Is gaming *with* a map and minis really bad?

[Darrin Drader]

I have never not used a chessex mat and minis. To me it seems the most natural way to play the game.

 

[Kahuna Burger]

I try to too, and I think I'm reasonably successful at it, but I think the mechanics being written as they are--where some kind of visual representation of combat is almost essential to avoid combat just being a confusing nightmare--certainly hinders me rather than helps me in that regard. D&D in combat and D&D out of combat feel like two different games.

Hrm, I didn't mean to phrase that as a "you just need to think this way" thing, but in retrospect it looks a little like that.

 

[Steel_Wind]

Is there somerhign wrong with using the Coolest. Gaming Set-up. Evar?

Only that is makes gaming less fun when you aren't using it & tons of minis.

 

[Agamon]

I've been using "minis and maps" before I knew what they were. Back in my early days with the basic set, we'd use board game pieces and a chess board or gridded table. I've gamed without, too, especially in PbPs. So, no, it's hardly bad, but it's not truly necessary either.

 

[Zendragon]

I've done both and prefer battlemaps, especially as a DM. It avoids confusion, and actually helps the flow of battle.

 

[Desdichado]

Hrm, I didn't mean to phrase that as a "you just need to think this way" thing, but in retrospect it looks a little like that.

Heh. Yeah, I didn't take it that way either; no worries.

 

[Kesh]

it's not evil, and there are times where it's almost necessary. However, I prefer to avoid it when possible. Getting things set up takes wind out of the player's sails, as a dramatic fight goes on "Pause" while you get the map & minis set up. And you tend to lose some of the roleplaying to, "Okay, how many squares is that? If that corner counts as a square, I can't hit him from here. Otherwise, I'm going to..."

That said, sometimes you just have to use them (if you don't want to handwave away conflicts). It can get confusing as to who is where doing what, and a map/minis helps keep everything clear to everyone.

 

[Darklone]

There's nothing wrong with using maps and minis!

Seconded. It's not a problem, it helps with the game.

 

[Raven Crowking]

Of course not.

Although you might lose some "flavour" when the players know exactly how many orcs are in that band without the PCs having to stop and count, if you tell the players ahead of time that there might be "hidden markers" that they cannot yet see, this problem goes away.

I personally prefer minis for set piece combats only, such as the major fight in the villian's lair. For minor skirmishes, they tend to make the game slower.

YMMV, of course.

 

[JRRNeiklot]

Maps and minis aren't "bad." I don't think they take away from gameplay, though they may slow it down a bit - you gotta take time to move the mini, ind out where everyone was after the cat jumps on the table, etc. It's AOOS, 5 foot steps, reach, flanking, tumbling, etc that bother me. They aren't neccesarily "bad" either, but they do slow down gameplay, especially by people who either forget or don't know all the rules.