Can boxed text be saved?

And a review of Swyvers!

This week I reviewed Swyvers, an RPG of thiefy adventures in a rotting medieval metropolis. It has fantastic art, one of the most fun magic systems I’ve seen in a while and lots of tables for generating a city to loot!

Also, the secret newsletter-only sale for my adventure collection Summer’s End is still going! Pick it up if you need low-prep, creative adventures to run at a moment’s notice!

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Boxed text has been plague on adventure design for decades.

In too many adventures, a location or encounter will start off with a boxed section of text intended to be read aloud to the players. What’s the problem? The best explanation is an example of how bad it can get. Here’s a doozy from Desert of Desolation by Tracy Hickman, Laura Hickman, and Philip Meyers, which I am compelled to quote in its entirety. You’re supposed to read this, verbatim, if the party refuses to accept a particular quest. Buckle up.