Continuity and Being Proactive

I've realized from running my current sci-fi RPG that the game style and setting drastically affect the options available to the PCs.

Previous games I've run and have played in have been very episodic and the setting has been vague at best. What these traits mean for the players is that they are never entirely sure how to behave in or what they can do in the setting. The GM may have a good idea of the world and can give a quick response to the players, but without the kind of instance access that the GM has to that information they can't really plan well for the future since they don't know if building a digital computer would work in the steampunk setting, or if summoning a demon for information will get them arrested.

So that means that the setting must be made clear to everyone. No doubt this will require regular updates to whatever setting document exists for the group as new questions get asked and new ideas pop up. However, it's not the sole responsibility of the GM to make the world clear to the players, they have to put effort in as well. I've made two setting that were quite fleshed out with setting documents that were about 14 pages. I understand that it's a lot to read for a game, but if the players want to have the ability to be more than reactive, they have to put in some work.

The style of the game also has an impact on the players' ability to be proactive. In an episodic game the PCs can never be entirely sure what is going to happen next. The next session's villain may not be the same one they are facing now, their current location may become irrelevant, and they may not have the same resources available to them that they did previously. Additionally the feel of the game may change drastically with certain "episodes." The session recording that I posted a couple weeks back was of a particularly silly session, that, while fun to play, was entirely out of the norm for the dark, investigation heavy game that we were playing. This is important because it helps the players determine what are possible situations that they may face in the near future.