D&D 5E To boxed text or not to boxed text

[Imaculata]

I think you are kind of missing the essence of my original point. There are A LOT of players that don't play in English, stuck with English boxed text. That is my problem. It is not even the numbers but it is the fact that a campaign in one language, is interrupted by reading boxed text aloud in English. It is very jarring.

 

[The Green Hermit]

I think you are kind of missing the essence of my original point. There are A LOT of players that don't play in English, stuck with English boxed text. That is my problem. It is not even the numbers but it is the fact that a campaign in one language, is interrupted by reading boxed text aloud in English. It is very jarring.

Then your issue isn't with the boxed text. It is with the translators who, for whatever reason, ignore the boxed text.

 

[Imaculata]

Then your issue isn't with the boxed text. It is with the translators who, for whatever reason, ignore the boxed text.

Yes it is. Boxed text is meant to be read aloud. I am in favor of DM's doing their own descriptions. No offense intended, but is this point really that hard to grasp?

 

[The Green Hermit]

D&D is a primarily English-language game, although it has been translated into different languages around the world. You are probably going to find yourself in the minority about that.

And if you are really talking about boxed text existing at all, stop throwing in the strawman argument of it being about the language differences. Those are two completely separate topics.

Edited for clarification.

 

[cmad1977]

At least you're consistent from year to year

Omg.... That’s hilarious. Good catch.

 

[Maxperson]

Stumbled across this headline:

Fierce Debate Breaks Out Over 'Dungeons & Dragons' Boxed Text in Adventures

Fierce Debate Breaks Out Over 'Dungeons & Dragons' Boxed Text in Adventures

So where do you come down?

Boxed text is a lot of work for me. It often mentions things I think shouldn't be immediately obvious, and the non-boxed text will often mention things that would be obvious. I end up highlighting a LOT if I break out a pre-made adventure. It's more work than just coming up with an adventure on my own.

 

[Maxperson]

I think the thought is that if the locations/places are already known in advance, then the game is a railroad. There may be exceptions - eg running a "skilled play" dungeon crawl. I'm not entirely sure what @chaochou's view is on those. But in any event I think few contemporary D&D modules are presenting that sort of thing.

That thought is wrong. People don't get to call other playstyles railroading(negative) just because some locations are pre-built. Not unless people are being forced to go to those locations.

 

[QuentinGeorge]

The only revelatory thread here is that foreign translations don't translate boxed text. (Why? That'd be the first thing I'd translate!)

As for me, I prefer my text to be in a lozenge shape. No ugly corners for me..

 

[Campbell]

Not a fan of boxed text. I think it trains GMs to go page by page through a module during play instead of letting play flow naturally.

 

[pemerton]

That thought is wrong. People don't get to call other playstyles railroading(negative) just because some locations are pre-built. Not unless people are being forced to go to those locations.

The point is that if play doesn't go to those locations then the boxed text serves no point. So if you don't know in advance where the action will take place, then boxed text for a small number of possible locations is of little use.

And if you have prep time then you can prepare your own descriptions hence don't need boxed text.

Hence the suggestion that it is a niche tool for running a railroad with little prep.