A Slow Circle

Space Shuttle Endeavor Recently my friend Vishal asked me a question about my post on Philosophers, Heretics and Madmen :  I'd be interested in your take on how a GM can not just recreate that experience [of being transported to another place and culture] but also bridge the gap between the players' culture and effectively interacting with an older one.  I've had so many examples running games when players did not know what to make of an alien culture. This is a great question. Coming from the most experienced GM I know, it seems likely to be a topic worth exploring further. It reminds me of a concept, the  player information gap , first brought to my attention by Shea Valentine at the excellent Living Myth RPG blog. In the post Fixing Social Mechanics and the Player Information Gap , Valentine defines player information gap as "the disparity between what a player knows and what the player's character knows." Player information gaps can be an issue when playe