Boxed Text or No Boxed Text?

[JVisgaitis]

I've always been curious what people prefer. In my current group, my girlfriend has a really hard time following when I read off boxed text. I pretty much just summarize what's there now for ease of play. How do you do it?

 

[arwenarrowny]

I think having boxed text in a published module is a great way of conveying the designer's intention of mood and ambience to the players. Now, if I think I can come up with something better, whether it matches what is in the module or not, I'll certainly use that instead. But, by and large, the boxed text is great if you're feeling uninspired at the moment or if it encourages you to add that little something that really puts a session over the top.

 

[Mouseferatu]

I voted against boxed text, but there's a caveat: The description of the encounter area has to be sufficiently well written that it's easily summarized, and clear if certain information is intended for the PCs on first examination or not.

 

[Glyfair]

I like boxed text, but only when it's brief and to the point (and thus easily adapted). Adventures with a column or two of boxed text at a time aren't really useful at all.

 

[Crothian]

I like and perfer boxed text. It is easy to find the import details to tell a character. With out it the dexscriptions and stats and DM info all mix together. I do paraphrase the box text and don't read it straight.

 

[Mouseferatu]

I suppose I should be honest and add a disclaimer to my above stance: I dislike writing boxed text. That probably colors my perceptions of reading it.

 

[JVisgaitis]

I suppose I should be honest and add a disclaimer to my above stance: I dislike writing boxed text. That probably colors my perceptions of reading it.

Heh, I'm adding that to a module now. I'm with you 100%.

 

[Victim]

Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

Most boxed text sucks. The boxes are far too big; structure that works for reading sucks for reading out loud, because it's so much slower. Fancy phrases drag the description down.

 

[demiurge1138]

I like having boxed text - I don't like reading it verbatim. Skimming boxed text and providing a summary is good for maintaining that all-important eye contact, but still lets you grab a particularly good turn of phrase from the original.

That said, some authors (and modules) are better at boxed text than others. Huge columns full of lush description would be all well and good for a novel, but D&D isn't a novel. The trend towards punchier, more concise boxed text that's been showing in the most part in Dungeon Magazine adventures is more useful for me, and therefore more likely to receive less modification before I read it.

Demiurge out.

 

[jgbrowning]

I suppose I should be honest and add a disclaimer to my above stance: I dislike writing boxed text. That probably colors my perceptions of reading it.

Heh. Me as well. I hate writing boxed text. I feel like no matter how it turns out, it's never very good and not quite the way I intended.

joe b.