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

[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.