1.5 3-Sentence Read-Aloud Rewrite: 1

bryce0lynch

i fucking hate writing ...
Staff member
first person read-aloud is another issue

3 sentence read-aloud rules
Player attention span is a treasure beyond worth, Ideally, the players at staring attentively (with adoring rapture ...) at the DM while the DM relates some statements. Then they plan and scheme, totally engaged among themselves, before shifting back to the DM to tell them what they want to do. The cycle then repeats. Far too many adventures break the players attention with read-aloud.

I’m not against read-aloud. I’m not for it either. If you’re going to engage in it then you have to do it correctly. WOTC did an informal study and found that no one listens after about two sentences. The players attentions drift off. They pull out phones. They look at their character sheet. They stop engaging with the game through the DM. Two sentences! That’s about all you get for read-aloud. After that you should be providing facts in the DM section for them to relate ad-hoc in response to the players inquiries and actions.

Use your sentences wisely. Cue the players who are paying attention. The basic rundown of the room. Be evocative. “A 30’ wide room with a statue in the middle. The walls are grey block.” Is not evocative. That’s relating facts. You’re not supposed to be relating facts. Well, you are, but you’re supposed to be doing it in a way that paints a picture in the players minds. Remember Core Conceit #2? The whole purpose of read-aloud is to do the DM’s job for them. If you’re not bringing the room to life in the read-aloud then why are you including it? The read-aloud must bring the room to life in both the players minds and the DM’s. The DM needs to get enough from it that they can, with the brief follow-up DM text, fill in the details. The players need a vivid picture to interact with.

[Examples of non-read aloud rooms DCO]
In their “Undercover at Gen Con” article on the main Wizards site, Jesse Decker and Dave Noonan assert that you have two sentences, no more!, before your boxed text causes the players to be bored and loose attention. http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dd/20050916a
 
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