If you're buying a published adventure, do you prefer adventures where everything is detailed meticulously, with all the stats, and even speeches by NPCs written out for you to read out?

Or do you prefer adventures that are more broad overviews of what happens, and leaves it up to you to add details?

I like fairly detailed maps, and all NPCs & monsters statted in at least one system, at least a one-line stat summary. I don't like the really bloated presentation of Paizo where some random bugbear gets a multi-paragraph backstory. But a couple lines for major NPCs is good.
I appreciate short boxed text, no longer than one paragraph. No multi-para speeches please.
I very much appreciate content generation tools such as encounter tables.

In general something like Stonehell or Dyson's Delve is easiest to run & use, but a bit more detail than Dyson's Delve is ok.

For me, I like a broad overview with the details I'll need to run the game. I don't like to be spoon-fed per se. I'm happy to pad stuff out and put my own slant on things where I see fit.

That said, I've been frustrated by a couple of Symbaroum adventures recently, that have been good but have left a few little illogical gaps that I've had to fudge - That, I'm not too keen on.

I'd prefer no 'text boxes' to be honest (but would like some details so I know what I'm talking about). I prefer to give my own slant on the environments too. Sometimes text boxes take me out of thre game (as a player) especially when they are just 'mechanically' read.

I would like a map with the important places marked out, but it wouldn't have to be too detailed pe se. As for NPC stats, I'd like those if they will be important to the adventure. But for the 'average bod' I'm happy with a 2 line description with a name - no stats needed as I'll just use generics if a PC happens to dismember one...

WFRP 1e 'Shadows Over Bogunhaffen' is a good model for me. Enough meat, but it does'nt hold your hand at the same time.

Overview

Overview

Quote from: jeff37923;995110Overview

I should have said that. So, yeah overview for me as well.

Overview, with a few important details concisely presented.  No boxed text, at least not for the usual read-aloud purpose.

Erf, I hate how this is an all or nothing proposition.

I prefer more overview, but I also like a decent amount of detail.

But if I really had to choose, I'd say....  Overview.

I like lots of specific detail that is usable in-game. I love having things like stats, gear, treasure, and the like written out ahead of time. Speeches I typically prefer to improvise, especially since NPCs in my game never seem to be able to do anything uninterrupted anyway.

That said, I don't really buy adventures, but write my own like this whenever possible.

Overview with the details needed to run the adventure. I don't need scripted speeches for the NPCs, but basic stats etc should be included.

I don't like boxed text much (just because I find reading out loud will generally throw the flow of play off), so no on the speeches generally. On detail versus overview, I'm really fine with either as long as they are done well. I get benefit from both approaches. The more detailed ones I would tend to use to get an idea of how an adventure might play out step by step. Those I tend to read more for inspiration and will canalize the parts a lot (I find over many years, I get a lot of utility out of these kinds of adventures). But simpler overviews that are easy to pull into a session and play quickly definitely have a lot of function for. Again, I am pretty open with either approach, and think the best situation is for there to be a wide range of types of content for me to choose from as a gamer. I think the most important thing to me is that whoever is making it have a clear vision of what they are trying to do and how they see the book being used. I would also say, if the thing is going to be detailed, I think it really has to be good. I'm not going to read through 90 pages or more of text unless it is interesting to me. If it is interesting, I'll happily sit and read it between sessions.

If there's an NPC with important information, I'd like maybe some bullet points such as you might write on note cards to expand upon for a speech or debate. I don't need a script, though. And an indication as to what information he will volunteer and what needs to be dragged out of him, depending on his relationship to the PCs.

Maps of locations should be detailed or they're not useful.

Stats for NPCs generally don't help me. Just list a rank or level of authority and whether they have any special abilities or skills and I can work up what that means in the game I'm using.

As for the adventure itself, I prefer an overview of whatever the scenario is and what is going on in the different places on the map. I don't want a flowchart.

Doom and I were just arguing about this in regards to Out of the Abyss in another thread.

I prefer the Overview with vivid, imaginative details, good maps and fun-to-play NPCs. Also designed with adventure seeds that can be fleshed out for further play. Reading Slumbering Ursine Dunes right now and it hits the sweet spot for me, it is excellent.

Boxed text, because if I'm buying an adventure, I'm probably planning to use it in a PbP game:). So I want to copy and paste your text, and save myself the typing of the descriptions.

If I don't get that, it's likely that I might as well make it up myself, so I don't need to buy it;).

If I want an "overview" I'll write one myself. (And that's exactly what I usually do.) If I'm forking over money for something, it should be a bit more detailed.