In the many, many GM sections and GM guides I’ve read over the years, there’s been discussion of how to describe the bits of setting the PCs are interacting with in the moment. What I’ve not seen much of is using the brief description of where the PCS find themselves to impart more information implicitly than explicitly, that is, without making the description of the surroundings the focus of the commentary.

Take the arrival of the PCs in a new village. It’s common to offer up a paragraph about what the village looks like to try to provide a basic feel of it to the players. I’m thinking that can be done more efficiently using fewer words by making the elements that get mentioned carry extra weight.

The village is thriving? How can we show that in few words, words that aren’t simply all about describing the village? Well, how about a short mention of a group of children running by playing with rolling hoops? How about a mule parking its butt in the middle of the street and its owner loudly lamenting the obstinate animal’s behavior? Just a couple of moments from the normal, daily routine of the village.

Now, what if there’s some trouble arriving? A courier racing by on horseback demanding access to the mayor. A cluster of haggard sellswords bellowing at each other drunkenly near a stable. Those moments feel quite different than the children playing and suggest something untoward has happened.

Or there are troops from the baronial guard stationed at key points in the center of town. They’re idle, yet watchful and obviously geared up for possible trouble. The townsfolk hustling around on their daily business may appear oblivious to the guard, which provides one feel, or appear dour and subdued, which provides a different flavor.

And this can all be conveyed in just a couple of phrases or sentences that aren’t really focused on describing the village. “You sidle past a couple of townsfolk who only glance furtively around you as you approach the tavern Reginald recommended you visit, its freshly-painted sign bright in the sunshine” versus “You pause to watch a mule and its owner argue about carrying a load at the edge of the market square before Reginald appears alongside you, laughing at the fuss.”

It might be useful to sketch out a list of elements that can be used to convey normal activity in a site that you can drop in as needed. A list of “Sights and Sounds of a Thriving Town or Village” that includes children playing, people shopping, vendors selling, townsfolk socializing, and so forth. Then a list of sights and sounds of a troubled settlement. Just a couple of lines worked into the narrative of play can go a long way.