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

[Voadam]

As much as I loved the Ravenloft campaign set, after a bad interaction with the opening of From the Shadows I ran for my players, I realized that I did NOT like the way those adventures stole player agency, nor most of the boxed text sections in those adventures. I ended up never actually running any of them, other than Night of the Living Dead, and then even that one I did quite a bit of modification to. Many of those Ravenloft adventures had "good ideas", but were wrapped in terrible railroads that fought against what D&D was, to (badly) attempt to instill terror and instead just generated apathy or hate towards the adventure designer.

From the Shadows is in the bad half for me too. I agree that doing terrible things to the characters to force them into the plot is bad. It is up there with the doppleganger and flesh golem ones for screwing over PCs by removing their agency and doing things to the characters.

Night of the Living Dead was in the good half for me. I liked the plot and elements and atmosphere and it ran great for me and my group. Touch of Death and the ghost hound one were up there as well that ran great. Investigations and fights and cool stories to actively discover and interact with.

 

[Lanefan]

My instinct is to always put the "moveable" parts last. And I think that's how I always write mine.

I think you are right, but I'm still hesitant to change. I have always put the dangerous stuff last. Because myself once I hear the dangerous stuff I'm figuring out what to do and ignore the rest.

Of course if the text is long you're going to lose the player's attention no matter what.

What do other think? Danger first or last? (Assuming a nice short paragraph.)

The sequence I usually prefer, assuming the PCs are easily able to perceive these features:

1. Lighting, if any (if not already obvious e.g. the encounter is outdoors on a sunny day)
2. Room or area dimensions including ceiling height when applicable, which always gets forgotten but is often important
3. Other exits if the area is a room-cavern-chamber-etc., and whether any doors are open or closed
4. (if necessary) Any atmospheric changes e.g. big change in smell, temperature, humidity, etc.
5. Static features and-or hazards e.g. major furniture, a hole where the floor has rotted through, significant trees or undergrowth if outdoors, pools, etc.; also any terrain features e.g. boulders, elevation changes, etc.
6. Obvious non-static elements, i.e. any occupants of the area that the PCs can quickly perceive

The primary time I'll change this is if-when a threat is intended to manifest before the PCs even have time or opportunity to look over the area. One boxed text from a funhouse adventure of my own, to be read when the PCs open the (only) door to a particular room, reads in its entirety: "It would be far easier to see into this room if there wasn't a huge dragon head blocking your view. Roll for surprise." Any further boxed text would be pointless here as odds are high that the dragon proceeds to thrash much of the room's contents into powder during the ensuing combat.

 

[MarkB]

The sequence I usually prefer, assuming the PCs are easily able to perceive these features:

1. Lighting, if any (if not already obvious e.g. the encounter is outdoors on a sunny day)

And subject to change if the party bring their own light source. There was that earlier example of something hidden moving in the shadows, but that doesn't hold up so well if the party are throwing dancing lights into the room ahead of them - or, of course, for those who have darkvision.

Sounds can also be important in some cases and are often missed, whether it's the crackling of a fire, the rushing of a nearby river or the chirping of birdsong.

 

[Lanefan]

And subject to change if the party bring their own light source.

True, though it's still worth noting the room is otherwise dark if such is the case. Also relevant if the party are somehow operating entirely by night-sight or dark-vision.

There was that earlier example of something hidden moving in the shadows, but that doesn't hold up so well if the party are throwing dancing lights into the room ahead of them - or, of course, for those who have darkvision.

If they're running on normal lights dark-vision doesn't work, does it?

Sounds can also be important in some cases and are often missed, whether it's the crackling of a fire, the rushing of a nearby river or the chirping of birdsong.

Very true, and good point.

 

[MarkB]

If they're running on normal lights dark-vision doesn't work, does it?

Doesn't it? Nothing in its 5e description says that it shuts off in the presence of light. If someone with darkvision is looking into a room that is 40% in bright light, 50% in dim light and 10% in darkness, they should see 90% of it as being in bright light and 10% of it in monochromatic dim light, providing it is all within their darkvision range.

 

[Lanefan]

Doesn't it? Nothing in its 5e description says that it shuts off in the presence of light. If someone with darkvision is looking into a room that is 40% in bright light, 50% in dim light and 10% in darkness, they should see 90% of it as being in bright light and 10% of it in monochromatic dim light, providing it is all within their darkvision range.

So much for how eyes work in the real world, then, where exposure to a bright light causes your pupils to contract and means that until they recover you can't see at all well in the dark.

Then again, this is 5e, so perhaps I'm asking too much when seeking a practical reality-based (or even fantasy-based) explanation for how these things work.

 

[MarkB]

So much for how eyes work in the real world, then, where exposure to a bright light causes your pupils to contract and means that until they recover you can't see at all well in the dark.

Well no, since darkvision works in the complete absence of light, it clearly doesn't work like real night vision. Since it's not dependent upon light, it wouldn't necessarily be impeded by light either.

 

[The Sigil]

There are four cases into which I find boxed text falls when I'm running adventures:

1. "The Hook" - Especially for one-shots, this serves to ground the players in the world. It's also something I usually give the players to read in a handout in advance and I'll read a couple very short excerpts at the start of the session to get the adventure moving.

2. "The Brief Text Box" - Especially for room descriptions, this generally wants to be no more than two moderately complex sentences. These I don't mind reading verbatim. Usually help me with variety in my descriptions so I don't have to keep coming up with new ways to describe a "mostly empty room" on my feet.

3. "The Monologue" - This is often when conversing with NPCs. I'll generally try to memorize what the NPC knows in advance and will read the first sentence of the monologue to help me get into the character's speech patterns, etc., but then everything else in the monologue comes off the cuff "in character."

4. "Everything Else" - It's too long. I'll summarize it rather than read it verbatim.

 

[Li Shenron]

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

It is helpful for DMs to kick-off an adventure, scene or even a new room in a dungeon.

Many DMs are good enough to do this with their own words but others are terrible. Anything that helps is a good thing. Getting the length right is the key (and that applies also to a DM's own words): long enough to contain hooks or encourage action, but also short enough to be retained by the players in one read. I would suggest to try stay within a quarter page for the first read-aloud that serves as an intro for the whole module, or for a chapter in a longer story, and otherwise within 2-4 sentences for the read-aloud of a new location.

 

[Stormonu]

So much for how eyes work in the real world, then, where exposure to a bright light causes your pupils to contract and means that until they recover you can't see at all well in the dark.

Then again, this is 5e, so perhaps I'm asking too much when seeking a practical reality-based (or even fantasy-based) explanation for how these things work.

Well, we already know that light in D&D doesn't work like it does in the real world from the Darkness spell, that emanates darkness. It's also not 3E's lowlight vision, because you can see in the utter darkness where there is no light at all. Even the light spell has lost the ability to be cast in a foes' eyes to temporarily blind them.

I do remember older versions of infravision specifically noting that they failed to work near the presence of light, but darkvision doesn't seem to work the same way.