If you’ve ever wondered how to make your combat descriptions more dynamic and exciting, this is the episode for you. I look at four narrative approaches to describing combat (reactive, consequential, cinematic, and panoramic) and how to use them effectively.
Understanding these concepts will help you be more deliberate and intentional in how you describe combat, whether you’re focused on actions and reactions, or you’re interested in creating a more cinematic and dynamic feel.
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.