Three things to avoid when describing combat in a roleplaying game — as well as what we can do instead to improve dramatic tension, immersion, and pacing.
Fantastic Descriptions provides guides, tools, and resources for game masters to raise the level of their narrative storytelling and bring a deeper level of immersion and engagement to their players.
Neil Aitken is an award-winning author, editor, and creative writing coach who has been playing D&D since the Red Box set in the 1980s. He holds both a PhD in Literature & Creative Writing from USC and an MFA in Creative Writing from UC Riverside. Prior to pursuing graduate work in creative writing, he worked as a computer games programmer for Knowledge Adventure and Vivendi Universal Games.