Too much prose in RPGs?

[Campbell]

My answer on this is it depends. Compelling prose that makes me want to invest in the game's setting is crucial, but it does not have to be long (although it can be). What I'm not really a fan of is text that combines lore and game rules in a way that makes it hard to tell when one starts and the other begins. Despite being one of my very favorite games Exalted Third Edition is terrible about this. So is Vampire the Requiem.

 

[MGibster]

I think some RPG products seem designed more for people to read rather than use to play a game. 1990s, I'm looking at your games! In addition to the rules, I do want a little flavor text, or fluff as we used to call it. I don't mind a little bit of fiction, and I especially love it when they tie that fiction into examples of the game in play, or little blurbs about the setting. I do want to make sure that the game is well organized and the rules are easy to find.

 

[Smackpixi]

So the OP references the recent Black Friday Humble Bundle which I also picked up. It includes much Troll Lord and Frog God material and most of those are conversions, meaning they are older adventures. I’m fairly new to hobby, but I’ve been reading a lot of stuff and just about everything pre-4e that I’ve seen is insane walls of text. Very early stuff, like say the Giants adventures is mostly just keys, and very readable if filled with lots of weirdly extraneous details. But mid 80s up till 4e DnD gets into insane amounts of walls of text.

Layout for more easy digestion and running is much better now, but plenty of writer, including much WoTC house stuff still likes to give you information there is now way for the players to learn which I find frustrating.

 

[aramis erak]

Interestingly, what passes for news (these days) has gone the opposite route; you have to read through all the prose to get to the actual news. Why this is, I can only guess. But I'm not surprised that today's news media are suffering.

To force you to scroll through the adverts. Which leads to a vicious cycle: more ads to pay for the content, moving the meanignful content further down to force you through the ads, the experience reducing readership, reduced readership needing more monetization per article, and hence more ads...

Likewise, I'm tired of the full-size previews on DTRPG being nothing but Cover, TOC and intro-fluff

 

[Bill Zebub]

To force you to scroll through the adverts. Which leads to a vicious cycle: more ads to pay for the content, moving the meanignful content further down to force you through the ads, the experience reducing readership, reduced readership needing more monetization per article, and hence more ads...

Likewise, I'm tired of the full-size previews on DTRPG being nothing but Cover, TOC and intro-fluff

Recipes on food blogs.

ENDLESS scrolling to get to the actual recipe.

 

[Nakander]

For me it's not an issue of the "work being done" or the adventure being partially complete. I expect it to be complete. I'm talking about how the information is presented and organized, and how hard I have to work to separate necessary information from background/fluff/color.

Wow this makes me feel so much better. I couldn't agree more. Organization is key. It's probably in here somewhere but I'm too lazy to scroll and look, so could you recommend some things that are organized well in your opinion? I'm currently in the process of organizing an original campaign and would love some better ideas of how it might be done. Just been wingin' it for now.

One of my problems is that I have a ton of illustrations, combat mechanics, and hands on puzzles and maps that go along with it, as well as location descriptions and a mess of conversations and responses to questions.

Thank you.

 

[Silvercat Moonpaw]

Anyway, I will continue to buy and pore over RPG materials, but I wish more people would adopt/refine Kelsey Dionne's approach. And I'm sure there are lots of games/supplements out there that do use this approach, I just haven't seen a lot of them. (Suggestions welcome.)

Thoughts?

Complete agreement.

 

[Bill Zebub]

...so could you recommend some things that are organized well in your opinion?

Neverland: A Fantasy Roleplaying Setting

 

[Tun Kai Poh]

could you recommend some things that are organized well in your opinion?

Dead Planet for Mothership is a great one in terms of layout and presentation.

Mothership: Dead Planet by Tuesday Knight Games

A violent incursion into the land of the living. The first module for the Mothership Sci-Fi Horror Roleplaying Game.

tuesdayknightgames.itch.io

 

[Jd Smith1]

Dead Planet for Mothership is a great one in terms of layout and presentation.

Mothership: Dead Planet by Tuesday Knight Games

A violent incursion into the land of the living. The first module for the Mothership Sci-Fi Horror Roleplaying Game.

tuesdayknightgames.itch.io

Seriously? It is a poorly edited jumble of snippets, plot seeds, and ideas. It reminds me of the Judges Guild material from late in the 70s.