Playtesters: Are you using miniatures?

[Stormonu]

Just curious - wondering if there is any correlation between using minis and enjoyment of the playtest (at least for ENWorlders).

I consider "using minis" to be breaking out a battlemat and some sort of counters for PCs and monsters for at least set-piece battles, or going whole-hog and doing movement, combat and whatnot with minis.

 

[CleverNickName]

Not yet. Combat and exploration are both going really smooth without one. But in the interest of science, I think I'll add a battlemat after another four or five playtests and see if it adds anything to the experience.

 

[KesselZero]

What Clever said, pretty much, but that I'm very intentionally avoiding minis & mats because it's important to me that the game works without them. 3e and 4e requiring you bust them out for every combat is a definite sticking point for me so one of my main desires for 5e is that it work perfectly well without.

 

[soulcatcher78]

So far with minis and a battlemat for placement purposes (i.e. where's the rogue in relation to the taller characters). I was planning on some work without the minis and mat (just a rough sketch of the room) tonight but got sidetracked by the Hatfields and McCoys (damn you History channel *shakes first*).

 

[Keldryn]

We used minis for most of the battles in our first playtest session, as my players find it difficult to visualize where everyone is in relation to one another without them.

I ran the last encounter of the night without minis or even a diagram of the room (4 PCs vs 3 hobgoblins), and it went off without a hitch. For that one, I also let the highest initiative roll go first, then just went around the table. That battle was over in less than two minutes.

Also voted for "enjoying the playtest."

 

[AntiStateQuixote]

We did full on tactical combat the whole way. The DM is a 3e/4e player that's never played without a grid, so, I'll cut him some slack. I probably would have run this whole thing without a grid.

I liked the game. I didn't like people slipping past the front lines with impunity because of tiny holes in formations. Wouldn't have happened in gridless game (hand wave guarding the wizard) or in a 3e/4e game because of Opportunity Attacks.

 

[MortalPlague]

We started off using a battlemat, but no grid. We basically had a sheet of plastic and I drew the caves using a marker, and gave approximate positioning with some dice. We ran it fast and loose, but my players got a little tired of not knowing exactly how far they could move.

We've been using a grid happily for the last eight or nine years, so moving back away from it was a big shift. We didn't go entirely Theatre of the Mind (I'm a little curious how that would go), but we did go to a grid for the next playtest. That one went more smoothly.

Both games were a lot of fun, battlemat or no.

 

[Kzach]

I can't vote because I'm in two playtests. One with minis/grid and one without.

It actually provides a very interesting contrast. The grid game is DEFINITELY more relaxed and freeform. I feel that I have far more options but that those options are limited to my imagination and the mood of the DM. Luckily for me, he tends to be in a good mood most of the time

BUT... I also find that other people seem hesitant to do things or take risks and because of that, I'm not sure if they're enjoying themselves as much as I am. I'm very proactive and will ask to do odd or interesting things all the time whereas sometimes I think that I need to reign myself in because I feel that by engaging the DM on such a creative level that I'm overshadowing other people who don't.

When playing with a grid, the options are FAR more limited. I think that this playtest is seriously lacking in grid options. I find I'm desperately wanting for abilities to push, pull, slide especially. But having said that, there's also a common ground for all the players to play their characters to their fullest capability and no-one tends to get left behind in combat situations. And if everyone feels like everyone at the table is enjoying the game, the game itself becomes all the more enjoyable.

 

[Mercule]

I voted "no, enjoyed" but the truth is that we're going to shift to using a battlemat next session. I long ago realized that all editions work better (for me) with a map, but I knew map-less play was one thing the team wanted to support.

I thought the play test rules worked just peachy for map-less combat. It was no more lacking than a 2e game w/o a mat.

 

[thalmin]

I voted Enjoyed with minis and grid but can also vote Enjoyed without minis and grid.

Started with grid for couple sessions. Then tried without grid for a couple sessions. Then back to the grid. (I have used minis and grid in nearly all my D&D games for over 30 years and find it hard to brreak the habit.)
I found the game played quite well either way and was fun.