Theater of the Mind and VTTs: Oh Brave New World...

[Cordwainer Fish]

It’s not even a matter of like/don’t like for some, it’s can’t do TotM due to specific brain disfunctions, either memory or visualization.

And there's shades of gray. Tell me the bad guy is ten meters away, cool. Tell me bad guy A is ten feet away and has cover, bad guy B is twelve meters away in a different direction and said a bad word after his last shot like maybe his weapon jammed, etc. and I'm going to want a map.

 

[Thomas Shey]

I think the take-away from this discussion is that different tools and processes work differently for different groups. If detailed battle maps don't work for your group and you want more TotM like the OP, then my suggestion is aimed at them. If you don't like TotM, then my suggestions certainly wouldn't be for you.

I agree with your position, but I just have to note "don't like" understates it; there are people like me who, in practice, could not properly engage with a combat entirely in TotM except in systems that are very casual about some thing without a map (and likely at least tokens). Its not entirely an issue of just taste.

 

[Thomas Shey]

It’s not even a matter of like/don’t like for some, it’s can’t do TotM due to specific brain disfunctions, either memory or visualization.

Or in my case, both.

 

[aramis erak]

Or in my case, both.

Either one alone makes TOTM an issue; both is particularly problematic.

 

[Bomberooski]

One of the online campaigns I was in was all totm AND the group was extremely tactical in how they fought. I was always impressed with the DM and the players that it all worked so well. No one complained and no one felt ripped off by not having a map with actual measurements.

It was the first real campaign I was in so I didn't know any better but after playing in a campaign and a few one shots on Roll20 with battlemaps and tokens I'm really impressed in how good our DM was in making the battles feel tactically sound.

 

[Thomas Shey]

Either one alone makes TOTM an issue; both is particularly problematic.

Yeah, the way I summarize it is that the more the combat system cares about distance and position (and there can be all kinds of matters of degree here) the more I need maps and markers. Even back in the OD&D days, the game cared enough about movement speeds and things like area effects that it was, in practice, pretty much impossible for me to do purely theater of the mind unless a combat was very simple.

 

[Thomas Shey]

One of the online campaigns I was in was all totm AND the group was extremely tactical in how they fought. I was always impressed with the DM and the players that it all worked so well. No one complained and no one felt ripped off by not having a map with actual measurements.

It was the first real campaign I was in so I didn't know any better but after playing in a campaign and a few one shots on Roll20 with battlemaps and tokens I'm really impressed in how good our DM was in making the battles feel tactically sound.

To make it clear, I have no doubt that when you have a GM who has good visual and spatial memory (and ideally, imagination) it would help considerably. I just don't doubt in my case that as a player I'd still lose track from round to round that way. Now, the GM could keep rebriefing me as I asked, but I can't help but think that'd get pretty old pretty quick for everyone involved.

 

[Bomberooski]

To make it clear, I have no doubt that when you have a GM who has good visual and spatial memory (and ideally, imagination) it would help considerably. I just don't doubt in my case that as a player I'd still lose track from round to round that way. Now, the GM could keep rebriefing me as I asked, but I can't help but think that'd get pretty old pretty quick for everyone involved.

I agree with this. In my case I was a ranger in that campaign which I feel made it easier for me personally to just shoot an arrow or two from a distance. I'm sure I'd have been lost if I was running around getting into combat with different enemies.

Also, when I was thinking back about this last night we also didn't have a ton of combat in our sessions.

 

[Thomas Shey]

I agree with this. In my case I was a ranger in that campaign which I feel made it easier for me personally to just shoot an arrow or two from a distance. I'm sure I'd have been lost if I was running around getting into combat with different enemies.

Most D&Doids also don't pay a lot of attention to cover, so that'd help too (as in, it tends to be "can you see the target" rather than "The target has this much cover from this angle".)

Also, when I was thinking back about this last night we also didn't have a ton of combat in our sessions.

Well, obviously if you don't do combat much a lot of this is moot.