The Spectacularly Boring Trial of Toteth Topec (Shelter from the Storm)

[Jhaelen]

Personally, I never read boxed text and I generally hate DMs who do. It's vastly preferable imho, if a DM describes things in her own voice. So, I'd just summarize the play.

 

[Neonchameleon]

Personally, I never read boxed text and I generally hate DMs who do. It's vastly preferable imho, if a DM describes things in her own voice. So, I'd just summarize the play.

Oh, I do that. The problem in this case is that there are multiple A4 columns of text, with Katrina snarking in between each column.

 

[Marius Delphus]

I think you're both right. As Ryan says above, the specific content of the play is unimportant to the adventure, so summarizing it is certainly something a DM can do without losing out on anything the heroes will need to know, either immediately or later. Heck, the adventure even tells you this: "If the heroes are not very interested, you can skip to the end of Act Two, where Toteth Topec is pulled into the underworld."

On the other hand, I personally think it's a clever bit of atmosphere-setting, and if I thought my players wouldn't sit still for my reading it (mine might, actually), but I still wanted to present it, making it an out-of-game handout is a fine approach.

 

[KidSnide]

For what it's worth, I'm totally psyched that there is a detailed description of the play in the module. Whenever my PCs go to the theater, the players want to know what the show is about. It's a challenge to extemporaneously describe plausible theater (ok, plausible good theater), and I'm glad that WoBS provides enough information for me to describe a world-appropriate play without having to invent it for myself.

YMMV, of course.

-KS

 

[VicsHacienda]

Happy coincidence! I'm running the Spectacular Trial next week.

After the Council of War went over like a lead balloon (I tried talking in different voices and holding up pictures of who was talking, and using props for characters that didn't have pictures, but my players don't take to information dumps well), I've considered how to run the Spectacular Trial.

Ideally, someone would make a YouTube video of the actual play, and I'd show it to the players, then RP Katrina in between the acts.

Somewhat less than ideal, but still good, someone would produce an actual script for the play, and I'd have the players each take a character and read/act the parts out around the table.

Since neither of these seem to be available, I'm settling for having them each read a block of text aloud at the table.

Ragnar

I have a player who went to an advance viewing. What happens in the third act (while Gregorio is running around)?

 

[aartvb]

I have a player who went to an advance viewing. What happens in the third act (while Gregorio is running around)?

See the sidebar 'What About the Rest of the Play?'