I discovered for my group it wasn't strictly the map and minis, but the SQUARES on the map. I've had the luxury of gaming with the same basic group since 1980..we're all childhood friends who have remained in the same general area. We rarely used minis in earlier versions and I certainly DID see a less immersive version of the game being played under 3e, so as an experiment I flipped the battlemat over (mine is blank on the back).
It. was. amazing.
Now granted, I did build a few "templates" to keep things roughly in scale without the squares when I sketch a map real fast...a few room-tracing aids from foamcore, and a set of "spell templates" like steel sqwire's, only true radius (not stair stepped) by bending wire around some cans and bowls in the kitchen. Players move based on thier movement rate and the known size of the room, and that's close enough...as DM I don't care if you REALLY moved 28 feet or 33 feet...don't take off and move 200 feet. Description has begun to creep back into the players' combat...it was almost like all those neat little lines were forcing the thinking of these experienced and timeworn roleplayers into neat little patterns.
Now certainly different groups will behave differently, but for those of you feeling like your D&D has turned into some version of chess, you might give it a try and see what happens.
It. was. amazing.
Now granted, I did build a few "templates" to keep things roughly in scale without the squares when I sketch a map real fast...a few room-tracing aids from foamcore, and a set of "spell templates" like steel sqwire's, only true radius (not stair stepped) by bending wire around some cans and bowls in the kitchen. Players move based on thier movement rate and the known size of the room, and that's close enough...as DM I don't care if you REALLY moved 28 feet or 33 feet...don't take off and move 200 feet. Description has begun to creep back into the players' combat...it was almost like all those neat little lines were forcing the thinking of these experienced and timeworn roleplayers into neat little patterns.
Now certainly different groups will behave differently, but for those of you feeling like your D&D has turned into some version of chess, you might give it a try and see what happens.
