Tips for Setting the Scene

Setting the scene for your players is highly important. A great description allows them to visualize their surroundings, as well as understand the tone. Reading a paragraph or two out loud at the beginning of a session can be the perfect way to draw your players back into the fantasy world, remind them where they left off last session, and get them in the right mindset to roleplay their character.

So just how much information should you give them? How do you write something compelling to give the best chance at an amazing scene? Let’s explore some tips on setting the scene.

HOW MUCH INFORMATION DO YOU INCLUE?

There’s a fine balance between not giving the players enough information, and giving them too much. If you want a helpful gauge, you can take a look at their collective Passive Perceptions to determine how good they are as a group. But overall, give them enough detail to eliminate any basic questions they may have. If they have follow-up questions asking how big the room is, or how much light is available, your descriptions need work. However, if you find their follow-ups are far more detailed, like wanting to know the type of lock on a door, if they know the language of the text in an open book, or if the Goblins are wearing a certain insignia, then you’re doing great. If the actions they want to perform are more Investigation checks than Perception checks, you’re on the right path for sure.

On the other side of the coin, try not to overburden them with details that aren’t relevant in your descriptions. This is your chance to subtly steer the scene in the right direction, or at least prevent it from going completely off the rails. Don’t describe the oval rug with an oddly woven pattern on the middle of the floor unless you’re prepared to have your players spend time convinced it’s either magical or  hiding a trap door. They could spend countless actions searching for a clue that isn’t there. However, if you do need them to find an antidote to poison, being sure to describe the many hues of glowing bottles on the dusty shelves, as well as a few tomes on potion making on a table will point your players in the right direction. You want to present the correct puzzle to them without giving away the answer.

SHOW, DON’T TELL

The phrase, “Show, don’t tell,” is common writing advice, because it can be powerful. Make your players feel fear over facing an Ancient Red Dragon rather than just telling them their characters are afraid. One good way of doing so it to select three or so of the five senses to describe. Pick some great adjectives, and have Thesaurus.com open to provide amazing choices. Let’s stick with the Red Dragon scene and examine some ways to set the proper tone.

Sight:

 I want to focus on size and scope for this sense. I want the players to dread this upcoming battle, and yet start to think about how to use the environment to their advantage. 

“The domed cavern is enormous at close to 50-ft wide with jutting stalagmites rising from the rocky ground. Having sensed you, the Dragon rises to its feet and spreads its mighty wings that nearly touch each side of the cavern. Standing no taller than its ankle, you crane your neck to meet its reptilian eyes as it shows its many rows of sharp teeth.”

Sound & Feel:

Here, I want to add just a hint of its fiery breath weapon. One additional sentence should do it.

“Its deep rattling breathing expands its lungs as the temperature in the cavern rises so quickly you immediately break out into a sweat.“

Touch:

To close out the description, I just want to reiterate the danger and call the players to action.

“The armor you wear starts to singe you. Your boots sink a half inch as the ground starts to melt. The Dragon prepares to breath fire, and now is the time to flee or stand your ground. Roll Initiative!”

Combing all of that into one simple paragraph gets your players pumped to start combat. It properly sets the tone as a dangerous encounter, allows them to imagine their setting, and triggers an emotional response that they wouldn’t fell if they were just “told” that they’re afraid.

GENERAL TIPS

We’re going to take a look at another example as I give some more tips for describing a scene. This time, the adventuring party (including a scholarly Wizard and a Life Cleric) find themselves in a necromancer’s lair.

“Dust and decay assault your nostrils as you enter the cramped study. Odd vials of fluorescent green liquid can be heard bubbling lazily on a table next to jars of preserved hearts of various species.“

Add a Call-back:

If you foreshadowed something, or provided a clue, be sure to close that loop. This should be done no matter if the players made the connection or not. If they did, they feel the validation. If not, it could prompt them to pay close attention to to clues you give afterwards.

“The tome on the pedestal is open to a frail page with beautifully written script. The title at the top is the same thing the old gypsy lady kept repeating as she died. ‘From life, to death, to undeath.”

Make it Personal:

This is a great way to set the stakes or to pay off on a character’s developed backstory. It elicits a response from players who immediately want to take an action.

“Merlin, the Wizard, the initials on this spell book leave little doubt. This is the lair of your archenemy; the one who burned down your library. Gilgalad, the Cleric, this room is unclean. The texts and the experiments cause your deity to scream in your head. The necromancer must be stopped!”

CONCLUSION

No doubt, setting the scene properly can have a huge impact on the immersion of your game. For some, these descriptions come naturally. But for others, including myself, it takes some practice and possibly multiple drafts. It also helps to read it out loud to yourself before the session. Often times, that helps me to refine the draft.

Remember, it doesn’t take more than a paragraph to set the right tone while providing the players with enough information for them to act.