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[GMing] Description techniques
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<blockquote data-quote="TheAlkaizer" data-source="post: 9741048" data-attributes="member: 7024893"><p>I don't think I have a formalized technique, but there's a few things I try to do.</p><p></p><p>I have a cinematic mind. So I always try to have a <strong>motion</strong> to what I'm describing. From large to small, from left to right, from close to far, from large to small. There's a logical order to the things I describe.</p><p></p><p>I tend to be brief. I don't like overly literary descriptions of environments during play. I tend to stick to things, with descriptors and go from one to another.</p><p></p><p>The best tip I ever got was to explore the five senses. So I definitely lean more on what you can see, but I always try to put in at least one other strong sense (smell, hearing, etc) to ground them in the scene.</p><p></p><p>I tend to highlight interactive options to my players. It needs to be clear what's just description and what's an open hand. It's not done explicitly, but I may change my tone, or mark a pause or make some eye contact when describing something interactive.</p><p></p><p>An example. Let's say my players enter one of the last room of a dungeon. There's a second level further in the room with a sacrificial altar and the head of the cult. There's a dozen cultist kneeling down from it. There's torches of blue flames and there's rot, and flies and stuff like that.</p><p></p><p>For me, it's obvious that the motion, because of the horrific nature of the scene, is from the players, forward through the room to where the head of the cult is. So I'd probably describe things in this order:</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The sound changes, echo-y. This is a large room.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">This large room, maybe fifty feet deep was roughly sculpted into the rock. You can see the marks of chisels and picks in the ground around your feet.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">It's very dark, it takes you a moment to make out what's around you.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">You only manage to slowly adapt to the darkness because of flickering torches of blue haphazardly afixed to the walls.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The ground is wet, sticky and the air smells of rot. You see dozens of dark figures kneeling in it, all turned towards the back of the room.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Separating all of this, a second level in the back of the room is better lit with two huge braziers and a white sacrificial altar striped with streaks of dried blood.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Next to the altar, stands the man you've been looking for, arms raised towards the ceiling and eyes closed.</li> </ul><p>I'll often end with the thing that matters most, or the objective, or the next door for the players to take.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="TheAlkaizer, post: 9741048, member: 7024893"] I don't think I have a formalized technique, but there's a few things I try to do. I have a cinematic mind. So I always try to have a [B]motion[/B] to what I'm describing. From large to small, from left to right, from close to far, from large to small. There's a logical order to the things I describe. I tend to be brief. I don't like overly literary descriptions of environments during play. I tend to stick to things, with descriptors and go from one to another. The best tip I ever got was to explore the five senses. So I definitely lean more on what you can see, but I always try to put in at least one other strong sense (smell, hearing, etc) to ground them in the scene. I tend to highlight interactive options to my players. It needs to be clear what's just description and what's an open hand. It's not done explicitly, but I may change my tone, or mark a pause or make some eye contact when describing something interactive. An example. Let's say my players enter one of the last room of a dungeon. There's a second level further in the room with a sacrificial altar and the head of the cult. There's a dozen cultist kneeling down from it. There's torches of blue flames and there's rot, and flies and stuff like that. For me, it's obvious that the motion, because of the horrific nature of the scene, is from the players, forward through the room to where the head of the cult is. So I'd probably describe things in this order: [LIST] [*]The sound changes, echo-y. This is a large room. [*]This large room, maybe fifty feet deep was roughly sculpted into the rock. You can see the marks of chisels and picks in the ground around your feet. [*]It's very dark, it takes you a moment to make out what's around you. [*]You only manage to slowly adapt to the darkness because of flickering torches of blue haphazardly afixed to the walls. [*]The ground is wet, sticky and the air smells of rot. You see dozens of dark figures kneeling in it, all turned towards the back of the room. [*]Separating all of this, a second level in the back of the room is better lit with two huge braziers and a white sacrificial altar striped with streaks of dried blood. [*]Next to the altar, stands the man you've been looking for, arms raised towards the ceiling and eyes closed. [/LIST] I'll often end with the thing that matters most, or the objective, or the next door for the players to take. [/QUOTE]
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