Background + Conflict

Those two components are the basics of a story.

Background sets the tone, rules, environment, age, etc.

Conflict shows the forces at play and the means they use to play out.

Conflict without background = suspense

Background without conflict = exposition/introduction

Sometimes you want to tell the full story, other times you want to create suspense or introduce people to something that they can use for their own personal battles. Use appropriately.