Are you stuck to a grid?

[MonsterMash]

I don't always use minis or a battlemat for combat, for mapping I use hex maps for wilderness and graph (gridded paper) for buildings.

 

[Pseudonym]

We make a fair amount of use of Master Maze, which puts is in grid mode by default. I have tried a freeform idea, with people measuring their movement with Warhammer sticks, which went over well. I may do that more in the future, but as for now we tend to use grids when the scenery dictates such.

 

[psyekl]

Using the grid for mapping (as a DM): Yea, that's the old stand-by; used by every DM I have ever known It does make laying out maps quite a bit easier!

Lord Pendragon and Mr Vergee: Tracking movement is very important, but in my games we usually just use minis and counters on the tabletop to track battles, and distances are estimated. I've been playing since 1e as well, and have never truly "needed" the grid, nor has any group I've ever played with. That's one of the things I love about the game: the ability to "throw out" rules that you don't want without adversely affecting gameplay Mr Vergee, I apologize about the tone of my thread's title, I didn't intend for it to be demeaning (I have no problems with people who use the grid), I just wanted a title that "grabbed" you so you'd respond, and it worked !

Thanks for the responses! I never realized that so many people used grids until I joined this forum...

 

[Evilhalfling]

Well I use a grid, even to mapping out the entire level of a dungeon if it will fit, which I arrange, as most of my dungeons are small.

I do feel trapped by it, but less so now that the spike chain trip boy went down. Without his obsesive need to track AoO battles are easier to wing.
the only combats I run without a grid are cakewalk fights or one on one.

It is a pet peeve with 3.x, but on the other hand the moblity and extranious objects can be more fun. It isnt bad enough to spur me to invent something different.

 

[Smokingmonkee]

I've been doing all my mapping on a grid for 10 years now. For battles we use the Tact-Tiles, they're awesome and the ability to just pick up a piece and move the dungeion is just too sweet.

 

[Mythtify]

no grid, no mins. I use a whiteboard to draw a simple area map if it is needed. If placement of enemies is important, I'll draw x's and o's.

 

[Emiricol]

I use grids for complex battles, no grid for simple ones. That's about it.

 

[Cymex666]

I only use the grid when I know there will be a combat situation popping up. I used to make the mistake of trying to map everything out on the grid, but this is very time consuming and my players would get bored waiting for me to set up everything room by room. I've learned my lesson, and now when I see inexperienced DMs attempting to map everything out in their games, I caution them against it.

 

[MerakSpielman]

I like using a battlemat because it kind of separates the game into two games - the Role-Playing game, and the Tactical game. After a while you get bored with talking to NPCs, planning things, traveling, and dealing with your equipment (buying/selling/crafting). So when an encounter happens, it's like a whole different game starts. We draw up a battlefield, place the minis, and try to remember all the damn rules.

When I draw maps for dungeons and whatnot, I stick to the grid lines on the paper. It makes creating the map fast and easy, and it help the mapping players make their map fast and easy so we can get on to the important things.

 

[countgray]

I use grids for complex battles, no grid for simple ones. That's about it.

I used to have a battlemat, but I gave it up. I now draw and cut out the rooms and corridors and such on one inch graph paper and place them on the coffeetable. That way the players only get to see one room at a time, it takes up less space and I can put down more rooms as needed.

I also use a lot of art that I have found around the net. I particularly love the art from dundjini, skeleton key games and 0one games. I use them with miniatures and the counters I bought from Fiery Dragon's counter collection are particularly nice. Their Gold Collection comes with correctly scaled counters for just about every monster in the Monster manual. And it comes with some little dungeon corridors and room cards too. Very handy.

I keep an Inn, Tavern, temple, corridors, caverns and various dungeon rooms handy in a folder to lay out as needed.