My group thinks my descriptions stink!!

[comareddin]

Visit www.roleplayingtips.com . There is a lot of useful stuff there, from setting the mood to before game prep to descriptions. Many things written there seem like the obvious but it sure helps to refresh memory from time to time.

Com

 

[wilson68]

I find, when reading, that long paragraphs of description get me skipping ahead. If it is not vital than the mood is more important and the details can be left up to the imagination. Many people fill in the blanks whether you've left any blanks anyway. You can call someone blond but half the people at the table are picturing the NPC with a different hair colour and if it is not important then let them. My best friend has a mental picture of his oriental character as a big red headed guy. It hasn't affected game play yet.

Same guy, when describing rooms, has a tendancy to do it like this. "The room is rectangular, 20x40, with a large bear skin rug in front of a stone fireplace. In the far corner is a four-poster bed covered with a colourful quilt. A cedar chest is at the foot of the bed. A pair of crossed axes hang on the wall and beneath them is a small table with a rose in a crystal vase." Us: "Let's go look in the chest." Him: "Oh, and there's a rabid owlbear in the middle of the room."

Reminds me of my grandmother, when I was a kid at Sunday dinner. I'd ask what's for dinner and she'd say, "Oh, peas, carrots, potatoes, rolls..." and I'd say "Pork, chicken or beef, Grandma? I don't care about the vegetables."

 

[Odhanan]

I'm currently running the Age of Worms and have recently been asking for feedback from my group. The one thing they say is that my descriptions of room and such are not very good. Does anyone have any tips for me? I really need to work on this and any help would be great.

First we would need to know what you actually do. Do you read the shaded descriptions aloud? Do you run the adventure "as it stands" ?

This helps understanding the criticism of your players.

 

[Thotas]

I'm with those who want more details about what's wrong with how you describe things. What's funny about that is that we're basicly saying you need to describe the situation better.

Of course, it's entirely possible that the reason that's all you're telling us is that it's all your players have told you. In which case, you need to tell them to describe their complaint better.

 

[beldar1215]

Thanks for all the comments. I do have a tendancy to read the boxed text right from the module. I was reading a room discription from the boxed text and a couple of players said that they were having a hard time visualizeing the room. I then tried to explain the room to them and it didn't seem to help. I can't exactly remember where the room was. I then showed them a players map. One player told me that that was not at all how he was seeing the room. I also seem to have trouble when I'm trying to discribe dungeons to the player to map. I'm pretty bad in real life with directions and it seems to spill over into my game. How can you make the boxed text clearer? I guess I'm just a little fustrated about this part of my game. It seems like something that will just inprove the more I do it.

Thanks Again
Beldar

 

[DreadPirateMurphy]

1. Draw a map.
2. Treat it like a newspaper article, i.e., tell the players what they are most likely to notice or what is most interesting first.
3. Make sure YOU understand what it looks like and what all the terms in the box text mean.
4. Only go into rabid detail if the players take the time to examine or search the room thoroughly. Remember, they're in a creepy, dangerous environment, and they may not notice a hole in the corner of the ceiling or the exact number of bone piles in a room.

 

[Zappo]

Here are some of my tricks:

• Most places - dungeons, forests, towns, whatever - have a definite feeling. For example, a forest may be characterized by the sound of wind rustling the leaves, the presence of some typical animal, and the colors of autumn. Make a big point of these details the first time the party approaches the location, and then drop them every now and then into the descriptions of specific places within the location.
• When describing a room or area, describe things in order of apparent relevance - the order in which the characters would notice them. First, a rough description of the room's shape and size (no more than one brief sentence). Then, any large or unusual content, as well as exits. Details can follow, but they are optional; decide according to the players' mood. They can always ask for details if they want them.
• Anything that is unexpected takes precedence. If the room contains unexpected things or creatures, place them immediately after the room's shape and size.
• Danger takes precedence over everything. If the room contains anything that is obviously dangerous, such as a monster or a trap springing just as the party enters, then you should describe the room's shape very briefly (a few words), then describe the danger, and nothing else. If there are large or unusual objects, you can describe them briefly while you set up the combat or call for Reflex saves. Any other detail must be described after the combat unless a player specifically asks about it.
• Describe smells and sounds. Remember that both tend to carry a good distance from their source. A roomful of corpses will be clearly felt in adjacent rooms, even if the door is locked. Same thing for singing orcs. Just don't overdo it. Characters touching something will notice texture as well, and if it is unusual you should mention it.
• The same rules apply to describing creatures, of course. Size and shape first, then potentially harmful features, then other details. Smell and sounds included.

Also, if you have a written description - the typical boxed text - do not read it aloud. An average person reading is monotonous and can even be hard to follow. It takes some skill to avoid this; you're better off reworking the description in your head, or getting most of it into your short-term memory and saying it while looking at your players.