I’ll add that I’ve used a free Nexo (now Shutterfly) website to post photos of the grimy alley, te cop with a grudge, etc. It’s easier since we mostly play modern games lately. We can also get a lot of the exposition out of the way on the website between sessions. Make actual sessions more active.

I do disagree on dice rolling though. Rolling dice can sometimes distract from the action. I’ve has entire sessions without a single die being rolled. Like the above commente, players often have the most fun in these sessions. I’ve run everything from tense investigation to cinematic chase scenes without dice.

I love this.
.-= Charisma´s last blog ..Rescuing Racel – Steal this Adventure =-.

One technique that I have used occasionally to good effect is to tailor what the characters see or hear according to more subconscious input from the other senses. Describing somebody’s words as “lavender-scented” can take a little getting used to, but it can compress description remarkably, letting you convey impressions without additional time spent away from the action – or, more frequently, the interaction.

I would disagree with Johnn’s final point, though – I’ve once had a whole session go by that was nothing but dialogue between the PCs themselves, the PCs and the enemy, the PCs and NPCs. Not a dice was rolled (except at the very end) because everything was ROLE-played, but the players rated it one of the best sessions of the game for months). Die-rolling or its absence is not a measure of the level of interaction between campaign and players.

Also, keep your descriptions very short, but as evocative as you can manage. “A dark, grimy alley” is generally enough to paint the scene. Noting the width, the presence of piles of refuse, and the strings of laundry hanging above takes too long. Your players have already either tuned out, or latched onto one point (seemingly at random). Pick one feature that you are ready to expand on, and leave the rest for after your players start interacting.

I’m going to disagree with the bonus tip above. It is very possible to have a long scene that is very interactive with few to no dice hitting the table. This is especially true in both older editions of D&D and the newer indie games, where declarations and questions have a power of their own. Social interaction is the obvious case. But, searching a room can be played out descriptively (i.e., dicelessly) as well. So can just about anything but combat.

The dice should only be rolled when either failure is just as interesting as success, or the outcome is guaranteed but the degree of success (or failure) is important. Calling for rolls that don’t mean anything doesn’t actually make the scene more active.

It should actually be really easy to tell if the scene is active. Are the players engaged? If yes, it is active. If no, it is not active. It doesn’t matter what hooks you set and what descriptions you use if the players aren’t paying attention. Find your players’ buttons and push them. See what happens. Try again, with variations. Make notes of what produces very good and very bad reactions.
.-= Lugh´s last blog ..“American Soldier” – Queensryche =-.