I understand they can't just give people pdfs of the adventures but how do people in practice use them during a session? I'm curious as I'd like to buy them and start DMing a campaign (in person as opposed to online) but as I don't own a tablet I'd just be using my phone during the session I imagine, which sounds very difficult. I'd much prefer to have the content digitally rather than a bunch of large books but not sure I see the practical application of using digital adventures?
You should always read the adventure ahead of the game so you are familiar with it which makes the game run much smoother. For that reason, reading ahead and typing up some quick notes so you know the gist of whatever situation the players are in is enough for me. I read the module and also have a free online OneNote that I keep everything in. As I read I type up the key points and improvise the rest.
One adventure book had my players enter an abandoned building, said to be haunted and filled with forbidden magic. It detailed the floor plan, the furniture, the items, the state of decay, the enemy locations and a whole bunch of other stuff with long and detailed descriptions of "read this as your players walk in the room". But instead I just knew that most of the rooms are dilapidated and somewhere there are items and traps. I can totally improvise where those things are, I just need to make sure that they are in there if they are important to the story. To give a comparison, the hardcover adventure book has that story arc spread out over 23 pages. With notes outlining the important stuff and just remembering the general vibe and atmosphere, I got it down to 4-5 pages of notes, and even then I could still narrow that down to 2-3.
Don't go into an adventure with the idea of reading from the book as you play. Read the book, take notes, then play off those notes. If you forget something very important then maybe look it up. If it isn't as important, make it up and roll with it.
I understand they can't just give people pdfs of the adventures but how do people in practice use them during a session? I'm curious as I'd like to buy them and start DMing a campaign (in person as opposed to online) but as I don't own a tablet I'd just be using my phone during the session I imagine, which sounds very difficult. I'd much prefer to have the content digitally rather than a bunch of large books but not sure I see the practical application of using digital adventures?
The official ones? Like Curse of Strahd ? I can't imagine using the digital content for an in person game tbh. I just buy the hard cover books from Amazon.
Keep in mind these official adventures are not ready to go right out of the box. There is a LOT you as the DM have to fill in and create for. It's necessary to read them pretty thoroughly ahead of time and fill in a the gaps. I use my laptop when I"m DMing and have multiple tabs open to reference different parts of the source material as it's not always laid out in the most user friendly way either. And why can't we get full page maps. The pop out maps are small and hard to read unless you save them and then open them and blow them up.
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I understand they can't just give people pdfs of the adventures but how do people in practice use them during a session? I'm curious as I'd like to buy them and start DMing a campaign (in person as opposed to online) but as I don't own a tablet I'd just be using my phone during the session I imagine, which sounds very difficult. I'd much prefer to have the content digitally rather than a bunch of large books but not sure I see the practical application of using digital adventures?
I think a lot of us use a laptop if available as the screen also acts as a convenient DM’s screen.
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
You should always read the adventure ahead of the game so you are familiar with it which makes the game run much smoother. For that reason, reading ahead and typing up some quick notes so you know the gist of whatever situation the players are in is enough for me. I read the module and also have a free online OneNote that I keep everything in. As I read I type up the key points and improvise the rest.
One adventure book had my players enter an abandoned building, said to be haunted and filled with forbidden magic. It detailed the floor plan, the furniture, the items, the state of decay, the enemy locations and a whole bunch of other stuff with long and detailed descriptions of "read this as your players walk in the room". But instead I just knew that most of the rooms are dilapidated and somewhere there are items and traps. I can totally improvise where those things are, I just need to make sure that they are in there if they are important to the story. To give a comparison, the hardcover adventure book has that story arc spread out over 23 pages. With notes outlining the important stuff and just remembering the general vibe and atmosphere, I got it down to 4-5 pages of notes, and even then I could still narrow that down to 2-3.
Don't go into an adventure with the idea of reading from the book as you play. Read the book, take notes, then play off those notes. If you forget something very important then maybe look it up. If it isn't as important, make it up and roll with it.
Seasoning’s advice is pretty good no mater what media you use for running your adventures.
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
The official ones? Like Curse of Strahd ? I can't imagine using the digital content for an in person game tbh. I just buy the hard cover books from Amazon.
Keep in mind these official adventures are not ready to go right out of the box. There is a LOT you as the DM have to fill in and create for. It's necessary to read them pretty thoroughly ahead of time and fill in a the gaps. I use my laptop when I"m DMing and have multiple tabs open to reference different parts of the source material as it's not always laid out in the most user friendly way either. And why can't we get full page maps. The pop out maps are small and hard to read unless you save them and then open them and blow them up.