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<blockquote data-quote="tonym" data-source="post: 3152175" data-attributes="member: 4127">It is much easier for the DM to manipulate the PCs and railroad events if there are no minis for him to be accountable to.Imagine a big battle in a large area...PLAYER: Oh no!&nbsp; Dungeon Master, am I close enough to heal Tracy's dwarven Fighter before he goes unconscious?What will the DM say? It depends.&nbsp; If this was supposed to be a challenging battle and the PCs are having an easy time of it, the DM will likely say &quot;No,&quot; simply to up the excitement-level.On the other hand, if the PCs are being badly beaten and on the verge of a TPK, the DM will almost certainly say, &quot;Yes, you are close enough.&quot;Allowing the DM to make so many judgment calls makes the game more predictable, once a Player figures-out the pattern behind the DM's canned responses.&nbsp; A good DM will be harder to figure-out, but even they will become predictable eventually.&nbsp; Minis on the table add to the excitement of D&amp;D because they increase the risk of PC death; this is because the DM is accountable to the locations of the minis.&nbsp; That is why I prefer minis.IMO, players who prefer a mini-free game are players who want their DM to have the power to pull their PC's fat out of the fire during battles.&nbsp; And DMs who prefer a mini-free game are DMs who want more control over battles.Tony M</blockquote>

[QUOTE="tonym, post: 3152175, member: 4127"] It is much easier for the DM to manipulate the PCs and railroad events if there are no minis for him to be accountable to. Imagine a big battle in a large area... PLAYER: Oh no! Dungeon Master, am I close enough to heal Tracy's dwarven Fighter before he goes unconscious? What will the DM say? It depends. If this was supposed to be a challenging battle and the PCs are having an easy time of it, the DM will likely say "No," simply to [I]up[/I] the excitement-level. On the other hand, if the PCs are being badly beaten and on the verge of a TPK, the DM will almost certainly say, "Yes, you are close enough." Allowing the DM to make so many judgment calls makes the game more predictable, once a Player figures-out the pattern behind the DM's canned responses. A good DM will be harder to figure-out, but even [I]they[/I] will become predictable eventually. Minis on the table add to the excitement of D&D because they increase the risk of PC death; this is because the DM is accountable to the locations of the minis. That is why I prefer minis. IMO, players who prefer a mini-free game are players who want their DM to have the power to pull their PC's fat out of the fire during battles. And DMs who prefer a mini-free game are DMs who want more control over battles. Tony M [/QUOTE]

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