As per the title: how do you guys use the dialogues in the Adventure Paths?
I am aware it is a sort of tradition for dialogues to be in adventures. I always struggled with finding the best way to convey the contents of the dialogues to the players.
I remember that when I was GMing Rise of the Runelords ages ago (my first campaign) I would steer the players towards the questions in the book and then read them aloud. That was the worst option ever, since it made me feel restricted in the roleplay of the NPC.
Nowadays I usually take notes about the info I absolutely need to convey through that dialogue (key pieces of information for the progression of the adventure, usually) and then just RP my way through the dialogue, using the contents in the adventure as a tool to be able to answer specific questions, basically as information.
Sometimes I wonder what's the point of switching to direct dialogue where an indirect description would probably convey more info in less space, and offer me, the GM, a much clearer overview of the situation. Especially since I am going to paraphase it anyway.
But I also think that seeing how the writer thought that specific NPC would talk (its terminology, its catchphrases, its probably partial comprehension of the situation, its interpretation of the matter at hands) really helps to make the NPC alive and not just a bag of gray information.
What do you guys think?
I also struggle with this, as I very rarely find the written "villain speech" flows naturally out of events as they play out. 100% of the time I end up at least paraphrasing or customizing, and more often than not I skip the monologue as written entirely.
I'd definitely prefer some written description of an NPCs knowledge and attitude in place of a prewritten speech.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
I'd definitely prefer some written description of an NPCs knowledge and attitude in place of a prewritten speech.
For less experienced GMs this would be a disaster. If you aren't used to writing scripts, then creating the first person dialogues or monologues to convey essential game information for a lot of different characters is extremely difficult.
When it is written out, newer GMs have a tool they can use to make the game more interesting for players. And it doesn't stop more experienced GMs from paraphrasing as much as they like.