So, title really. Specifically, in combat, how do you narrate it? Do you:
Narrate it as it happens? Eg "Frodo, you're up, what do you do?" "I attack the troll with my longsword" "OK, roll to hit then roll 1d8. Frodo comes charging up with his longsword and...*Frodo rolls*...cuts a nasty gash I the troll's side. Anything else?" "Yeah I use my bonus action to hide behind that pillar..."
Narrate it at the end of each action? "Frodo, what do you do?" "I attack the troll with my longsword" "d20 please...ah, that's a hit, 1d8 please...Nice one...Frodo runs up, and does a hefty strike of the longsword against the troll's exposed side...do you do anything else?" "Yeah, I use my bonus action to hide behind the pillar..."
Narrate it at the end of every round? So similar to the action method, but everything for the round is resolved and then narrated, creating a rich and action filled scene as you bring it all together.
The advantage of the shorter term method is that you don't need to remember anything and the actions are strongly associated with the decisions. The problem is that there is little interactivity or big picture scenes.
The advantage of going longer is that you can show how the fight is progressing overall, you can tie different actions together smoothly, it can seem more natural and feels cohesive. It does take more skill though and since players are not getting the narrative feedback straightaway, it might feel a bit dissociated - especially for whoever got initiative 1 in a large scale fight, they may have even forgotten what they're character did by the time narration kicks in.
How do you do it? Do you use another method? Do you even narrate things or do you just let the players imagine it for themselves? I'm interested to learn how others do it to see if I can learn to improve.
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If you're not willing or able to to discuss in good faith, then don't be surprised if I don't respond, there are better things in life for me to do than humour you. This signature is that response.
I tend to narrate in a cause and effect style, when the players permit it - the players say what they're doing, then they roll, then I narrate the results.
so "Frodo, what are you doing?" - "I will step forward to here (moves mini), and I'll take a swing with my sword, trying to slash it across the arm and make it drop Sam!" - "Make an attack roll" - *attack roll is made* - "You swing your sword, and connect with the beasts arm. In a shower of blood, the roaring creature drops Sam and turns to face you."
In other cases, I will add drama to things when people don't embellish things themselves - to keep a balance of focus between characters. If a player is more imaginative with their descriptions ("I dance up to the beast, draw my sword with a flourish and carve my initials into it's arm"), then I will embellish someone saying "I stay in cover and shoot my bow" to make the bow shot sound as interesting as the dancing initial-carving approach. I do this so I don't stifle peoples creativity, nor do I make creative descriptions a compulsory thing for making the fight interesting.
I do try to keep things relevant - someone making a big show of the fight might find people swinging bows towards them and such, so they see cause & effect in combat and can extrapolate that it happens outside of combat too. Someone keeping themselves subtle might see an enemy shout and point towards them, whilst other enemies focus on the huge barbarian in the middle of the fight. I avoid overdoing it, trying to keep combat fast paced. The only time a longer description happens is if the attacked enemy has their turn next, so their next turn flows into their reaction to being attacked ("The troll drops sam and clutches his arm, then swings a backhanded slap out towards you... *roll dice*, which you feel ruffle your hair as it sails over your head like a thunderbolt").
That's another bit I do - I try to make it apparent how powerful attacks are. If they are using a heavy crossbow, then a miss will split a thick oak beam in two, or embed itself in the mortar of the stone wall. A wayward club swung by a giant might crack a boulder or demolish a house. a dagger thrown badly by a goblin might hit the wall handle first and scarcely leave a dent. Just thing to remind the players what's dangerous and what's less dangerous!
I try to keep narration succinct and as close to the narrated action as possible. I've found that at my table, waiting too long to narrate a group of characters' actions gets muddy and causes a slip in immersion with combat. I tend to hold off narrating individual action/bonus action and just narrate the characters turn as a segue to the next players turn.
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“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.” - Mark Twain - Innocents Abroad
I narrate most dice rolls a quick sentence explaining how the character or npc/monster hits and attacks, for monsters I don't actually tell players if it has hit or not I just describe the action so explaining how the Bandits sword swings down towards the shoulder of the barbarian, who just manages to twist out of the way taking only 3 points of damage.
Every now and again I forget and my players complain at me about it so they seem to love it and somehow I manage to be original and different every time.
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So, title really. Specifically, in combat, how do you narrate it? Do you:
Narrate it as it happens? Eg "Frodo, you're up, what do you do?" "I attack the troll with my longsword" "OK, roll to hit then roll 1d8. Frodo comes charging up with his longsword and...*Frodo rolls*...cuts a nasty gash I the troll's side. Anything else?" "Yeah I use my bonus action to hide behind that pillar..."
Narrate it at the end of each action? "Frodo, what do you do?" "I attack the troll with my longsword" "d20 please...ah, that's a hit, 1d8 please...Nice one...Frodo runs up, and does a hefty strike of the longsword against the troll's exposed side...do you do anything else?" "Yeah, I use my bonus action to hide behind the pillar..."
Narrate it at the end of every round? So similar to the action method, but everything for the round is resolved and then narrated, creating a rich and action filled scene as you bring it all together.
The advantage of the shorter term method is that you don't need to remember anything and the actions are strongly associated with the decisions. The problem is that there is little interactivity or big picture scenes.
The advantage of going longer is that you can show how the fight is progressing overall, you can tie different actions together smoothly, it can seem more natural and feels cohesive. It does take more skill though and since players are not getting the narrative feedback straightaway, it might feel a bit dissociated - especially for whoever got initiative 1 in a large scale fight, they may have even forgotten what they're character did by the time narration kicks in.
How do you do it? Do you use another method? Do you even narrate things or do you just let the players imagine it for themselves? I'm interested to learn how others do it to see if I can learn to improve.
If you're not willing or able to to discuss in good faith, then don't be surprised if I don't respond, there are better things in life for me to do than humour you. This signature is that response.
I tend to narrate in a cause and effect style, when the players permit it - the players say what they're doing, then they roll, then I narrate the results.
so "Frodo, what are you doing?" - "I will step forward to here (moves mini), and I'll take a swing with my sword, trying to slash it across the arm and make it drop Sam!" - "Make an attack roll" - *attack roll is made* - "You swing your sword, and connect with the beasts arm. In a shower of blood, the roaring creature drops Sam and turns to face you."
In other cases, I will add drama to things when people don't embellish things themselves - to keep a balance of focus between characters. If a player is more imaginative with their descriptions ("I dance up to the beast, draw my sword with a flourish and carve my initials into it's arm"), then I will embellish someone saying "I stay in cover and shoot my bow" to make the bow shot sound as interesting as the dancing initial-carving approach. I do this so I don't stifle peoples creativity, nor do I make creative descriptions a compulsory thing for making the fight interesting.
I do try to keep things relevant - someone making a big show of the fight might find people swinging bows towards them and such, so they see cause & effect in combat and can extrapolate that it happens outside of combat too. Someone keeping themselves subtle might see an enemy shout and point towards them, whilst other enemies focus on the huge barbarian in the middle of the fight. I avoid overdoing it, trying to keep combat fast paced. The only time a longer description happens is if the attacked enemy has their turn next, so their next turn flows into their reaction to being attacked ("The troll drops sam and clutches his arm, then swings a backhanded slap out towards you... *roll dice*, which you feel ruffle your hair as it sails over your head like a thunderbolt").
That's another bit I do - I try to make it apparent how powerful attacks are. If they are using a heavy crossbow, then a miss will split a thick oak beam in two, or embed itself in the mortar of the stone wall. A wayward club swung by a giant might crack a boulder or demolish a house. a dagger thrown badly by a goblin might hit the wall handle first and scarcely leave a dent. Just thing to remind the players what's dangerous and what's less dangerous!
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I try to keep narration succinct and as close to the narrated action as possible. I've found that at my table, waiting too long to narrate a group of characters' actions gets muddy and causes a slip in immersion with combat. I tend to hold off narrating individual action/bonus action and just narrate the characters turn as a segue to the next players turn.
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.” - Mark Twain - Innocents Abroad
I narrate most dice rolls a quick sentence explaining how the character or npc/monster hits and attacks, for monsters I don't actually tell players if it has hit or not I just describe the action so explaining how the Bandits sword swings down towards the shoulder of the barbarian, who just manages to twist out of the way taking only 3 points of damage.
Every now and again I forget and my players complain at me about it so they seem to love it and somehow I manage to be original and different every time.