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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Shades of Green" data-source="post: 4476478" data-attributes="member: 3297">It depends on the DM and the players. Running an interesting battle without miniatures requires some thinking outside of the box on both sides of the gaming table, some DM fiat and a certain level of acceptance of DM fiat among the players.Describing "props" in the battle area works very well towards this goal - for example, a room with a table, chairs, chandelier and an open fire pit is far more interesting to fight in than a 10m by 2m empty corridor. But using those "props" requires active thinking outside of the box both by the DM and the players: if the scenery is ignored it'll devolve into a "I hit - You hit" affair. The DM's monsters have to use the scenery to their advantage (say, throwing the chair at someone, or trying to push someone into the fire pit) and so do the players' PCs. And it needs on-the-spot rulings, as not every prop and every creative use for it is described in the RAW.Monsters should also make the best use (to the limit of their intelligence) of their abilities and magical loot. A group of several types of monsters with varied abilities working as a team would work great here.Tactics are also useful, and without miniatures many creative tactics require on-the-spot rulings (especially in pre-3E games).And, last but not least, the DM should give detailed descriptions of combat actions (which are best accompanied by gestures) - instead of "your hit kills the Orc" he should say "your well-aimed sword slices off the Orc's head, and its lifeless body collapses in a fountain of dark-red blood". Instead of "the Orc hits you for 5 damage" he should say "the Orc delivers a sharp and painful stab with his spear, bypassing your shield and cutting through your armor; he damages you for 5 HP". Instead of "the Orc misses", he should say "you block the Orc's blow with your shield". And so on.</blockquote>

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