How do you guys narrate?

By Ceasarsalad101, in Descent: Journeys in the Dark

Hello everyone!


I was wondering how some non-English players narrate their campaigns if there is no translation their native language. I come from the Netherlands, and nothing gets a translation over here. Usually, this doesn't form a problem but it made the narration of the flavor texts a little awkward at times. How do you guys tackle this? Are you sticking closely to the text, or do you give you own translation?


Cheers!

I never had any issues. Being playing rpgs in english since 1994 (AD&D) and only much later the books were translated to portuguese. Actually, RPG and music opened my world to english. I'm from Brazil.

Well, by the time I was a dungeon master, 95% of my adventures were designed by me, sometimes I took ideas from D&D stuff, and those books writen by Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone. About descent I play translating the adventures as close as I can to the flavor texts. The real problem is that I don't have a group top play anymore, but I still play solo Descent now and then; and my own board game often.

I'm from Sweden, and nothing gets translated here either - thank god.

I simply read parts aloud in English, and also most of the rules. Our games jump heavily between Swedish and English.

This has never caused any issues with any of my friends, but unfortunately, this also means that I'll probably never be able to play this game with some people, like my parents or my GF:s brother. Not so much because of narration, but because I'd have to explain every single card in detail.

Edited by Luckmann

I'm from Hungary and i usually translate the whole campaign into hungarian because it is easier for my playgroup to understand the rules better (they speak english but in a different level) and for me also, because i can prepare for the following quests, i can update them from the actual FAQ and i often search for UNOFF. FAQ for questions and answers in connection with the quests.

So in the end i create a doc file with all the information what is needed and jump into a quest!

This pre-work can spare a lot of time because you don't have hunt answers or rules in the middle of an encounter.

A good background music can increase the atmosphere! (Witcher 1-2-3, WOW ost)

I'd actually need a playgroup to narrate. Some ideas I've thought about narrating:

Reading then quest intros and endings are a given.

If I ever did an Heirs of Blood campaign, I;d read snippits of the storyline printed before the campaign to the group with each session.

Reading some of the Lieutenant descriptions the first time they will be involved in the quests.

Reading the background stories of each hero involved in the campaign.

I'd love to do something like that.... If i could ever get a freaking playgroup.

Thanks for you answers guys and gals!


I too use the English terms in the rules which we also use when playing the game. But the 'jumping' between the English and Dutch often seems forced and non-dynamic. Maybe a good home made translation can make a difference.

French, and I choose to play in english, mostly because of real bad translation;

But I must say that narrative part is nothing I do really care about, so I usually skip that part ...

Well, we started with the German version, but it is rather badly done in the sense of changing cards without good reason (Grisbane's Feat makes him lose his defense dice until his next turn, Goblin WItchers can use their ability on any hero, not just cursed ones...), so everything after Trollfens was bought in English.

We do usually just read everything in English, but sometimes translate the rule bits.

....and we almost always forget to read out the flavour text in the middle of the scene. ^^ ;
It just is so easy to forget about that.

Well, we started with the German version, but it is rather badly done in the sense of changing cards without good reason (Grisbane's Feat makes him lose his defense dice until his next turn, Goblin WItchers can use their ability on any hero, not just cursed ones...), so everything after Trollfens was bought in English.

We do usually just read everything in English, but sometimes translate the rule bits.

....and we almost always forget to read out the flavour text in the middle of the scene. ^^ ;

It just is so easy to forget about that.

Wow, that is a major nerf to Grisbane. And that is in no way implied in the English version. That does not seem to be the work of translators alone..

Well, we started with the German version, but it is rather badly done in the sense of changing cards without good reason (Grisbane's Feat makes him lose his defense dice until his next turn, Goblin WItchers can use their ability on any hero, not just cursed ones...), so everything after Trollfens was bought in English.

We do usually just read everything in English, but sometimes translate the rule bits.

....and we almost always forget to read out the flavour text in the middle of the scene. ^^ ;

It just is so easy to forget about that.

Wow, that is a major nerf to Grisbane. And that is in no way implied in the English version. That does not seem to be the work of translators alone..

Yes, and I really have no patience for that kind of meddling with the game.

Grisbane already is seen as the weakest hero, nerfing him because, I guess, they felt a third attack was too much, just shows that they have a poor grasp of the game.

They at least seem to be updating a translated FAQ and have in that document corrected the Goblin witcher thing.

Still, the English version are out earlier, do not usually have too much of an extra price and have better text, so there is no reason to reward people for such sloppy work.

In the current German version of the game, Grisban is identical to the English version. Must have been a strange mishap by the translators. Is there a list with other translation "errors"?

So far I am aware of these:

1. Shadow Rune Questbook p.2 - "endcaps belong to tile they are attached to" - not corrected in German FAQ or last German version

2. Goblin Witchers - monster ability changed - corrected in German FAQ and current German reprint

3. Grisban - hero feat changed - corrected in German FAQ and current German reprint