Should I share worldbuilding notes and lore with my players?

A reference is not the scene

Sharing lore does not break show, don't tell, because the two do different jobs. A short entry can explain that the town of Millbrook holds a harvest festival each autumn, that stalls close at dusk, and that visitors are expected to bring a loaf for the communal table. That is reference material. It gives every character a plausible reason to know what the festival is before anyone has to improvise ignorance for the sake of a reveal.

Attending is the scene: the smell of the bake, a miller arguing over flour, a child daring a character to enter the greased-pole contest, or a stranger watching who gives generously. A brief detail about the festival's atmosphere or an NPC's openly stated aim can still help players picture it; leave the unfolding encounter and unrevealed intentions for play.

Ask whether a detail helps players make sense of the setting or choose what to do, and whether their characters could know it now. Share it if so, with uncertainty attributed where needed. Keep unresolved causes and outcomes private until play reveals them.

Three layers of information

Keep the spoiler boundary boring and explicit

Most accidental spoilers come from filing, not from intent. A single notebook that mixes a public town description with the secret underneath it will leak the moment you share the wrong page, export the wrong folder, or read aloud one paragraph too far. Keep the player-facing text in its own pages or its own document, written in its own words, rather than sharing a view of your working notes with the secrets hidden or collapsed.

Label uncertainty where it matters. "People in Millbrook say" signals a rumour; a confirmed discovery can be added plainly once the characters know it.

Build a useful player reference

Start with a short primer, then add relevant detail as players ask or the characters learn more:

• Keep the useful facts easy to find Use short sections and organise by place, faction, and upcoming event. Lead with where the party is, what is happening now, and customs or laws that could affect a choice; move distant history behind links.
• Optional depth behind links Put longer entries one click or one page behind the primer: a settlement, a faction, a festival, or a faith the party is about to meet. Keep the primer useful on its own, and share it through a handout, wiki, shared folder, or the notes tool you already use.
• Include what characters could know now Public wants, evocative details, and rumours already circulating can orient players before a scene. Attribute uncertain claims and leave unresolved causes or outcomes open.
• Add discoveries as they become known When the characters confirm a rumour or uncover a cause, update the reference with what they learned. Keep only information still unknown to them in the private layer.

If a player skips the notes

Some players will not read between sessions. That is fine: separate player memory from character knowledge. A player may not know visitors bring a loaf to the harvest festival, but their character probably does. Say, "You would know visitors usually bring something for the communal table; the baker by the gate sells small loaves for exactly that."

Anything needed for a decision still needs to surface at the table. A reminder can give a player who skipped the primer the same chance to act, without turning the notes into required reading or a test.

Before you share a primer or wiki page

• Each entry reflects what the characters could plausibly know now; attribute rumours and disputed accounts.
• Keep causes, motives, and twists private only while they remain undiscovered; add confirmed discoveries to the reference.
• Keep the primer short and relevant, with optional depth behind links.
• Anything needed to make a decision will also come up at the table, including reminders when a character knows something their player missed.