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<blockquote data-quote="Guest&nbsp; 85555" data-source="post: 6879199"><p>This break down is a little too binary for me. Just to be clear about my point of view. I am personally not a big fan of 'show don't tell' as writing or adventure design advice. There is nothing wrong with exposition that gets to the heart of things in a clear and concise way (especially if it saves me from reading 200 pages of boring 'show' text). But you can tell and still be moody, atmospheric and engaging. I am happy for the writer to 'tell' over the course of a fair amount of text where it is necessary. That said, I'd like the text to engage me. That doesn't mean it has to 'show', it just needs to hold my interest, inspire and pull me in. That can be done in very 'tell-like' text. For me 'show' is a tool, which can be effective, but it shouldn't be a rule of style. It really depends on the module in question. </p><p></p><p>For me, I am just fine reading large volumes of text or concise text because the way I use modules is I read them a couple of times before play or I cannibalize them for parts. And I read them the same way I read a lot of setting material, to get pulled in. I don't do the thing where I skim them, and pull them off the shelf when the players go into that area or something. But if someone is doing that, I completely understand why they want the concise text.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Guest 85555, post: 6879199"] This break down is a little too binary for me. Just to be clear about my point of view. I am personally not a big fan of 'show don't tell' as writing or adventure design advice. There is nothing wrong with exposition that gets to the heart of things in a clear and concise way (especially if it saves me from reading 200 pages of boring 'show' text). But you can tell and still be moody, atmospheric and engaging. I am happy for the writer to 'tell' over the course of a fair amount of text where it is necessary. That said, I'd like the text to engage me. That doesn't mean it has to 'show', it just needs to hold my interest, inspire and pull me in. That can be done in very 'tell-like' text. For me 'show' is a tool, which can be effective, but it shouldn't be a rule of style. It really depends on the module in question. For me, I am just fine reading large volumes of text or concise text because the way I use modules is I read them a couple of times before play or I cannibalize them for parts. And I read them the same way I read a lot of setting material, to get pulled in. I don't do the thing where I skim them, and pull them off the shelf when the players go into that area or something. But if someone is doing that, I completely understand why they want the concise text. [/QUOTE]
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