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<blockquote data-quote="Xenu" data-source="post: 6452801" data-attributes="member: 1144"><p>No, but some of the specifics of combat make it very nice to be able to layout where everyone is at in relation to each other for Opportunity Attacks, area effect spells, movement, etc. As a DM you could wing it, but as a player when there are a bunch of monsters in an encounter, it can get confusing on who is where doing what. </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>The only kinds of maps I hand out are usually props: treasure map of an island, general layout of a city. Players don't typically get their own map.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>If you go for the tactical rules route, you could just pick up some dry erase markers and one of these flip mats from Paizo:</p><p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pathfinder-Flip-Mat-Basic-Paizo-Publishing/dp/1601255381/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417201077&sr=8-1&keywords=paizo+flip+mat" target="_blank">http://www.amazon.com/Pathfinder-Flip-Mat-Basic-Paizo-Publishing/dp/1601255381/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417201077&sr=8-1&keywords=paizo+flip+mat</a></p><p></p><p>That's what I use. I normally just describe the areas the players are in, and then cut to the map if an encounter warrants it. Once that happens, I use the dry erase to indicate walls, terrain, obstacles, etc. Beats having to print everything out as a one-use affair.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Helpful, but not necessary. If you go the narrative route, you can simply explain where everyone is at and generalize things. Otherwise, for the tactical approach, you can just use tokens, buttons, pennies, dice, whatever. That said, I'm big into collecting and painting miniatures, so we use minis for players and creatures / non-player characters.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>You could do this in a generalized way. Make up a few ranges: near, medium, far. Then, when the encounter starts up, simply describe the scene in those generalized terms. This is a fuzzy approach, and takes a bit more effort on the DM to adjudicate things. Example:</p><p></p><p>Player:"Is the orc with the crossbow near enough for me to close with a single move, or do I need to dash?" </p><p>DM: "Well, he's about a medium range away, so you can cover the distance but only have time to pull out your sword before it's his turn again."</p><p></p><p>Some people are fine with generalizations. Others like to be specific. </p><p></p><p>When we use minis, I'm still a bit generalized. I'm not overly concerned about exact movement. If a player is within 5' of a monster after doing his move, I'll err on the side of fun and let him close the remaining distance if he wants to engage in melee combat. We also don't worry too much about diagonals costing extra when calculating movement.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Xenu, post: 6452801, member: 1144"] No, but some of the specifics of combat make it very nice to be able to layout where everyone is at in relation to each other for Opportunity Attacks, area effect spells, movement, etc. As a DM you could wing it, but as a player when there are a bunch of monsters in an encounter, it can get confusing on who is where doing what. The only kinds of maps I hand out are usually props: treasure map of an island, general layout of a city. Players don't typically get their own map. If you go for the tactical rules route, you could just pick up some dry erase markers and one of these flip mats from Paizo: [url]http://www.amazon.com/Pathfinder-Flip-Mat-Basic-Paizo-Publishing/dp/1601255381/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417201077&sr=8-1&keywords=paizo+flip+mat[/url] That's what I use. I normally just describe the areas the players are in, and then cut to the map if an encounter warrants it. Once that happens, I use the dry erase to indicate walls, terrain, obstacles, etc. Beats having to print everything out as a one-use affair. Helpful, but not necessary. If you go the narrative route, you can simply explain where everyone is at and generalize things. Otherwise, for the tactical approach, you can just use tokens, buttons, pennies, dice, whatever. That said, I'm big into collecting and painting miniatures, so we use minis for players and creatures / non-player characters. You could do this in a generalized way. Make up a few ranges: near, medium, far. Then, when the encounter starts up, simply describe the scene in those generalized terms. This is a fuzzy approach, and takes a bit more effort on the DM to adjudicate things. Example: Player:"Is the orc with the crossbow near enough for me to close with a single move, or do I need to dash?" DM: "Well, he's about a medium range away, so you can cover the distance but only have time to pull out your sword before it's his turn again." Some people are fine with generalizations. Others like to be specific. When we use minis, I'm still a bit generalized. I'm not overly concerned about exact movement. If a player is within 5' of a monster after doing his move, I'll err on the side of fun and let him close the remaining distance if he wants to engage in melee combat. We also don't worry too much about diagonals costing extra when calculating movement. [/QUOTE]
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