Figures Have Spoiled Me

[Thunt]

I've recently moved and my figures and terrain are still packed up. As a result I had to DM my game without them for the first in years. I was shocked at how much I've come to rely on them! I've gotten used to explaining the detail of a battle with the figures as a reference and the difficult terrain ahead by simply pointing at the center of the table and saying "Like that".

I think it was good for me to go without them and brush up on my description skills and I recommend and DM who is as dependant on them as I am go without every few months or so.

Anyone else experience anything like this before?

 

[delericho]

Yes, sort of.

I visited a friend in the States at the start of the year, and ran a session for that group. The module was "I6 Ravenloft", and I ran it without miniatures or battlemap. (Normally, I use cardboard tokens and a battlemat, while that group use miniatures and the mat.)

Anyway, the feel of the session was very different from what I was used to, and I'm told was also different from what they were used to. What we found was that combat became less detailed and tactical, and generally ran faster. Additionally, the focus shifted somewhat away from combat in general, and more towards role-play aspects of the game.

Oh, I also found that I spent a bit more time describing actions and sensations in combat, rather than just moving tokens about. So, when the wolves attacked the party, I talked about the pain of a vicious bite, and the feral breath of the creature, instead of just saying it moved over here and attacked.

Of course, it also helped that I was really on fire that night, and ran one of my best sessions ever. Oh, and that that module is one of the very best ever written.

 

[Shadowslayer]

. Oh, and that that module is one of the very best ever written.

Amen brother.

Considering the map of the castle, the thought of playing that out on tabletop would frighten me. (just a random thought)

Its true that its a very different game when its played in your head, rather than laid out in front of you. Getting rid of the figs for a night or two once in a while will sure help you achieve a balance of some type.

Trev

 

[wedgeski]

Oh, I also found that I spent a bit more time describing actions and sensations in combat, rather than just moving tokens about. So, when the wolves attacked the party, I talked about the pain of a vicious bite, and the feral breath of the creature, instead of just saying it moved over here and attacked.

Your task now is to mix this style of narration with actual miniatures, and you'll have the best of all worlds! The mistake many people seem to make is that you must do one thing or the other.

 

[delericho]

Your task now is to mix this style of narration with actual miniatures, and you'll have the best of all worlds! The mistake many people seem to make is that you must do one thing or the other.

Oh, absolutely, and it's something I'm gradually working on. Unfortunately, it's a really easy trap to fall into to say, "you see that."

 

[Thunt]

So this module is actually called "16 Ravenloft"? It sounds good and now I want to find it and check it out.

 

[Shadowslayer]

QUOTE: So this module is actually called "16 Ravenloft"? It sounds good and now I want to find it and check it out.

Yep, that's the one. It was also released for 2e under the title "House of Strahd"

If youre going to covert to 3e, its the same adventure. And you may find the 2e one cheaper as the original I6 is kind of considered a collectors piece, as far as I can see.

 

[Aramis Simara]

Your task now is to mix this style of narration with actual miniatures, and you'll have the best of all worlds! The mistake many people seem to make is that you must do one thing or the other.

Wedgeski says it all. Everytime I read one of these to use minis or not threads this comes to mind. Good job Wedgeski!

 

[Bagpuss]

So this module is actually called "16 Ravenloft"? It sounds good and now I want to find it and check it out.

You mean I6 Ravenloft. Not 16 Ravenloft.

 

[ForceUser]

Anyone else experience anything like this before?

Yes--it can be quite a shift. This is why I enjoy having role-play only sessions sometimes, without combat. They force me as DM to rely upon my descriptive skill rather than my black pen and Tact-Tiles.