D&D General Read aloud text in modules: What are folks opinions about read aloud content?

[Nokturnal]

Read aloud text in modules: What are folks opinions about read aloud content? By this I mean the content that is read to players when they arrive to a new location or meet a new NPC. Our Dark Sun - Lands of the Ravaged Sun module 1-3: Echoes of the Vanished will have more than the previous 2 modules, however an approach I am looking at: I may put the much shorter versions in the module body, then offer the longer versions as an appendix.

I was running this idea past some GM's I know and feedback was that while the longer read aloud sections are not for everyone, some really appreciate it even as inspiration if they don't read it aloud word for word, and others enjoy reading it even if they never actually run the modules (many folks enjoy them that way also) as it helps bring the moment to life. Thoughts? Regarding length, does the first paragraph of this post feel like a reasonable amount? How long is too long? How about daytime and nighttime variants where relevant?

Lands of the Ravaged Sun: An Original Dark Sun Campaign

 

[Voadam]

I always disliked being told what I felt or did. I prefer just being told what I see. That has always been my biggest issue with read aloud text.

 

[Staffan]

Read-aloud text is nice to have, but it's even nicer if the important parts of it get called out somehow (e.g. underlining). That makes it easier for those who want to describe things in their own words to make sure they don't miss anything vital ("What do you mean there's a pentagram on the floor?")

Speaking of which, I saw an adventure for East Texas University which did something great I've never seen before: at the end of each section of the adventure they called out the stuff in that section that's important for the rest of the plot. That way, the GM knows to make sure those things actually happen, or if they don't that they need to adjust things downstream.

 

[ezo]

I read it first. If it is good, I read it aloud. If it sucks, I make up my own.

 

[Clint_L]

Sometimes I like it - if it's a description of a particularly evocative establishing shot, or a crucial bit of dialogue. For the most part, if I use it I'm adapting it, or getting at the gist of it.

It's good to have for novice DMs, though.

 

[soviet]

It's always a mistake. Canned speeches are boring.

Write descriptions or keywords that the GM can read and riff off when they verbally describe the scene, sure. But let the GM verbalise that organically so they can adapt to what the PCs just did, how the players react, etc.

 

[Morrus]

There's nothing more tedious than listening to somebody reading out text. I literally fall asleep when I hear somebody droning boxed text. It's like being in school with a really bad chemistry teacher.

I myself choose to never read it out loud. I put it in my own words.

 

[DragonLancer]

I prefer it. Box text makes it so much easier. You can always modify it or self describe. It just gives you an idea.

I know one thing my players hate about box text is room descriptions. The author will describe the minutia in a room but never mention any monsters or at the very least, put that in last. They would rather have a basic description of a scene or room, then the monsters, and any relevant minor details after a fight or encounter.

 

[jdrakeh]

Use it as a guideline, never a straitjacket. Transmogrify it using your own words.

 

[Bedrockgames]

I think it can make running published modules easier