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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Xorn" data-source="post: 4161338" data-attributes="member: 61231">It's helpful to have my playgroup--they roleplay a lot on their own.  Usually when I run the demo I mention this is going to be a very crunchy game--bear in mind what we know about 4E is mostly the combat basics, so expect a combat heavy game.  Everyone is fine with that--though I wonder how many DMs make this preface when I read some of the demo reports.  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f61b.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":P" title="Stick out tongue    :P"  data-smilie="7"data-shortname=":P" />Anyway, I gotta thank Mike Shea for making a great adventure with a good story--plus the layout of the adventure is very nice.  It's not often I read an adventure cover to cover in one sitting, including the encounters.  My regret on this adventure is that Dean (our CRAZY roleplayer) couldn't be there.  After hearing about all that happened, he's pouting.mach1.9pants:  I'm in complete agreement with you--the grid is a pretty big part of 4E combat.  I'm sure you could get by without it, but I wouldn't want to, myself.  From my perspective though, I've been using miniatures since I first got the OD&D basic set.  Miniatures are mentioned there as a great playing aid.Oh sure, in high school at lunch the characters were pennies and the dragon was an eraser (that 4E gencon video was so funny) but I've always enjoyed having a battlemap.  I'm sure playing 4E gridless could be very fun, but I think it would take away from the combat, for sure.  Seems like a lot more work for the DM, honestly, and it's not like a battlemap is terribly costly, and making pogs/tokens for "minis" is pretty simple, too.I don't even run on tabletops that much anymore (I use a VTT) but I'm thinking about picking up some of the DDMs anyway!  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />  Well time to head to the chinese buffet, I downloaded podcast 14-22 into my fiances iPod and I'm going to go listen to them and eat.  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />Fitz I think it's also fair to say in your defense (I know you're running for new people almost every time) that this group has played in at least 4 fan games, each.  There are not many mechanics/rules questions left for them--so they can really start getting into character now.  When I run for brand new people, it's pretty much just a hack-n-slash sans-RP.</blockquote>

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