A while back a friend asked me to write up some pointers for how I write descriptive text. You know, for dungeons and such. I gave her the LICHES method, which I'm posting here now.
The primary purpose of descriptive text is to clue players in to what they need to pay attention to. When you ask your players, "What do you do?" think of that as less of an open-ended question and more multiple choice. Your descriptive text gives your players the potential answers. (This is, of course, a broad statement. Players will always pull something out of left field.)
Good descriptive text includes any applicable lights, interactables, characters, hazards, egress, and senses—LICHES.
Light
Characters should know how much light they’re dealing with, and what the source is. Sconces, torches, moonlight coming in from a window? Sunlight filtering in from the forest canopy?
Interactables
If there’s something in this room the characters are meant to look at or touch, put it in. If you want them searching in the desks, tell them there are desks. The opposite is ALSO true. If you put something notable in your description, players are going to expect to get something out of interacting with or studying it.
Characters
If there are people in this room, what are they doing? It's very helpful to give DMs a look at the "moment before" for any NPCs in your description. What were they up to before the characters interrupt their lives? This goes for monsters, too, if they’re readily visible.
Hazards
This one should probably come earlier on the list. Like if something's on fire, you either mention it FIRST or LAST. But lesser-noticeable hazards, like "patched-up holes" or "slits in the wall" can be mentioned casually, without drawing a gigantic verbal arrow to it.
Egress
Some people might disagree with me on this, but it’s very helpful to be told that there are doors, even if they’re already on the map. Some tables don't run maps, and sometimes your VTT's fog of war tool obscures what is and isn't a point of egress on your map.
Senses
A lot of LICHE is based on what the characters can see, but you can play with the other senses as well. Characters can smell “a foul odor wafting from the pile of corpses,” hear “the lazy whistling of a popular folk song,” or maybe even taste “the salt on the wind at the docks.”
Putting it all together you might get:
Fire crackles in the hearth, casting long shadows on the papered wall and the sturdy oak desk pushed against it. An orange tabby yawns and stretches out on the plush armchair, revealing for an instant her sharp claws. Two doors lead out of the room: the western door that leads further into the house, and the eastern door that opens into the porch.
L: Fire
I: Oak Desk
C: Cat
H: The cat's claws (watch out)
E: Door into the house, Door out to the porch
S: The crackle of the fire, the plushness of the chair
Don't worry about making this stuff sound poetic. You just need to give the players a list of things they can interact with or react to. Role playing gets compared to improv a lot, and there are a lot of similarities! Think of an effective description as the thing your players say "yes, and" to.
And you don't have to include every letter in LICHES if you don't want to, or if they don't apply. Sometimes a room is empty. There may be no hazards. But this rule of thumb has really helped me write up some descriptions for both published adventures and home games.
I was catching up on the ghostfire gaming podcast when this method was brought up and I IMMEDIATELY had to go hunting for it. Seriously friends, delightfully succinct and helpful advice here. Including this in my methodology immediately.
Hi, everyone!! I’ve had a studyblr for about a week now and have already met so many kind, supportive people. I couldn’t be more thankful. That said, I really wanted to give back to such an amazing community! So here’s my first printable for you!
It includes:
a 5AM-10PM schedule (for my early hustlers)
‘Top 3 Priorities’ + ‘Can Wait’ categories
a ‘To-Do’ list
Daily Goals, Notes, Doodles
a water tracker (stay hydrated, friends!)
10 Good Things (reflect back on your day and jot down the little things that made you happy even if your day wasn’t the greatest)
They’re available for download in PDF and PNG formats + in pink, blue, yellow, and white! I’ve also made a grid and grid-less version!
Grid
Blue: pdf / png
Pink: pdf / png
White: pdf / png
Yellow: pdf / png
No Grid
Blue: pdf / png
Pink: pdf / png
White: pdf / png
Yellow: pdf / png
And here’s a link to the entire folder on my DropBox!
Please tag me with #arystudies or mention me if you use these!! I’d love to see them in action. :’) I’m also really curious to see what you all think of them, so please let me know!!
No one really properly prepared me for online classes and for this whole new world of the social sciences. So, this semester I feel like I’ve been reinventing the wheel re: how I approach getting my work done. I developed this method, which has proved very helpful. It ensures I get my assignments done on time, without wasting too much time on readings. NOTE: This method may not work for all types of classes, and it may not work for all people. For the record, I have issues with executive function and find sticking to it really helpful. Feel free to adapt it to make it work for you. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to shoot me an ask.
having a strong resume is crucial for job applications, scholarship applications, college, etc. it is a sales tool and, ultimately, the first impression an employer/application reviewer will have of you. therefore, you need to make it interesting and impressive. below, i have listed a few tips and need-to-knows to help you build your resume. keep in mind that this list is geared toward industry jobs. while the information is still useful, it may be less relevant for those applying to digital marketing/design jobs.
General
make different versions of your resume. by this i mean, have a master resume that lists everything. then, from that master resume, make specific resumes for each opportunity you are applying for.
in high school/university, it is usually best to keep your resume to one page. unless you have done substantial work and are capable of filling up two pages, it is best to keep it short and concise.
always review your resume before submitting !! it is crucial that your resume does not include any typos
Formatting
keep your formatting consistent throughout your entire resume
use 11-12 point font, your name/headers should be no bigger than 14 point font
have a 1 inch margin all around your resume
do not include decorations (unless you are applying to a digital marketing/design job where aesthetics matter !!)
keep your font selection professional. my personal favorites are times new roman, garamond, and helvetica.
do not use caps unless it is for headers/titles (but even then, use caps at your own discretion)
Sections/Components to Include
name & contact info (phone number, email)
summary/3-5 second snapshot of your greatest accomplishments
job/internship/related experience
publications & speeches
awards & recognitions
memberships & affiliations
certifications
language skills
special/technical skills
extracurricular activities
Synonyms/Power Words
instead of “new,” use “unusual” or “innovative”
instead of “improved,” use “better” or “faster”
assessed/measured/quantified
conducted/performed/undertook
created/designed/developed
optimized/maximized
increased/reduced
spearheaded/led/directed
~~~
please let me know if you found this helpful !! i would love to post more comprehensive tips on cover letters, interviews, networking, developing your linkedin, etc.
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