D&D 5E Minis and no grid?

[fjw70]

Anyone Use minis for 5e without a grid? I have started doing this for 5e to just get some rough relative positioning. Sometimes I use a large dry erase board to draw in room/terrain but haven't used a grid in quote some time.

 

[plancktum]

Yeah, I'm also doing this. 13th age inspired me to do this and I carried this over to D&D 5e.
I think it's the best out of the two worlds: Theater of the Mind vs. Tactical Map.

 

[Rhenny]

I used to do this all the time for 2e and 3e. I was a big fan of relative positioning even 20 years ago.

Now, I run all my games online using Fantasy Grounds, so we use the tokens, but I still will often just use a whiteboard on FG and just do theater of the mind using the tokens for relative positioning.

I really like that better than full grid play, but I do mix it up and throw in a full-scale grid encounter once in a while.

 

[AaronOfBarbaria]

I used to use minis without a grid, just kept a couple soft tape measures around for anything that needed to be precise.

Ever since buying one of Chessex's vinyl battle mats I've used a hex grid, but loosely - it replaces the tape measures with an easily referenceable grid, but we don't "lock" to the grid.

 

[ccs]

We do this alot, no matter the edition.

It's also not uncommon to see it happening ON a Chessex mat with a completely not - to - scale map drawn on it....
(What can I say? We're lazy.)

 

[Barantor]

I do this now as it keeps my players thinking about what they want to do rather than what they can do. They tended to treat the grids like a chessboard so it took forever for them to make any move.

 

[Rushmik]

I need to try this. I've been using a grid just because it's our default, but I find myself saying "don't bother counting squares, just go ahead" every other turn.

 

[fjw70]

I need to try this. I've been using a grid just because it's our default, but I find myself saying "don't bother counting squares, just go ahead" every other turn.

Yes you should try it. I played 1e for years with minis on the table top with any sort of grid or map.

 

[Uchawi]

With ranged effects it is pretty simple, but you have to be careful not to over penalize martial characters movement. The grid is not necessarily the problem with a unhindered landscape, but terrain, objects, etc. that get sprung out of nowhere can get frustrating.

 

[SwivSnapshot]

Tried playing without a map when playing Edge of the Empire and it constantly led to arguments between the GM and other players about what melee/short/medium/long ranges were. Tried it again when I ran our group's first 5e campaign, and the player's couldn't let go of the need for a battle map to plan their turn. That said, our groups are often diverse in age and background (16 to 60 since we take walk ins at the local game store) and we need a consistent way to depict combat.

DM: You can see a small group of kobolds ahead of you 50 feet and to the right.
PC Wizard: I cast Burning Hands....
DM: You just set fire to the paladin's warhorse and now the kobolds are laughing at you.
PC Paladin: I kill the wizard since he's clearly chaotic evil.​