If I was head of Plot, no offense, I wouldn't want my race packets to be used by folks not actively playing in my chapter.
Why?
Disclaimer: The below text is my personal opinion on the subject and not meant to be either defensive or antagonistic. I truly want to know why you would feel that way.
In my opinion, I have no issue with a character being created with racial packets used from other chapters, or use our racial packets for a character that will never play in the chapter where those packets are applicable. Here are my reasons:
- The character may have a back story that validates why they are from those other lands. Or, more accurately, not from the lands in the chapter the player plays in. We did this all the time with new players where players would say none of the packets fit their character and we would say "You can write your own lands you are from and you fell through the mists, never to return", so using an existing packet from another chapter is not too different from that in my opinion.
- The character would not represent the chapter. They would represent their particular packet, but that is it. If they have questions then they can ask the Plot team that created the packet, or they can make it up. This is a game of make-believe anyway, so making something up 1000 miles from the source likely will have very little bearing on the source. Even if it does, it may create great inter-chapter stories (i.e. "this guy over there is spreading lies about us! We should go teach him a lesson!" Contact the other plot team to ask them to send out a hit squad with a letter for the character.)
- If the packet from another chapter fits the character concept better than any other packet in the vicinity of the player, such that they will have significantly more fun, why limit them?
- There is very little difference between a character that starts in a chapter, but the player moves thereby relocating the character to another chapter, from a player that never played in the chapter the character is from.
- There is typically more to the IG world than the few IG locations the players play at (Valley of Ghosts not withstanding). It is entirely possible for a character in the lands to decide to travel to far off places slipping through the mists to an exotic location.
Anyways, again that is my opinion.
I believe strongly in presenting all information for informed decisions. I never understood the need for "secret" racial packets. Especially for characters native to lands that would have mixed races, or cultural diversity; it has always seemed odd to me that other races didn't have even a basic conceptual knowledge of other races within walking distance of their homeland. I can understand stereotypes and stigmas, especially if a player wants to play a racist character, but if a player wants to play a character that is accepting of differences (or even curious about it), or if there are universities that characters could have attended prior to play, the concept of secret racial packets feels anathema to me.
With that said, I totally agree that each race likely has secrets. In fact, I would argue that if a race has secrets then likely most of the race in question would not know those secrets (many mouths make secrets known, and all). So I would submit that a racial packet should not have racial secrets in it, especially if that is the reason why the packet itself is being withheld from common knowledge.
Whew. Look at that. I seemed to have typed a wall of text. Sorry about that! I guess that just gives evidence I am passionate of the subject.
I am also passionate that National Packets shouldn't give any more information than roleplaying requirements. Creation myths and societal development should be part of local racial information instead of National dogma; it seems valid that races seperated from each for hundreds or thousands of years would have different creation myths or develop differently ... just like our world where some people are still living in mud huts while others are in grand marble mansions.
Again, I am going on. Sorry! That's my two quarters.