Yeah I understand; my quandary lies with the fact that it becomes increasingly difficult to make things intriguing and entertaining if the world itself has nothing that draws me in, I am relying solely on the abilities of my John Doe for the draw, and I am not sure what my barriers are.
What makes my guy unique in a world where nothing unique happens? Usually there's a hook; these people have magic, a special cultural event, they use steam power, they are stuck in the industrial age, they are in the medieval setting, there are supernatural creatures, religion actually has some effect, airships, Cthulhu exists, a unique technology or science specific to that setting, etc. If none of these things are to be taken as true for this game, then I can assume we live in a modern-day Earth that isn't Earth and my character is going to be one of these people and I have to make him special within a modern setting, I get that.
I get that we make the story as entertaining as it becomes; but I am not talking about that. What kind of character are you looking for us to make? Am I correct in my assumption that we are normal people with a specialized knowledge in some field?