Detailing Settlements

It's important to have some idea of a settlement's culture established. While every nuanced detail of its governing laws and cultural norms can often be hand-waved, you'll want a minimal description of the core concept of your settlement, including its style of government and core cultural edicts and anathema. The amount of additional detail you provide depends on the needs of your story. If you have multiple governing bodies involved in your campaign, especially if your story includes economic or political intrigue, you'll want to establish enough information to create reference sheets for your players to serve as helpful reminders of all the relevant factions in your campaign. That said, many settlements in a multi-planetary campaign function fairly independent of any larger governing body, their autonomy assured strictly by the extensive internal bureaucracy necessary to maintain a vibrant multicultural metropolis of millions. Beyond those basic details, the following considerations can help flesh out the settlements in your setting.