limited publicity i would think.
for example i have developed the characters a wife for the kaluen in my story line, his parents and a baby boy. his friend Josef always seems to be out to sea and is sending him little notes now and then about his victories and challenges at sea.
the wife sends news from home, occasionally mentioning the childs first steps or first words etc etc or she may reflect on old times she had with the player in peace time.
our goal is to develop the idea that the player who takes the time to read these letters from home will eventually begin to care for the character - and when letters stop coming, or are delayed for a mission or two - the player should hopefully start thinking "man- i wonder what is going on? i have not been getting any letters from home"
of course like any good book or story you dont give away the ending or hint at it too much... but there are numerous plot outcomes possible
either the family has escaped bombing raids into the country, or they are constantly on the move from advancing fronts, or perhaps they have been tragically killed im a bombing raid?
there are dozens of possibilities.
EDIT:
a word about time lines... i have been using a similar time line to that which sharkley posted however a word of caution which you already may know... some of the events of the war the characters may not hear of for a few days if at all... so for example, if a U-boat sinks or the USA signs the lend lease agreement - the german mother character might not know of these things.
just something to think about
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