D&D (2024) My preferred way of playing D&D 2024 is... miniatures or not?

[MerricB]

1st and 2nd edition we never bothered. I think that was because combats were less tactical in their execution. The D20 system changed all that and battle map with minis became a necessity. We've stuck with them ever since.

I think they were also a LOT more hard to get hold of (and paint) back in the day.

D&D painted plastic minis made a big difference when they arrived 22 years ago, and youtube painting tutorials also opened up the world to a lot of people. (The cost of the Wizkids minis now is absolutely shocking to me).

Cheers!

 

[Shiroiken]

Using a VTT, I prefer to use the minis. It generally speeds up play and keeps things moving. IRL I prefer theater of the mind, because setting up a map and mini's takes too much time.

 

[Warpiglet-7]

And yet while I have a bunch of terrain options, my favorite thing to use with my minis is a wet-erase chessex battlemap Cuz I can make it "whatever" with imagination and some colored markers.

Went on vacation with wife and kids and took some minis, the wet erase mat…worked like a charm.

For travel in particular I find that an outstanding option.

 

[KYRON45]

I think you leave a lot on the table when you don't use a map. Or off the table as it were.
When you use a lay out and terrain etc. a player may get the spark of an idea on how to better handle the situation.
If there is no map or layout....how do i know what i might not be seeing?

Back in the before times my group played on the floor with a sheet of looseleaf and a pencil. Lots of erasing. Also, lots of holes.
When we discovered battle mats and minis and dry erase markers...and then someone was like...hey put this piece of plexiglass over the matt/paper....life altering. Gives me chills just thinking about it. Or that might be the fact that is 9deg F. outside.

 

[TaranTheWanderer]

there’s no option for ‘both’ or ‘I don’t care’

I like minis if the game is going to be super tactical but it really takes me out of the imagination. TotM feels more cinematic to me. We often still need a paper to get a general idea of where things are but counting squares makes it feel more like chess than an epic adventure. Which has its pros and cons.

 

[TaranTheWanderer]

I think you leave a lot on the table when you don't use a map. Or off the table as it were.
When you use a lay out and terrain etc. a player may get the spark of an idea on how to better handle the situation.
If there is no map or layout....how do i know what i might not be seeing?

Back in the before times my group played on the floor with a sheet of looseleaf and a pencil. Lots of erasing. Also, lots of holes.
When we discovered battle mats and minis and dry erase markers...and then someone was like...hey put this piece of plexiglass over the matt/paper....life altering. Gives me chills just thinking about it. Or that might be the fact that is 9deg F. outside.

Use your imagination and make stuff up. But I play a lot of FATE where the players are encouraged to add things to the combat without asking the GM or needing to look at the map to see what’s available so that ports over to D&D. In fact, I find I have the opposite problem with minis. Players make the assumption that, if it’s not on a map, it doesn’t exist. For me, It creates more restraints and am less likely to make it up. If you’re using your imagination, there’s nothing limiting your expectations.

 

[KYRON45]

We can have it both ways people!!!

 

[TaranTheWanderer]

Yup!

 

[aco175]

Grid all day. Takes a lot of the guessing out. Last convention I went to we played the first game with TotM and my father had a hard time I think mostly because of his hearing. I had a problem with bad guy suddenly being right beside me even after I said I was trying to stay far enough away to be able to shoot my bow, but 'apparently' when I moved, it was to one of them and away from the group of them.

 

[mamba]

Naturally, the vast majority will say they do in fact play with miniatures.

Yet they'll complain 'til Kingdom come if you design rules that "expect" miniatures.

I do not understand this seemingly contradictory behavior. But it is observable.

I use minis to help with the visualization, not because I want to count squares and measure distances in combat.

I want the rules to work completely without that in a TotM way. I much prefer 13th Age’s fireball (you hit 1d3 nearby enemies) over the 5e one

You seem to be conflating using minis with a specific way to use them