Room Description in RPGs

[Primitive Screwhead]

I have migrated to using battle-maps for the tactical information.

One rule I haven't used yet, but have considered often, is to have a break in the action like:

You step into the kitchen and see 6 goblins, roll for initiative...
Then, starting at the lowest initiative, each player can ask a number of questions equal to thier PCs Wis Mod.

Once everyone has asked thier questions, then the combat can begin.

This way the players focus the exploration of the scene and if they miss something, its not because my 'read-aloud' part is poorly written.

Maybe I will try it next session

 

[Darrin Drader]

You're right about what they need to be told, but your execution in this example isn't keeping its eyes on the prize. Don't just think in terms of what you need to communicate tactically; think about what you would take in in the first second or two if you were the one bursting through the door. (Save additional details for after the encounter or when the players ask for them.)

1. The most important feature is almost certainly the monsters
2. Limit additional key features to just 2 or 3 things, tops
3. Tactical details are better illustrated on the battlemat, when possible, than in words (so avoid exact dimensions, exact placement of furniture, and so forth; instead, draw them on the battlemat)
4. On the flip side, description is the best place to convey atmosphere, but keep it to a "glance" level as well
5. Minimize, or, better, avoid any assumptions about the PC's point of view or actions (the "You burst through the door" bit)

I'd go with something like this:

"A group of goblins crowd what is clearly a kitchen; the largest wears a chef's hat and stained apron. A huge fire dominates one wall, with a large table against the other. The room is heavy with the stench of smoke and rotting meat."​

That said, recently I've moved away from a prose format for descriptive text--even when short, it's boring to listen to someone read. I've gone with using bullet points, because they encourage me to deliver the info in a manner that's more spontaneous, rather than just reading them. So I'd actually go with:

• Group of goblins, room feels crowded
• Largest wears stained apron and chef's hat
• Huge fireplace dominates one wall; large table
• Stench of smoke and rotting meat

I may need to change my paradigm.

The model I usually follow is to describe the room only, and almost never even mention the monsters, leaving that for the DM to do. My reasoning behind that is that if there are monsters in the room, that will be the first thing the DM mentions as soon as the boxed text is over. Also, I like to leave the DM some flexibility in how to execute the encounter. If the monsters knew the PCs were coming, maybe he would rather have them hide so they can get a surprise round. Or, maybe the DM would prefer to have the monsters use tactics against the PCs other than what I "hard code" into the adventure. Another consideration is, suppose that the players get lost, or the adventure has already been played through as written and is being repurposed for a "Return to...." style adventure. By not including the monsters in the description, it can still be used as written.

Minimize, or, better, avoid any assumptions about the PC's point of view or actions (the "You burst through the door" bit)

This is one of my personal pet peeves. If I happen to read through boxed text that talks about what suddenly occurs to the party, or about how they "walk a few more steps and...." or something along those lines, I get out the red pen. If this is more than a one-time occurance, I usually go find another adventure to run.