D&D 5E The new Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set - and online tools?

[Nemio]

Ok, thanks for your replies.

I wonder what they will recommend for newbies like me.

My dad's first reaction about ToTM was
"Hmm, won't that cause alot of discussions about who is where, ranges, etc?"

 

[Thaumaturge]

Ok, thanks for your replies.

I wonder what they will recommend for newbies like me.

My dad's first reaction about ToTM was
"Hmm, won't that cause alot of discussions about who is where, ranges, etc?"

If you are in need of minis, the Icons of the Realms Starter Set will have the minis for the pregens. But a grid map and tokens scavenged from others games works just fine.

Thaumaturge.

 

[JediSoth]

Actually, they have a tool that will format it for you with literally about three mouse clicks. I'm not sure what the policy on charging for it is these days, though, but it can take your example 60 page pdf at 8.5x11 and order the pages and ensure everything is set up for you, as well as resizing it if you want to, say, print really tiny booklets at 8.5x11 (four pages per sheet of paper) or something.

Cool. I wasn't aware they would do that for you. I usually print out my PDFs on my home printer and have them perfect bound.

Note, Adobe Reader can do this as well. You just need to print in Brochure format. It really does only take about three clicks and you can print away to your hearts content. To be fair though the print size might be a bit wonky.

I didn't know that functionality was in Reader. I haven't used Reader in so long...and that seems like something they would lock away in the paid version.

I will probably take the PDF, print it, bind it, and keep it in the box I get with my Starter Set. Not everyone will be able to access the PDF during our collaborative character creation sessions, so print copies come in mighty handy.

 

[Li Shenron]

Ok, thanks for your replies.

I wonder what they will recommend for newbies like me.

My dad's first reaction about ToTM was
"Hmm, won't that cause alot of discussions about who is where, ranges, etc?"

The way I see it, the whole point of using ToTM is to avoid keeping track of ranges and positions. If you choose ToTM, you use only broad descriptions such as near/far or cover/line-of-sight. The downside is that you have to accept some loss of consistency and trust that on the long term favorable and unfavorable DM's adjudications will even out.

If you find your group arguing over those adjustications, then it probably means you should rather switch to using a battlemat.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

The way I see it, the whole point of using ToTM is to avoid keeping track of ranges and positions. If you choose ToTM, you use only broad descriptions such as near/far or cover/line-of-sight. The downside is that you have to accept some loss of consistency and trust that on the long term favorable and unfavorable DM's adjudications will even out.

If you find your group arguing over those adjustications, then it probably means you should rather switch to using a battlemat.

In my experience there's a lot of space between pure ToTM and "always use a mat" - sketched maps and so on.

 

[Blackwarder]

I also use miniatures with TotM just to show relative positions and such, so you might see three minis stand together in a 10' corridor.

Warder

 

[Li Shenron]

In my experience there's a lot of space between pure ToTM and "always use a mat" - sketched maps and so on.

Definitely

 

[MoonSong]

If you are in need of minis, the Icons of the Realms Starter Set will have the minis for the pregens. But a grid map and tokens scavenged from others games works just fine.

Thaumaturge.

I've noticed that scavenged lego figures, old pokemons and pieces from discarded Chess/Checkers sets are more than enough to go by.

 

[am181d]

In my experience there's a lot of space between pure ToTM and "always use a mat" - sketched maps and so on.

This. For bigger battles, I'll just quickly sketch the area on a piece of paper along with player starting positions. I'll scratch out (or erase) and redraw as necessary. Works pretty well.

 

[SavageCole]

Where is the starter adventure set?

Do we know the setting of the starter adventure? What campaign setting? Urban/wilderness? Name of town/region? Anything like that?