We use a mix of TotM and gridded combat. Players bring their minis and I primarily use chess pieces to represent the enemies. For large creatures, I've used blocks and Skylanders (a good re-use, since we can't seem to get rid of those anymore). For huge creatures, beer cans work really well! I will show the picture of the enemies from the MM or Tome of Beasts or whatever source I'm pulling from - with a conveniently cut thick paper shield that hides the name and statblock from prying eyes.
I also like keeping things moving while getting everyone involved in all pillars. Players are expected to detail quickly what their character is doing by mastering their characters' abilities (with adequate help and patience, of course, for new players). I find a paper character sheet along with a printed, custom spell list (from
www.dnd-spells.com for example) works extremely well and minimizes delay and distraction. Likewise, we keep rule lookups at the table to a minimum.
As DM, I try my best to present multiple "choices" for the players - but sometimes prep-time is at a premium and I only really have one quest for them to pursue at a given session. I'm lucky to have players that are cool with that - and I've been trying to get better at a little DM illusionism to make it seem like they were in charge of the choice (even though the ambush was waiting for them regardless of which direction they headed, for example).
I'll intentionally leave some details out of my prep and have the players help create some of the world, from the characteristics of certain places to the names of certain NPCs (although sometimes this is wonderfully regrettable like the guards named "Ben" & "Jerry").
We follow a
Goal and Approach style of play, rewarding clever tactics (not flowery speech!) based on PC characteristics with lower DCs, advantage, auto-successes, and/or inspiration. The dice, however, feature prominently and ominously - before I ask for rolls, the players know the odds and the consequences for failure.
Finally, and most importantly, we aim for fun. For our group, that means attempting bold actions, working as a team, celebrating victories, and embracing failures. Voices are encouraged, allusions to pop-culture are lauded, and puns are mandatory, "immersion" be damned! Examples include my terrible attempt at a
Christopher Walken voice for the Pact Lich baddy, a bastardization of
Hamilton's "I know him" to have a Kobold scribe introduce the players to the Queen of the Bullywugs (really a polymorphed Death Slaad) - "that poor gnome, the Froghemoth's gonna eat him alive!", and a new twist on
Lando's Cloud City scene: "I've just made a deal that'll keep the Black Hand out of here forever..."