Did you use minis and grids pre-D&D3?

[Flexor the Mighty!]

Never used a miniature prior to 3e. And now I am weaning them off thier use. We will use mini's if I think the battle is big enough, battling the high priest of Tharizdun or something like that. But even then I don't really think they add that much of value. The players whine about not knowing if they are going to be opportunity attacked and whatnot. I think the slowdown as we dig mini's out of the case, looking for the right one, etc, and the time spend then counting squares and whatnot is more time wasting than it's worth. And yes I think it does lead to less imagination on the parts of the players. Instread of thinking of heroic action they are thinking of AoO's and how to get everyone into the best flanking position.

 

[Voadam]

Pre 3e I only used a battlemat in Battletech or advanced combat Gurps (I quickly decided I liked basic GUPRS combat better).

I did use miniatures a couple of times in D&D games, but they were just as likely to be lego men, dice (this D8 is you), or torn pieces of paper, (each one of these is a goblin). Dice were most common with monsters getting turned to 1 if they died. It was just to get a common visual of spacing as opposed to any rules benefit.

 

[Staffan]

I used miniatures or some other representation of the tactical situation most of the time, at least if there were miniatures available. I used to be a member of a gaming club that had a lot of available minis as well as a battlemat, and they saw extensive use in my AD&D campaigns. For the tactical stuff, I used the rules from Combat and Tactics.

 

[Dingleberry]

We always used minis (mostly Legos for D&D and MicroMachines for SW) and dry erase boards/mats, but never bothered with grids for distance.

 

[Lalato]

Pre 3e I only used a battlemat in Battletech

Same here. I only ever used battlemats for strategy/tactical games not D&D.

I can see how they help with combat, but I agree with Flexor... it definitely cuts down on the truly creative/heroic/cinematic moments players might have, because it moves the game away from imagination and into concrete reality.

Having said that, it doesn't matter to me overall. I play however the DM wants to play.

--sam

 

[buzz]

Not until 3e

My gaming career can be split into two eras: pre-3e and post-3e.

Pre-3e, I never seriously used miniatures. I bought a box of Grenadier AD&D characters, but never really had the patience to learn to paint them. Also, being a kid and it being the 80's, there wasn't much infrastructre for minis. Meaning that, besides my not having disposable income, there weren't many (if any) companies I knew of making eraseable mats or cheap counters that looked cool. Not any that I could get my hands on, at least.

Post-3e, I use them all the time. Now, I can buy eraseable, double-sided battelmats, cool counters from Firey Dragon, and I have more patience for painting. But mainly, 3e having "brought me back" to the gaming fold, I wanted to "do it right" and use minis. Frankly, it adds to the immersive nature of the game for me. Going to trouble of painting minis and laying out a mat enhances the whole gaming experience.

They must be serious gamers. Look at all that stuff!

 

[WayneLigon]

I always used minis or, as my time to paint decreased and the weight of the lead increased, things like counters or Cardboard Heroes. Always used a grid or hexmap.

 

[Sanackranib]

mini's and grids

yes I have used both since the early 1980's

 

[danzig138]

I started playing about 15 years ago, and I started using a mat and minis about 13 years ago, as soon as someone showed them to me. Like others have said, I thought it was a much more common practice, and I was surprised by the number of complaints about it with 3E.

 

[Sixchan]

I've never used a battle mat before. I have some Dungeon floor plans that have been used since the 80's.