Yeah, that seems like a mixed message to me.
Although the folks I've seen advocating buying adventures with nothing in them aren't folks I can agree with. If I'm buying the adventure, I want the work done for me. Otherwise I'll make up my own.
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Yeah, that seems like a mixed message to me.
Although the folks I've seen advocating buying adventures with nothing in them aren't folks I can agree with. If I'm buying the adventure, I want the work done for me. Otherwise I'll make up my own.
I never write boxed text for my own adventures, that's for sure. I use the type of shorthand you would use on a cheat sheet for a speech or an exam. As little text as possible, with as much information as possible. Full sentences aren't a good idea in either instance.
The work I want to be done when buying an adventure is interesting encounters mechanically (a good selection and variety of monsters) and a solid plot with motivations that influences the game. Boxed text and elaborate encounters aren't really necessary or wanted, it just makes it harder to grasp the adventure as you have to sift through the verbose text to get the plot and motivations.
Maybe somebody should start selling 1-page adventure plots and monster lists for folks like you. Other games do it, and it seems to work for them.
Myself, I like the full thing. I don't find it hard to grasp the adventure.
Read-aloud text makes it difficult to extract relevant information. If there is something important in the room, call it out clearly and concisely. If there is nothing worth mentioning then I really don't need another example of why you earned a C in high school literature class.
Give me the TL;DR description please.
Give me the TL;DR description please.
Majoru Oakheart
Adventurer
There is good boxed text and poor boxed text. Good boxed text should be a summary of the most important and obvious things in the room written in a fairly clear and concise method so that it can be read out loud and the PCs get a good overview of what they see directly in front of them.
The rest of the room description that isn't in the boxed text should be notes to the DM about monster tactics, motivation, hidden and secret features of the room as well as possibly slightly more detail about things the PCs would only notice if they got closer and examined something in the room in detail.
If there's nothing in the room of note, there should be a short boxed text that essentially says that.
Hussar
Legend
Just to second what Majoru O said above - there is definitely good and bad boxed text. Anything longer than about twenty seconds of speaking time (about 50 words) is probably too long and needs to be cut down.
It's like the boxed text that describes the dimensions of the room, the furnishing, the lighting, the smells, and THEN tells you that there's a troll in the middle of the room. That's not probably the best way to go.
But, yeah, put me in the camp of liking boxed text.
It's like the boxed text that describes the dimensions of the room, the furnishing, the lighting, the smells, and THEN tells you that there's a troll in the middle of the room. That's not probably the best way to go.
But, yeah, put me in the camp of liking boxed text.
keterys
First Post
Well, yes. The adventures I write for myself are about a single page in length, while those I write for other people apparently clock in at several dozen pages.
Intended audience and use is a big deal. I barely use full nouns and verbs when I write adventures for myself
Jan van Leyden
Adventurer
Whether boxed text or no, the organisation of the stuff is what makes or breaks the description.
When using boxed texts, please use simple formatting (boldface) to stress what's important.
When not using boxed texts, please organise the text to allow quick access to information. Use sections like "at first sight", "on closer inspection", "hidden", and "plot elements" to outline contents and function.
When using boxed texts, please use simple formatting (boldface) to stress what's important.
When not using boxed texts, please organise the text to allow quick access to information. Use sections like "at first sight", "on closer inspection", "hidden", and "plot elements" to outline contents and function.
You don't? A 64-128 page adventure is something you easily grasp? For me, that's a lot of information to digest*. I ran the first module in WotBS and really liked it, but it had a lot of information spread out over a lot of pages. It did have enough information that it was easy to wing it after I had read through it a couple of times, unlike some adventures where you after the second read through just discover the plot holes. I would rate it a 7/10 on how difficult it was to run. Compared to maybe 3/10 for Red Hand of Doom. They are both on the high end when it comes to adventure quality though.
Regarding the 1-page adventures plots, they don't have to be plots actually, they can be pretty much what you need to run a complete session without more than maybe 5-10 minutes of preparation. I noticed this competition: http://www.onepagedungeon.info/one-page-dungeon-contest-2013 and really, some of the adventures here look really good. I think good 1-page adventures would sell like hot cakes for 1$ a piece, or maybe 5$ for a package with 10 1-page adventures. DnD Next looks like a really good system to target with it.
*Btw, I read a lot, probably around 20-70 books a year and my reading speed is quite high.
