Milieu

Setting, context, background...
The authors of the White Box talk about milieu, which is not a word I run across frequently outside of reading things written by Mr. Gygax. In game terms milieu seems to refer to what surrounds the game action. Atmosphere or mood is part of it and certainly the facts about the in-game society, geography, flora and fauna (and NPCs) and technology are all contributors to the milieu. For most of us, the authors included, White Box milieu seems eclectic, borrowing from one source and another and mixing with our own inventions. The classic tabletop fantasy role-playing game draws heavily from stories that seem to date back to our earliest times. The heroic myths of ancient Greece talk about entering a labyrinth to defeat a monster, save a princess and win glory (experience) and honors (treasure). Sounds like a dungeon crawl to me.
What goes into the milieu and making it all "workable" or believable is the job of the referee. Even the one-off dungeon crawl adventure has a milieu that is set by the type of encounters the players are likely to have. One approach is to look at dungeon ecology, what are the inhabitants doing down there, what do they eat, how do they get on with the neighbors? Another is to look to backstory for the reason the dungeon exists and therefore what the explorer is likely to find there. Is this a talking, negotiating dungeon or a fighting dungeon? Are things internally consistent within the dungeon setting or zany, unpredictable and bizarre? Sometimes a gonzo, anything goes type approach works, but that adventure has a different feel to it than one developed along more logical themes.
The White Box urges the referee to connect the gaming sessions and adventures under the umbrella of a campaign. Certain game mechanics such as PC leveling, don't make much sense unless used in campaign play. The fantasy campaign involves the referee developing a milieu that remains constant across many gaming sessions and connects them through common characters, ongoing endeavors and any story-lines that develop from play. I think the word "milieu" suggests a process where-by the referee actively creates the context/milieu/setting based on personal choices. Obviously this is the way it was done by the White Box authors and the earliest players who had no canned setting to take off the shelf, open and insert players into. The best referees I know still build their own milieu even when using a published world or setting by modifying, adding to, etc.
Fantasy authors seem to create a milieu for each novel or series. One exercise I believe is helpful to understand the role of milieu in our adventure game is to think about a particular novel or fantasy series in terms of milieu. What are the components that make up the milieu in that story? How does milieu shape the characters? How does it affect action? Is there anything there you would like to use the next time you referee?