D&D 5E [+] Best advice for running Theater of the Mind...

[overgeeked]

Since it came up in another thread, here's a new thread about running D&D 5E in Theater of the Mind.

Oh great Dungeon Master hivemind...what's your best advice for running good theater of the mind combats?

Best books, blog posts, videos, tips, tricks, advice, suggestions...anything that's positive and meant to be helpful is welcome.

Note this is a [+] thread. Keep you naysaying to yourself.

 

[jdrakeh]

AD&D and earlier editions of the game are excellent teaching tools for running TotM. While it's true that these editions measure most distances in inches (assuming the use of a ruler to measure distances on the tabletop ala wargames), they also make "fuzzy math" conversions to game world equivalents on the fly much easier, IMO. This is partly because they are far less concerned with precision measurement and partly because they aren't at all concerned with spatial dimensions (e.g. squares on a battlemap). In point of fact, almost NONE of the groups I played OD&D, BD&D, or AD&D 1e/2e with EVER used tabletop measurements (there was one group that used weapon reach measurements, but even these were converted to game world equivalents).

 

[SakanaSensei]

Does it count as theater of the mind if you note down some interesting zones on note cards that creatures can move between? Pure theater of the mind has often caused confusion for my players, but the aforementioned zone notecards, or an evocative non-gridded battle at where we don’t measure out things in five foot increments, tends to go well.

I’ve taken a lot of ideas from Mike Shea in the past, and I think his advice tends to be solid. Sly Flourish's Guide to to Narrative

 

[Shiroiken]

Be generous with what the players want to do. The players have only what you tell them to work with, while you've got a good idea in your mind. If something obviously won't work, or is just a terrible idea (such as becoming surrounded), tell them and allow them to change their action.

I've added the keyword Engaged to indicate who they're in melee with for Opportunity Attacks. This helps track who's fighting what and is threatened.

Use the suggested number of potential enemies from the DMG for AoE effects. This is really useful to quickly decide what the PCs can affect, but remember that other PCs might be in the area too (check for the Engaged keyword above).

 

[DEFCON 1]

When adjudicating Area of Effect attacks for spellcasters... a good rule of thumb just to save time and energy is to assume the caster can target at barest minimum 2 enemies in the effect,but that hitting 3 or 4 is completely okay. You never need to let them try and convince you they can hit every enemy on the battlefield at once obviously (unless they are in a very special and rather obvious circumstance, like crowded together or a ledge or something)... but letting them hit on average 3 or 4 (depending on blast radius) should be an easy and typical allowance. Worrying about enemy locations on the battlefield and trying to visualize where they are in relation to each other is just trying to play to the grid without actually having one.

TL;DR: AoEs can hit 3 enemies, with more or less targets depending on the circumstances.

 

[payn]

I left TotM behind a long time ago, but VTT brought it back to me. Well, that and playing games not D&D. What I found is getting a really good image to set as the background. Something that springs forth the imagination on the current situation. If you are in a dungeon try and find some images online of one that looks particularly relevant. Wilderness, urban, monsters, etc...

Here is a few examples,
A swanky palace

A volcanic region

A rebellion

A tavern

I'll pop up these images and the group will go from there. Combat done entirely TotM but images help set the scene.

 

[Burnside]

Be generous with what the players want to do. The players have only what you tell them to work with, while you've got a good idea in your mind. If something obviously won't work, or is just a terrible idea (such as becoming surrounded), tell them and allow them to change their action.

I've added the keyword Engaged to indicate who they're in melee with for Opportunity Attacks. This helps track who's fighting what and is threatened.

Use the suggested number of potential enemies from the DMG for AoE effects. This is really useful to quickly decide what the PCs can affect, but remember that other PCs might be in the area too (check for the Engaged keyword above).

I think "be generous/flexible" is the biggest key - and that goes for not just the DM but the players as well. Everyone has to accept that theater of the mind is just a less tactical game. That's doesn't mean NON-tactical, but LESS tactical. In particular, tactics that rely on a shared hyper-specific understanding of EXACTLY where everyone is positioned aren't going to fly.

Above all, you need a collective buy-in with regard to the table's expectations that the game will be narrative and cinematic and not involve a lot of specificity with regard to 5 foot squares.

As a DM, you may have to allow players to walk back stuff if it turns out that there was genuine misunderstanding about the spatial situation. And if the spatial situation really matters, then as a DM you need to verbally communicate the facts of the environment very clearly.

I tend to think of combat in "zones" of Engaged, With 30 feet, Within 60 Feet, Within 90 feet.

In the end, you may grow to really appreciate that TotM tends to lead to a faster and more flexible game. But everyone needs to buy in. And the style needs to be consistent. Positioning can't be hand-waved 80% of the time and then suddenly become super important the other 20% of the time.

 

[Art Waring]

While I currently run 5e based games, I have played in quite a number of RPG's that don't use minis and don't have a grid of any kind, at least we never used them. You can learn a lot however, by how these games are run at the table:

-As some others mentioned, visual aids work well, even if they are just for you the GM to get into the mindset and the setting.

-Keep things moving forward: with too much going on it can be easy to lose your place or get distracted. Sometimes using a handy prop (even if its in game) to designate who's turn it is and what is happening can encourage that player to feel like they are "in the spotlight."

Our groups running joke is an old rusty axe, I threw it into one of their very first piles of loot years ago. They pass it to one another in game, kind of like passing the torch from player to player. I literally had no influence on this, the players just latched onto it and its become a running tradition in our home game.

 

[Helldritch]

During lock down. We played full theatre of the mind. We were using Discord and Messenger to play. I am particularly allergic to VTT gaming. I paid for books, I don't feel to pay full price for something digital that I already have. I can scan my own books and make a PDF by myself. Did it with my PHB, DMG and MM. Takes a bit of time, sure, but quite useful.

 

[toucanbuzz]

We couldn't afford (lead) miniatures when we started gaming and the "5' grid" wasn't a thing yet, so "theatre of the mind" was less gimmick and more just what you had to do.

Advice: let go of combat grid movement.

It'll open up an entirely new way to game, though it does put an onus on the DM to fairly visualize what everyone is up to. But by unchaining miniature-based combat, you can get dynamic combats only limited by imagination and make up effects for terrain, wind, etc.

 

[mhl]

We were using Discord and Messenger to play. I am particularly allergic to VTT gaming. I paid for books, I don't feel to pay full price for something digital that I already have.

fwiw, owlbear.rodeo is a great free vtt…there’s obviously a difference against Roll20 or similar, mainly that it’s primarily a visuals thing: grid maps or tokens or images.

I like Theater of the Mind and try to run it whenever possible. Two things I’ve noticed: for some of my players a gridded map is key to their enjoyment of the experience, so I make sure to run those games tactically (no TotM). But I’ve also come to realize a visual is critical for combat — not so much bc the mechanics require it, but just as a means to visualize things. Even an abstract map or an image of a room without tokens, gives some reference point and takes the burden off the player to concoct an image in their head in addition to keeping track of and participating in the combat itself.

 

[Helldritch]

fwiw, owlbear.rodeo is a great free vtt…there’s obviously a difference against Roll20 or similar, mainly that it’s primarily a visuals thing: grid maps or tokens or images.

I like Theater of the Mind and try to run it whenever possible. Two things I’ve noticed: for some of my players a gridded map is key to their enjoyment of the experience, so I make sure to run those games tactically (no TotM). But I’ve also come to realize a visual is critical for combat — not so much bc the mechanics require it, but just as a means to visualize things. Even an abstract map or an image of a room without tokens, gives some reference point and takes the burden off the player to concoct an image in their head in addition to keeping track of and participating in the combat itself.

I would take a photograph of the map and send it via messenger to my players. This way, they had the map to help visualize.
The rest was TotM.

 

[Stalker0]

Don't be afraid to refresh the descriptions often, sometimes each round. Its easy for players to get lost in ToTM, so help them out. "Ok start of a new round, Vinny your adjuacent to that ork, marlo your 100ish feet back in the treeline, etc etc"

 

[Reynard]

There is a very important balance between clearly describing the scene and the participants (GM and players alike) being flexible in their imaginations. one of the reasons people reach for grids and minis (or tape measures and terrain) is that when the competitive aspect of combat comes in they don't want to "lose" due to misunderstandings or unfair interpretations. So, in order for TotM to work well, people need to let go of those competitive impulses -- which in turn allows them to embrace descriptions and say "yes" as GMs and "okay" as players.

Also it should be noted that there are some good compromises between grids and pure TotM -- the most widely used of which is Zones. Fate games use this method, among others. In a goblin filled cavern, just by way of example, the front half is one zone, the shadowed back half is another and so it the stone bridge above. Weapon ranges and movement are rated in Zones, and individual Zones have features like terrain and lighting. You have less a "map" and more an "illustration" of the scene location (and of course you can use battle maps with Zones, just ignoring or leaving off grids).

 

[Laurefindel]

There are great advice in posts above that I won’t repeat. Here’s what I can add…

If opponents retreat, don’t consider them in combat anymore from the very moment they disengage (initial reaction attacks notwithstanding when applicable). If players want to pursue, have them disengage from combat too and use chase rules. Make new combat if pursuer catch-up.

Don’t worry about speed too much. The only worthwhile question is whether speed is inferior to 30 feet, exactly 30 feet, or above 30 feet inferior, equal, or superior to that of your opponents (often 30 feet)

list or narrate a few elements or props that PCs can interact with (low walls for cover, tables to overthrow, barrels to kick, chandeliers to swing from etc) at the start of combat. Be generous with that free object interaction.

Take advantage of the fact that you are not tied to the grid. Have dynamic combats migrating from one room to another, closer to a cliff or river, into or out of sight.