Scott Rouse: of Interesting Note

[Reynard]

D&D 3.5 is unalienable from miniature skirmish battles. You literally cannot play the game correctly without minis.

I play it fine without minis. We still use AoOs, flanking and all that good stuff. The difference is, we declare intent and have a social contract that says "don't fight over 5 foot squares".

Besides, dropping the grid and minis opens up a ton of possibilities in description, monster types and set pieces. Not to mention, the high level casters can actual get use out of their long range spells.

 

[smootrk]

Isn't paranoia fun?

Now you're just LOOKING for reasons to be upset.

I wouldn't call this paranoia. It seems the events of late have been the fuel for speculation, not psychological issues. You, sir, are just trying to stir feelings - and I see through that attempt to troll in this thread.

I had an honest observation and felt like sharing. WotC even felt it an appropriate topic to respond.

 

[Crothian]

D&D 3.5 is unalienable from miniature skirmish battles. You literally cannot play the game correctly without minis.

That's incorrect. I also play without minis and we play the game correctly.

 

[Vigilance]

Could we stop poring over everything a WotC employee says like it's the Zapruder film?

 

[Jemal]

Crothian = Smart and wise.

Mini's are un-needed, they are an AID, a TOOL. Never let a tool become the focus.

If Mini's were REQUIRED, then how come we have such an active ONLINE gaming focus for PbP right here on ENWorld?

All of the best combats I've had were free from the clutter of a battlemap.


As for the game, I refer to it as Pen & Paper (Or Play by Post, for ENWorld) when i'm talking to people who know what it is (Other gamers), or just "an RPG" when talking to those who don't.

 

[Alnag]

One little scrap of information I took notice from response from Scott Rouse is that he does not refer to the game as pen-n-paper, but rather as 'tabletop' gaming.

Yeah. Suprisingly right now, I was translating some of Ryan Dancey statement from late 90's and he also call it tabletop. So it seems to me neither strange nor disturbing.

 

[cignus_pfaccari]

Could we stop poring over everything a WotC employee says like it's the Zapruder film?

Nope.

 

[Odhanan]

D&D 3.5 is unalienable from miniature skirmish battles. You literally cannot play the game correctly without minis.

Untrue. I have played D&D 3.5 in Ptolus without miniatures whatsoever. Including combat sequences.

The DM adjudicates the positions of the player's characters according to the descriptions of their actions. If the players want to flank, dodge adversaries and make particular moves, they describe them instead of moving a mini. Same thing for attacks of opportunity.

 

[Retreater]

If Mini's were REQUIRED, then how come we have such an active ONLINE gaming focus for PbP right here on ENWorld?

Probably because the games aren't being played "by-the-book" correctly. Not to say there's something wrong with them, just that I doubt it's completely accurate or anything more than a rough estimation of the tabletop gaming experience.

That's incorrect. I also play without minis and we play the game correctly.

You play the game "correctly" in that you and your group have fun. No one can dispute it if you enjoy it. But it's impossible to follow the letter of the rules of the d20 System without minis and a battlemat. Absolutely impossible.

If you're not using minis and a battlemat, you're not following WotC's plan for the game. Look at their recent modules, with the Delve Format's focus on skirmish battles. If you were to take away the encounter write-ups, you'd have very little left.

I'm not trying to bash anybody, so please no one take it that way. If you can make it work with narrative and no minis or battlemats, then the blessings of Cuthbert be with you.

Retreater

 

[EditorBFG]

Could we stop poring over everything a WotC employee says like it's the Zapruder film?

Preach on, brother. After the initial announcement, the speculation seemed warranted, and I was in on it, but now this is starting to look more like David Icke's forum than an RPG board.