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D&D without miniatures!!!

Anonymous Tue 27 Oct 2015 19:03:26 No.43320107 View Reply Report Delete

Quoted By: >>43320129 >>43320148 >>43320390 >>43321690 >>43322154

Tips for how to DM D&D 5e combat without gaming mats/miniatures?

I just dont wanna have to buy all that over priced plastic garbage, if I could find some ideally free way to represent the characters on a gaming mat, that wouldnt be so bad.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 27 Oct 2015 19:04:37 No.43320129 Report Delete

Quoted By: >>43320257

>>43320107
coins

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 27 Oct 2015 19:05:41 No.43320148 Report Delete

Quoted By: >>43320257

>>43320107
dice, erasers, selfmade crude figurines out of wood...

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 27 Oct 2015 19:10:31 No.43320257 Report Delete

Quoted By: >>43320371 >>43321619 >>43321760

>>43320148
>>43320129
hmm.. or coins stacked on dice. Ok thanks guys!

But now my main question, are maps/miniatures really required for dnd?

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 27 Oct 2015 19:16:43 No.43320371 Report Delete

Quoted By:

>>43320257
No, they aren't. I own what is probably several grand worth of that overpriced plastic garbage and supporting junk - along with tons of more normal minis. I don't use any of it.

The only time I have felt the need to do so was in a mass combat situation.

Just keep track of stuff on paper, don't be afraid to fudge, allow the players a lot of slack in describing how they move on the battle field or how they intercept monsters.

Remember you are telling a story more than playing a skirmish miniature game in this edition.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 27 Oct 2015 19:17:59 No.43320390 Report Delete

Quoted By:

>>43320107
Use your imagination. Or just draw shit on paper.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 27 Oct 2015 20:19:52 No.43321619 Report Delete

Quoted By: >>43321697

>>43320257
Required, no

But I do recommend a grid or hex available for the fights. Preferably one you can write on with a dry erase marker. Really cuts down on the 'I thought my character was over there' issues you can have in 'Theater of the Mind'.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 27 Oct 2015 20:23:35 No.43321690 Report Delete

Quoted By:

>>43320107
The best tip is to use the Targets of Areas of Effect table in DMG p249 for spells or other things that have an area of effect. It really simplifies things for Theater of the Mind.

Basically, it's:

Fireball = 4 targets close together
Lightning Bolt = 4 targets in a straight line
Cone of Cold = 6 targets
Ice Storm = 4 targets in a circle (cylinder)

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 27 Oct 2015 20:24:02 No.43321697 Report Delete

Quoted By:

>>43321619
A whiteboard with magnets is fine. Get big colourful ones for PCs and big enemies, little ones for mooks. If you want you can sketch\write a name on a bit of paper and keep it underneath the magnet. Or print out graphics if you really want.

Grids aren't necessary unless you want precise distances. Running RPG combat like a movie fight scene instead of like a wargame is the best decision you'll ever make.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Tue 27 Oct 2015 20:26:58 No.43321760 Report Delete

Quoted By:

>>43320257

Minis are a bit more useful in D&D than in some other games, but they're certainly not necessary.

I'd say I use minis in fights about half the time. Sometimes faffing about with them could ruin the flow, especially when an encounter goes from talking to fighting quickly. If you're arguing on the steps of the temple or being assassinated in your room in the inn, describing the surroundings is sufficient, you don't need a battlemat.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Tue 27 Oct 2015 20:33:17 No.43321898 Report Delete

Quoted By: >>43322147 >>43322309 >>43322312

I print these fuckers off for every game. Too easy.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 27 Oct 2015 20:40:43 No.43322044 Report Delete

Quoted By: >>43322118

Yarbles, a dry-erase board, printer paper, and your phone for pdfs and character sheets. It's all you really need.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 27 Oct 2015 20:44:47 No.43322118 Report Delete

Quoted By:

>>43322044
http://www.amazon.com/TBC-Branded-PEBBLES-MARBLES-FILLERS/dp/B00IMPH9YA

For reference, 500 Yarbles for less than 30 shekels. Dip them in paint and you have easily color coordinated mobs without breaking the bank on minis.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Tue 27 Oct 2015 20:46:49 No.43322147 Report Delete

Quoted By: >>43322195 >>43322246 >>43322277 >>43322293 >>43322318

>>43321898

>TF2
>X-Men
>Shakespeare

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 27 Oct 2015 20:47:26 No.43322154 Report Delete

Quoted By: >>43323386

>>43320107
Lego

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 27 Oct 2015 20:49:40 No.43322195 Report Delete

Quoted By: >>43322999

>>43322147
I need an asiatic guard, a rogue and a scribe respectively.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Tue 27 Oct 2015 20:52:52 No.43322246 Report Delete

Quoted By:

>>43322147
2/5

Anonymous

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Anonymous Tue 27 Oct 2015 20:54:31 No.43322277 Report Delete

Quoted By:

>>43322147
3/5

Anonymous

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Anonymous Tue 27 Oct 2015 20:55:40 No.43322293 Report Delete

Quoted By:

>>43322147
4/5

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 27 Oct 2015 20:56:49 No.43322309 Report Delete

Quoted By:

>>43321898
Is it bad that I very first one I noticed and focused in on was CIA from game of thrones?

Anonymous

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Anonymous Tue 27 Oct 2015 20:56:59 No.43322312 Report Delete

Quoted By: >>43322503

>>43321898
>Skyrim
>Warcraft
>Lord of the Rings
>Conan
>The Shining
>Shakespeare
>X-men
>TF2

Anonymous

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Anonymous Tue 27 Oct 2015 20:57:13 No.43322318 Report Delete

Quoted By:

>>43322147
5/5

Anonymous

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Anonymous Tue 27 Oct 2015 21:08:36 No.43322503 Report Delete

Quoted By:

>>43322312

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 27 Oct 2015 21:20:12 No.43322677 Report Delete

Quoted By:

I bought a small canvas and drew a 1 inch x 1 inch grid on it and use old warhammer models

Anonymous

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Anonymous Tue 27 Oct 2015 21:39:27 No.43322999 Report Delete

Quoted By: >>43323334

>>43322195

>imagine me
>playing with you
>you say: -you are in a dark alley and is approached by a sneaky rogue
>ok then, thin trickster, mask on the face, dark clothing, the typical "your gold or your life" speech ... ok, put the mini on the board, please
>x-men Rogue
>mfw

Anonymous

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Anonymous Tue 27 Oct 2015 21:53:27 No.43323204 Report Delete

Quoted By: >>43323418

>not just drawing the characters and hot-gluing them onto a base
step it on up my man

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 27 Oct 2015 21:57:50 No.43323283 Report Delete

Quoted By: >>43323799

Flat round tokens. Pathfinder has some nice ones or you can make your own. There are programs that let you crop any photo to your token size. I'll look it up.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Tue 27 Oct 2015 22:00:33 No.43323334 Report Delete

Quoted By:

>>43322999
You don't want to know what i used to indicate ranged attackers

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 27 Oct 2015 22:03:51 No.43323386 Report Delete

Quoted By:

>>43322154
That's not even cheaper.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 27 Oct 2015 22:06:08 No.43323418 Report Delete

Quoted By: >>43323504

>>43323204
>Dat blue spindly crab guy

I'll be stealing that, thank you.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Tue 27 Oct 2015 22:11:34 No.43323504 Report Delete

Quoted By:

>>43323418
Japanese Spider Crab-Man Martial Artists never get old.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 27 Oct 2015 22:27:05 No.43323799 Report Delete

Quoted By:

>>43323283

Tokentool

http://www.rptools.net/toolbox/token-tool/

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D&D without miniatures!!!