clean out their armor.
Talislanta the one no humans setting.
Googled. Looks good! How does the system play?
My solution is to play dumb and forgetful until I figure it out.
I've no real idea what Star Trek is, either.
Always play a human.
Play a character that ALSO has no idea. Make up some excuse as to why the wouldn't know what is going on.
In a Doctor Who setting, think of how all the companions never know anything or what is going on at the start. Be that guy (Or Guyess), that learns.