Too many roleplaying game bibliographies hold everything and the kitchen sink. If a book mentions a particular type of sword, and that’s the only thing relevant to the setting. It goes on the list, with equal weight to the book that the setting swiped 90% of its character and tropes from. Shouldn’t bibliographies — because roleplaying games aren’t scholarly, academic writing — call out why those works are on the list, to give the reader a better indication of how and why they might want to check it out?
Again, I’m looking at updating the Official Series Bible Core Book, as well as the OSB settings, to offer better advice and better references. This extends to bibliographies, filmographies, suggested systems to use for running the setting, and even soundtracks. What criteria would you use? How would you quickly and efficiently convey the relevant information, or like to see it communicated? All feedback and ideas are appreciated.
Are you talking about print specifically? In digital products, I think hyperlinks are a useful way to provide info without the clutter. Otherwise, I like more sources because that shows the writers did some research and I can go deeper if I wish. Also, if you only need a source for a short piece, like a small detail about a sword, give the page number.
Personally, I wouldn’t expand the source list of a bibliography as I feel that runs the risk of negatively impacting the usefulness of it as a quick reference. Instead, I would suggest adding an introduction to the bibliography which explains the relative value/usage of the different sources. This would fulfil both needs I think.
Me, I think the most effective worldbuilding bibliography is the one that exists the least.
Let’s be honest: none of us are going to do further reading. If we don’t like the game, the biliography doesn’t matter. If we do like it, a bigger bibliography only makes for a bigger club with which to defend it from its detractors.
A big bibliography isn’t an indication of historical accuracy or realism. At best it’s an indication of the degree to which the game is a mashup of some of the more interesting historical exceptions and your favorite novels, films, and videogames. Personally, I’d rather not know how much of a rip-off artist the author is, especially after I pay money for the result.
What I would like to see are footnotes (or endnotes, or sidebars; whatever) that explain where the author got the idea, why they liked it, and why they included it. Unobtrusively tag an element in the text and let me click or flip to the appendix to learn the reason why that element exists. Most importantly, justify it. Why is it in there? What does it add? How does it relate to other elements of the world? What are its implications? How is the world different for it?
If you can take the element out and the world keeps spinning just the same, it doesn’t need to be in there no matter how cool it was in The Adventures of that One Guy with the Sword.
I want design notes, not a dry bibliography that reads like those lists of favorite bands we used to use to prove to everyone that we were cool.