When I DM-ed AD&D we didn't do combat with miniatures, usually either just a description or a really quick pencil drawing. I ran with facing, you could move to stop people from moving past you and all that fun stuff. It was more of a simulation than the tactical board game 4e is. A typical example would be if you played a Thief. You couldn't get behind somebody that where aware of you, they would just move back and/or turn.
Combat does get a lot more free-form and throwing a fireball when people where in melee range was not something you did with a light heart.
I am starting to wonder if it would be doable to run it a bit more like that in 5e? Instead of running it on a grid, just do it free-form and use push-backs and similar tactics to actually get behind mobs.
I forsee some problems trying to run it like this. For instance, we usually had some discussions about where peoples characters actually where - or where my monsters where.
On the other hand, you describe what you are trying to do the same way you would describe it when role playing, instead of counting squares and doing small 5' pushes.
Would you play in a game without miniatures where most of the combat is just described in words and sketched quickly on a piece of paper?
- Where mobs close ranks to intercept your run-by out of turn and you need to come up with a reason why you can move past your opponents?
- Where the DM's decision about what is actually happening probably probably weighs a bit more than the players?
- Where simulation takes a front seat to gamist approaches?
Combat does get a lot more free-form and throwing a fireball when people where in melee range was not something you did with a light heart.
I am starting to wonder if it would be doable to run it a bit more like that in 5e? Instead of running it on a grid, just do it free-form and use push-backs and similar tactics to actually get behind mobs.
I forsee some problems trying to run it like this. For instance, we usually had some discussions about where peoples characters actually where - or where my monsters where.
On the other hand, you describe what you are trying to do the same way you would describe it when role playing, instead of counting squares and doing small 5' pushes.
Would you play in a game without miniatures where most of the combat is just described in words and sketched quickly on a piece of paper?
- Where mobs close ranks to intercept your run-by out of turn and you need to come up with a reason why you can move past your opponents?
- Where the DM's decision about what is actually happening probably probably weighs a bit more than the players?
- Where simulation takes a front seat to gamist approaches?