New podcast...

[MaelStorm]

You can play without a grid, but there is no rule about it, and you will miss this and that blah blah! They could have just answered: but it will suck, and it would have been the same thing.

 

[AZRogue]

For those of you who don't have iTunes - here is the link - http://webcast2.wizards.com/podcasts_dandd/DnD_Episode21.m4a

Thanks!

 

[hong]

I thought those things were both clear already from the PH spreads that were revealed at XP (and there were hints about the first even earlier).

It was one of those all-but-confirmed things, and now we have the confirmation!

 

[Kzach]

Anyhow, I subscribed with itunes and got it very quick... so at least something works

Right click on the iTunes heading, "Dungeons & Dragons Podcast" and select the "Update Podcast"

 

[nerfherder]

You can play without a grid, but there is no rule about it, and you will miss this and that blah blah! They could have just answered: but it will suck, and it would have been the same thing.

I've run Star Wars Saga without a grid and it definitely didn't suck. I've run most editions of D&D and about a dozen other RPGs with and without minis and a grid, and they all worked fine without the grid. I don't expect 4e to be any different.

 

[Revinor]

I've run Star Wars Saga without a grid and it definitely didn't suck. I've run most editions of D&D and about a dozen other RPGs with and without minis and a grid, and they all worked fine without the grid. I don't expect 4e to be any different.

Have you tried playing chess without the 'grid' ? I don't mean 'remember the board' like some master players do, just not keeping exact positions of pawns at all.

I don't expect 4e to be any different

Anyway, it is a discussion for another thread.

 

[pukunui]

You can play without a grid, but there is no rule about it, and you will miss this and that blah blah! They could have just answered: but it will suck, and it would have been the same thing.

I've run Star Wars Saga without a grid and it definitely didn't suck. I've run most editions of D&D and about a dozen other RPGs with and without minis and a grid, and they all worked fine without the grid. I don't expect 4e to be any different.

I tried 4e tonight. We used a grid and minis but ... afterwards I felt like I could have easily run it without them and we wouldn't have missed much if anything. To be honest, I think 4e might actually be easier to run without minis than 3e was. Ever since I started playing 3e, I felt like I had no choice but to use a grid and minis. I didn't get that feeling with the 4e trial I ran tonight, even though we did use them. I think it might have been easier not to use them. I might even try it next time. Even if it's not any easier to run without minis, I can tell you this: from my admittedly limited experience, 4e is at least not any harder to run without minis than 3e is.

 

[SaffroN]

You can play without a grid, but there is no rule about it, and you will miss this and that blah blah! They could have just answered: but it will suck, and it would have been the same thing.

The only thing that would have truly sucked is if they did actually design the game so that it was run without a grid.

Of course it will suck without the grid. I don't see how combat could/would be better if they had designed the game to run without a grid.

 

[Dausuul]

The only thing that would have truly sucked is if they did actually design the game so that it was run without a grid.

Of course it will suck without the grid. I don't see how combat could/would be better if they had designed the game to run without a grid.

Ever tried gridless combat? It requires that the players be willing to trust the DM's assessment of the layout, but if you have that, it's a blast. So much faster than grid combat, and a lot more emphasis on imagining the scene and coming up with crazy maneuvers and clever tactics. At least in 3.5E, I find that grid combat makes everybody's board game instincts kick in, and they settle down to play it out strictly by the book.

Don't get me wrong, combat with minis is fun too. But it certainly doesn't suck to do it the other way, not even in crunchtastic 3.5E.

 

[hong]

I wonder if you could design an alternative system that didn't use the grid, but cards or something. Completely abstract.