Comments on: Hot Button: Reading the Boxed Text

By: Samuel Van Der Wall

Samuel Van Der Wall — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 10:59:46 +0000

If it is there, I read it. It's a good way of practicing certain parts of your public speaking skill.

By: LordVreeg

LordVreeg — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 20:28:30 +0000

@nblade - That's kind of why I went for the interogative mode. Despite the time spent online on RPG sites, I somehow feel less in touch with the gaming community than I did a few decades ago. And my time spent on the CBG has shown me that despite their putting up with my iconoclastic and idiosyncratic nature, I am often the 'outlier'. I'm really not sure how prevalent the use of premade adventures is. And Telas, there should be a little more bard in all of us...would that all of us were as lucky as you.

By: Bookkeeper

Bookkeeper — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 11:11:38 +0000

I used the boxed text in my last campaign, but I'm planning to ditch it for paraphrasing in my upcoming one. I find boxed text to be a bit like dialogue: you need to rehearse it in order for it to sound natural.

By: Troy E. Taylor

Troy E. Taylor — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 00:35:43 +0000

I'll paraphrase -- only if I think the language particularly stilted or mood-breaking. But that's the exception, really. On the whole, I'll read anything that helps the players have fun or adds to the adventure. What a great post!

By: peter

peter — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 23:07:29 +0000

since we play in dutch,I translate the boxtext in dutch while reading them. And I happen to shorten them here or there. although I kinda like the level of detail these prewritten descriptions give to the game. In my own games I am usally to lazy to come up with such wonderfull descriptions

By: Volcarthe

Volcarthe — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 22:06:31 +0000

i use the boxes and add extra, trivial details in so my players are always not exactly sure if it's important or not. my favorite text boxes are the "movie scene" ones.

By: nblade

nblade — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 20:01:40 +0000

@LordVreeg - Sadly, I have limited time. It is usually faster for me to read through and use a module than to create something myself. That is not to say I haven't use my own stuff, just that with some of the time constraints, it's more likely that I will use a published module.

By: Tommi

Tommi — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 18:29:25 +0000

Once I used a premade adventure. My English pronunciation was (is?) bad enough that boxed texts simply did not work. Hence, no boxed text. (Also, no premade adventures.)

By: Kurt "Telas" Schneider

Kurt "Telas" Schneider — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 17:59:43 +0000

Oh, and I've been gaming since before the Reagan era, so it's not a new thing for me...

By: Kurt "Telas" Schneider

Kurt "Telas" Schneider — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 17:57:21 +0000

I read the boxed text aloud, and have almost always read it. I even write my own adventures with boxed text (except that it's bolded). Then again, (brag) I'm very good at reading text aloud with the proper inflections and emphasis (/brag). No droning monotones here.

By: Kameron

Kameron — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 17:45:48 +0000

I'm a boxed text reader, though I often find myself rewriting the provided text to include more atmosphere or provide info from the "DM text" that I think the PCs should know. I also make sure to use inflection for a little added drama.

By: deadlytoque

deadlytoque — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 16:45:41 +0000

Unlike Lordvreeg and our host, I'm only old enough to have seen Return of the Jedi in theatres, but like several of the commenters, I'm wondering "are box adventures really so common in the industry that this is a major issue?" The arguments against modules are well-trod and don't need me to reiterate them, but if I were to run a module (or a preview quick-start where I don't actually own the rules in question), I would read the boxed text, because chances are I'm doing it with no prep-time. If I had prep-time, I wouldn't be running a boxed adventure.

By: Sarlax

Sarlax — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 16:31:47 +0000

I haven't used modules in a long time, but I used to with frequency. I never liked reading off of the page to the players, so I learned to just glanced down, memorize, and say it to them while making eye contact. I'd say it as if I were coming up with it then, or as if describing an actual room from memory. I think it helped quite a bit in keeping attention and making a room more memorable.

By: Scott Martin

Scott Martin — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 16:26:35 +0000

It depends on the module, the text box, and the (real life) setting. If I'm running an RPGA module at the local library, I'll read the box text pretty directly-- it's likely I haven't had it long enough to do a good job of "improving" it without losing key elements (as nblade and sektor mention). If it's horribly written-- or even confuses me with the text in hand-- I'll try to paraphrase it. In home games, I don't write down box text, so it's not a big issue. When I'm playing, I try to pay attention to the box text; usually there's something useful or mock worthy-- either way, there's something to encourage listening. When the box text runs over a full column (which has happened), I definitely fall into audience instead of participant. Basically, short box text is fine, long box text is a challenge. Done well, box text can enhance the feel of an area or help immerse in the world; bad box text is the bane of the DM and the whole group.

By: Rafe

Rafe — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 15:44:39 +0000

I've never used a module - not out of some sense of elitism but simply because I've never found that they offer much in terms of flexibility and my players like to know they can go in any direction that makes sense. That said, in my own adventures, I have "text boxes" and I read those verbatim. They don't tend to be long and my player enjoy descriptions above and beyond the dimensions for the room, specifically atmospheric tone and description.