Getting the narrative details right

 Whilst writing up the text for a narrative game, to ensure that there is the highest chance for success with immersion, having the right level of description of the environment is imperative.  Having too many details will leave the player with no curiosity as all their possible questions will have been already answered, and too little will be too vague that the player won't feel involved with the environment.  Key items also need a little extra detail to indicate importance or the idea that the item can be interacted with, similar to how in a traditional visual game these items would be highlighted or have an NPC voiceover discuss said item.

Utilizing the collaboration with Lance Muir who will be a 3D modeler of props and items means that I can continue to discuss the level of detail with him so he has enough detail to work with but also a little freedom to add their own touch or serendipitous evolution of ideas to occur where they come to the table with ideas that can then push forward my own development of descriptive paragraphs. In the meantime, I have also started looking into research and development towards my opening scene through message boards and forums as well as already well-recognised games of D&D and other fantasy games.

My current set of introductory pages setting the scene for 'Adventures in Soliverance: Tomb of the Last Alliance' 

Below are a series of questions posted from Lance to give him the adequate amount of information required for him to start the process of creating 3d forms. Using these questions in conjunction with the following research and described workflows should establish a good step by step process for my own descriptive writing.

Questions for John

Village

-                     What technology level is the village at? (bronze age, stone age, iron age, magic?)
-          What primary materials are the buildings made of? (sandstone, stone, mud, bricks)
-          Other than the wyvern skeleton what is a prominent landmark or noticeable feature of the village?        (Large statue, church/town hall, Tower)
-          Is the village quite ordinary to look at upon first glance or is it fairly decorative? (painted                       buildings, carved decorations, flora & fauna)
-          Is the village in a defensible location, does it have man-made defences or do they use the landscape        as defences? (built on a hill, moat, walls and gates, sat in a valley with a narrow passage leading           in)
-          Are the different services within the village easily identifiable? (Skyrim style shop signs, market               style area for trading)
-          Are there any ruins or derelict areas in the village from any previous inhabitants or is it a                       completely fresh founding site?

Tavern

-          Where is the bar located from the entrance?
-          How ornate is the furniture?
-          What kind of decorations does the tavern have?
-          Is there more than one floor?
-          What style of seating does the tavern have? (tables and chairs, booths, etc)
-          Is the tavern exclusive to a certain race or type of people? (Adventurers, soldiers, human only,               exotic race only)
-          Are there any events that have taken place in the tavern that have impacted the way it looks or               feels?
-          What level of patronage does the tavern serve? (Everyone, upper class, middle class, working               class)
What kind of lighting is used within the tavern? (Candles, lanterns, torches, natural light, magical light)

One interesting workflow I found online was an example from D&D dungeon master message boards about coming up with a process that is both descriptive and engaging by tackling as much of the five senses as they can to give the reader/player more immersive elements to engage with.

So if I utilise this in two examples for both Wyvernpond and the tavern making bullet points to cover the bases that can then be further developed into written text or the Twine.

WYVERNPOND

Environment

Ferns, Spruce, Larches trees. 

Forestry and overgrown mossy boulders upon a bed of lengthy grass. 

A huge gorge cuts the landscape leading towards the lake at the centre of the village - an indicator of where the beast crash landed before decomposing leaving remains within the lake. 

Dew upon the ground and drops of rain trickling down the branches before dropping to the ground a reminder of the downpour that occurred recently.

Sunlight now beaming is blocked by the forestry leaving sporadic beams poking through to ground level.

Atmosphere

A stillness and serene environment that emits an element of peace and tranquillity. The War taking place within the continent has not come anywhere near this place and it feels like it has never known of any conflict.

Senses

As you get closer to the village the sounds of tinkering from the tools being used either mining the fossils or the blacksmith/fletcher/woodworker hard at work.

The flowing water down the gorge and bubbling away with the buzzing of dragonflies and other insects zipping about at the waters edge.

The musky smell of vegetation from a deep taiga biome is very present overpowering any smells until you get closer to the Tavern where rich meaty smells waft from the kitchen. 

A crisp freshness in the air heightened by the coldness present after heavy rain, though in the few spots where direct sunlight can hit your skin a welcome warmth is present.

TAVERN - The Last Glass Brewery

Environment

Stone floor made up of large flat pieces of stone mined from surrounding areas, with little bits of moss creeping through the gaps between the stones. Wooden frames make up the wall borders which themselves are made up from clay over stone, with intricate curved beams embellishing the frames in an almost Norse style, occasional shields and swords are hung up as ornamental features each with their own history.

A sturdy square build with a capacity for 30 individuals on the ground floor a variety of different sizes of wooden tables with accompanying tables pepper the stone cobbled floor, whilst the upper floor contains 10 rentable rooms with a staircase to the owners quarters.

As you enter the abode a large open fire sits in the wall opposite usually occupied by  a few weary warriors resting up and regaling one another with their most recent adventures.

To the right hand side of the room sits the serving bar with the innkeeper pouring out drinks for customers periodically resting to engage with any who linger at one of the stools placed before the bar. as their assistant runs food to waiting customers from the small stove and cooking area behind the bar.

Atmosphere

A hearty rich atmosphere of drinks being enjoyed and majority of customers in good spirits chatting with each others both locals and travellers alike. The odd individual keeping to themselves but everyone respecting each others needs and desires.

Senses

The roasting fire keeps the place warm and toasty.

The rich smell of fresh meats and veg being stewed and roasted as well as meals being brought out to customers mixed with stale ale soaked into the wooden benches, chairs and stools. 

Perhaps one visitor covered in some substance is separate from all others due to the smell emitted from them.

Fairly dark as the place is only lit from candles held in a chandelier above or the huge fireplace against one wall, the occasional torch sconce attached to a wooden beam but definitely shadowed areas in the corners of the room.

With the room full of patrons the hustle and bustle of conversation is loud, belly laughs and roars of competitive discourse between warriors and barbarians.

The following are some selected descriptors used in other well known games of D&D

THE YAWNING PORTAL

  

The Yawning Portal is far-and-away the most famous inn in the world. It’s a three-story stone building with a slate grey roof and several chimneys. A signboard that simply reads “The Yawning Portal,” hangs on chains from a black iron pole above the front door, announcing the entry to the inn. Well-worn boards cover the floor, but the main impression is of comfort. Rich blue tapestries of fairy-tale adventurers decorate the wood-panelled walls of the common room, which consist of a bar and tables of stout wood.

The inn was built in 1306 DR by Durnan the Wanderer on the ruins of Halaster’s Hold. The famous adventurer returned from Undermountain with his adventuring companion Mirt the Merciless nearly two centuries ago, laden with riches. In this place Durnan built his inn and began a gold-rush of adventurers into the deadly dungeon.

The Entry Well

What dominates the bar, and lends the inn its name and reputation is the giant stone well in the centre of the common room. The well is 40 feet across, and a waist-high stone ring is built around to prevent customers and objects to falling in. This yawning portal is the famous Entry Well that leads down into the dungeon known as Undermountain, the Dungeon of the Mad Mage.

For a single silver shard you can enter the inn and hear tales of adventure. For a single gold dragon, you can venture down into the well, into the unknown. And for a single gold dragon, you can return. Many who enter the Well never return, and all who do, come back changed.

The Tavern

Balconies on the tavern’s second and third floors overlook the well, with those floors accessed by way of wooden stairs that rise up from the taproom. Guests sitting at the tables on the balconies have an excellent view of the well and the action below.

The tavern is a loud, boisterous place, crowded with adventurers. The clientele of The Yawning Portal is mostly Waterdavians eager to hear the tales of adventurers who have returned or who are making their way into the depths of Undermountain. Adventurers readying themselves to enter the Undermountain can be found here listening rumours and stories about the dungeon. On the periphery, cloaked factors lurk, eying up adventurers who may take their quests.

As Durnan, despite his old age, is still a brawny man, who keeps his old great sword visible among the racks, the Yawning Portal remains safe from toughs, though it is Waterdeeop, so brawls are still a common enough occurrence.

Curios on Display

A staggering variety of curios and oddities adorn the taproom. Traditionally, adventurers who recover a strange relic from Undermountain present it to Durnan as a trophy of their success. Other adventurers leave such curios to mark their visits to the tavern, or relinquish them after losing a bet with Durnan, who likes to wager on the fate of adventuring bands that enter the dungeon. Occasionally, something that strikes Durnan’s fancy can be used to pay a bar tab.

A Typical Evening

On quiet nights, guests in the Yawning Portal gather around a large fireplace in the taproom and swap tales of distant places, strange monsters, and valuable treasures. On busier nights, the place is loud and crowded. The balconies overflow with merchants and nobles, while the tables on the ground floor are filled with adventurers and their associates. Invariably, the combination of a few drinks and the crowd’s encouragement induces some folk to pay for a brief trip down into Undermountain. Most folk pay in advance for a ride down and immediately back up, though a few ambitious souls might launch impromptu expeditions into the dungeon. Few such ill-prepared parties ever return.

Groups seeking to enter Undermountain for a specific reason generally come to the tavern during its quiet hours. Even at such times, there are still a few prying eyes in the taproom, lurkers who carry news of the comings and goings from Undermountain to the Zhentarim, dark cults, criminal gangs, and other interested parties.

Room and Board

A typical dish served at the Yawning Portal consists of quipper and chips (5sp). Shadow dark ale is a popular beverage served at the taproom (5cp). Rooms to let at the inn (when there’s room) rent for 8sp per night.

A TRANSCRIPT OF THE OPENING EPISODE OF FANTASY HIGH FROM DIMENSION 20

Brennan: We're gonna be playing a little role playing game for you guys, thanks for coming and playing with us. This season marks the beginning of our adventure into the world of Fantasy High, where we ask the question that has long gone unasked: What would happen if John Hughes ran a game of a tabletop RPG? And we're gonna find out today. Swords, high school, puberty, magic, it's all coming together. We're going to descend to somebody's home, why don't we have this decided by a roll of the dice? That feels fine to me.

Lou: Oho, yes.

Murph: Sweaty palms.

Brennan: Hell yeah, we're gonna go downtown.

[pirate music plays]

Ally: Yep.

Zac pretends to play a fiddle.

Brennan: [grandiose] As the clouds part, a flock of gulls flies over the Marigold River heading down to an area of wealth and expansive taste. It's downtown Elmville, and we see that amongst the manors there is a colossal, gilded man o' war, [like a pirate accent] a pirate ship, great and mighty, that has been dry docked and dragged out of the river, all the way up onto land and turned into a mansion. We see vast hedgerows and various bankers and also pirates dragging chests of gold up through hedge mazes and topiary and fountains, and we see, out on a little sort of clay patio: Lou, would you describe yourself for the other players?

Lou: [pretentious voice] Oh, of course, hello, I'm Fabian Aramais Seacaster, I'm a half-elf. I'm, of course, the son of the famous William Seacaster, the great adventurer who sailed the Celestine Sea, freeing slaves and raising up nations. I'm a fencer by trade, I also know how to glass blow and I'm quite good at calligraphy. And I am absolutely thrilled to be here at the Aguefort Adventuring Academy, very excited to kind of start on my adventure of becoming an adventurer much like my father, that I may too, one day, take up the mantle of the Seacaster name and sow my heroism across Spyre.

Brennan: You're out on a lovely day. You wake up early in the morning, you had a great green protein shake made by your halfling maid Cathilda, and you're out on the patio with your fencing instructor, Herzon, practicing.

What's most interesting with these examples so far is how the information is so concise yet still can be separated into similar categories like the E.A.S.E process detailed earlier. Perhaps because the players are experienced with this format of gaming whereas newer players may require more details.

The most important takeaway is understanding the balance between too much and too little information and what you want to draw the player towards during gameplay.