D&D 5E How Often Do You Use Grids?

[Retreater]

Feel free to elaborate below....

 

[Benjamin Olson]

Basically unless it is a zero-stakes encounter with one or two enemies, if I've got a say the minis are going to come out.

 

[Tony Vargas]

Feel free to elaborate below....

I'm running a storyline, right now, where D&D characters are stuck in the World of Darkness. I always ran Storyteller TotM back in the day (for want of available play space, I also ran Champions! that way, which isn't really even a plausible claim, to me, and I clearly remember doing it), so in honor of that: no grid until they escape.

 

[iserith]

I use grids for every combat and evocative art for other kinds of challenges. Sometimes grids for exploration, but only because the dungeon, say, is mapped out so it lends itself to positioning and the like when resolving actions.

 

[cmad1977]

I mean.. kind of all the time but kind of not at all.

I use Roll20 a lot so grid is kind of the default. However, we don’t always use the grid as precise units of measure.

So, all the time I suppose. Just not often a real stickler for every inch on the map.

 

[Oofta]

I remember using a variation of a grid (pocket change and Monopoly figures for PCs and monsters) in the 70s. I just find it easier to understand where everybody is in combat rather than guessing. I probably wouldn't bother with easy encounters, but we just work together and narrate those anyway without ever rolling a die.

 

[Vael]

During 3.5, Ocassionally.
During 4e, Every battle.
During 5e, Rarely.

 

[Arnwolf666]

I hate to give a number. It is generally with my groups that some campaigns we do and some don’t. Normally it’s all or none for that adventure path or setting. It is very interesting to play both ways because the game unfolds differently from what I see anyway. Without them, from my experience, combat goes faster and their is more emphasis on exploration and social interaction. Less combat analyzing and more of why are we doing combat. And let’s get it over with.

 

[generic]

I'm a tactical DM with a few tactical players, so I always use grids for combat.

 

[Fanaelialae]

I voted regularly. In my longest running group, we almost always use a grid because my friend drew and sealed a grid onto the surface of the table we normally play on, so it's very convenient. That group very much enjoys tactical combat. We don't have combat every session, but they certainly don't mind when the evening ends up being mostly combat.

That said, with my newbie group it depends on whether I'm feeling like it (and if I remembered to bring my grid). If I forgot the minis or want to rush the encounter along (because we only have a short time left to play) I'll happily go theatre of the mind with them. They're happy either way, as that group is not very combat focused. In fact, they often go out of their way to avoid combat, if possible.

And for the solo game that we run at my place, when the main group can't meet up, we never use minis. ToM all the time. That varies. Some nights there's no combat, other nights there's plenty.