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<blockquote data-quote="Man in the Funny Hat" data-source="post: 6008782" data-attributes="member: 32740">I started with Holmes basic using miniatures and a grid in 1976.&nbsp; Began the foray into AD&amp;D with the release of the Monster Manual in 1977 still using minis and a grid.&nbsp; AD&amp;D DMG specifically mention miniatures and a grid as aids to play for the very purpose of eliminating ambiguity in combat.&nbsp; In fact, I can probably count on the fingers of less than a full hand the number of times I've played D&amp;D (any version) without miniatures and grid.&nbsp; It was a number of years before I became aware that people beyond our gaming group frequently felt the game was supposed to be played without them.&nbsp; Even if we hadn't started with them already available for our use we'd have made up something like them for that purpose.It was where I came from.&nbsp; <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile&nbsp; &nbsp; :)"&nbsp; data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />&nbsp; Oh, nobody TRIED to burn their friends with fireballs, but it happened a lot.I don't see use of miniatures and grid as needing to be constraints to otherwise &quot;free-form&quot; gameplay.There is no practical difference to me between:&quot;He's blocking the passage preventing me from getting past?&nbsp; I shield bash him and run past.&nbsp; Do I need to roll or can I just do it?&quot;and,&quot;I can see that he's blocking the passage but I can also see there is room where I can push him aside.&nbsp; I use my shield bash ability, push him a square, and run to THIS square.&nbsp; I'll just take the AoO because doing all this will put me and the thief in flanking position.&quot;except that one relies on DM judgement and fiat, and the other suggests already fixed rules for what would likely be a fairly common situation.I have absolutely no reason to believe that it would be a superior approach to the game, yet have no issue with others doing so.&nbsp; But writing the rules that way leaves A LOT of people out in the cold who prefer NOT to play the game that way.When it comes to debate of, or even mere use of G/S/N terminology my eyes glaze over and make me want to just go watch TV instead of play D&amp;D.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Man in the Funny Hat, post: 6008782, member: 32740"] I started with Holmes basic using miniatures and a grid in 1976. Began the foray into AD&D with the release of the Monster Manual in 1977 still using minis and a grid. AD&D DMG specifically mention miniatures and a grid as aids to play for the very purpose of eliminating ambiguity in combat. In fact, I can probably count on the fingers of less than a full hand the number of times I've played D&D (any version) without miniatures and grid. It was a number of years before I became aware that people beyond our gaming group frequently felt the game was [I]supposed [/I]to be played without them. Even if we hadn't started with them already available for our use we'd have made up something like them for that purpose. It was where I came from. :) Oh, nobody TRIED to burn their friends with fireballs, but it happened a lot. I don't see use of miniatures and grid as [I]needing to be[/I] constraints to otherwise "free-form" gameplay. There is no practical difference to me between: "He's blocking the passage preventing me from getting past? I shield bash him and run past. Do I need to roll or can I just do it?" and, "I can see that he's blocking the passage but I can also see there is room where I can push him aside. I use my shield bash ability, push him a square, and run to THIS square. I'll just take the AoO because doing all this will put me and the thief in flanking position." except that one relies on DM judgement and fiat, and the other suggests [I]already [/I]fixed rules for what would likely be a fairly common situation. I have absolutely no reason to believe that it would be a superior approach to the game, yet have no issue with others doing so. But writing the rules that way leaves A LOT of people out in the cold who prefer NOT to play the game that way. When it comes to debate of, or even mere use of G/S/N terminology my eyes glaze over and make me want to just go watch TV instead of play D&D. [/QUOTE]

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