BookTenTiger
He / Him
I'm interested in transitioning my 5e D&D game away from using battlemaps and towards using roughly sketched "zones."
I love using battlemaps. I like the art of them, I enjoy the tactical nature of grid combat. But I've noticed that my players get a little too focused on the map, and wind up restricting their actions based on what they, as players, see. For example, my players get too caught up counting squares for movement, measuring how wide a crevice is before trying to jump it, or not using the features of the environment just because it's not drawn on the map.
So I want to switch things up!
I still want tactical play, but I want players to focus more on what their characters can do, and how their characters can interact with the environment, instead of counting squares or making assumptions based on what's on the map or not.
I'm thinking of switching to zones instead of a battlemap with a grid.
What I'm picturing is a loosely sketched map that is not to scale. The map is divided into named zones. The players and DM move their miniatures around the zones, but aren't counting squares or measuring distance.
Written onto the zones would be tags that give clues and invitations on how to interact with the environment. So for example, a sample battlemap might look something like:
In game, I would quickly sketch out the battlemap and write the tags (or have a player do so) as I describe it. I purposefully wouldn't describe distances, except for words like "far" or "close" or "big" or "small."
Tags Encourage Tactics
The list of tags would hopefully encourage players to interact with the environment. It would be important to note that the features of the map are not necessarily in those exact places; the stalagmites may be anywhere in the Upper Alcove, and big mushrooms can be found all over the slimy Cave Floor. So a rogue on the Upper Alcove can describe hiding behind a stalagmite without worrying too much about their exact placement on the battlemap. At the same time, a goblin on the Cave Floor will likely have some cover because of all those Big Mushrooms!
Characters would be rewarded for interacting with the environment. A barbarian shoving a hobgoblin is going to have an easier time doing so on the Cave Floor (because of its slippery tag), and doubly so if they shove the hobgoblin into that Slippery Stream! Basically the hope is that the tactics of the grid would be replaced by tactics of the environment.
Movement and Distance are Abstracted
Obviously this would change the way character and enemy movement and distance is tracked. My thoughts are these:
A character can, generally, move one zone per 30 feet of movement. Faster characters could move more than one zone. Small zones, obviously, could be passed through easily.
A character or enemy in a zone could potentially be anywhere within that zone. This is very different than on a grid, where a combatant is located within a 5' square. It is assumed that on a turn a combatant can easily move up to a target in the same zone and attack. Combatants who want to be adjacent to an enemy would just place their miniatures right next to the other miniature.
For attack ranges, I'd probably use a rule like this:
Adjacent - 15 ft: Same Zone
Within 30 feet: Adjacent Zone
Within 60 feet: Within two Zones
Greater than 60 feet: No limits (within reason)
So a spell cast with a 30 foot range could target an enemy one zone over, while an archer with a 60 foot range could shoot anywhere on the map (within reason).
Similarly, Area of Effect spells would have to be somewhat abstracted. I would probably use Sly Flourish's general guidelines:
Tiny Area: 1 creature (cloud of daggers)
Small Area: 2 creatures (thunder wave, burning hands)
Large Area: 4 creatures (cone of cold, fireball)
Huge Area: Everyone (earthquake, circle of death)
Short Line: 2 creatures (wall of fire)
Long Line: 3 creatures (lightning bolt, blade barrier)
Adding and Changing Tags
One of the things that I would get excited about using Zones would be adding and changing the tags that describe the environment.
Of course, there are spells that would add obvious tags. A Fireball cast into an area with flammable objects would get an "Objects on Fire" tag added to a Zone. Shatter, Spike Growth, Grease, etc would add Tags to Zones.
But Tags could also get added through player inquiries. In the Cavern above, a player might ask if there are large stalactites hanging from the ceiling. If there are, I would add "huge stalactites" to the Cave Floor zone. Of course, a Shatter Spell cast on those stalactites would send them raining down to the ground to crush any targets hidden amongst the mushrooms... And then I would add something like a "rubble" tag to the Cave Floor.
Enemies, too, would be setting things on fire, knocking over columns, and adding Tags to Zones.
...
So that's my idea! I'm going to give this a try in a one-shot tonight (with very creative players) and see how it goes.
Have you used Zones, or a similar way of showing the battlemap? How'd it go? What are some benefits or pitfalls I may not have predicted? What are some creative or fun ways to use Tags?
I love using battlemaps. I like the art of them, I enjoy the tactical nature of grid combat. But I've noticed that my players get a little too focused on the map, and wind up restricting their actions based on what they, as players, see. For example, my players get too caught up counting squares for movement, measuring how wide a crevice is before trying to jump it, or not using the features of the environment just because it's not drawn on the map.
So I want to switch things up!
I still want tactical play, but I want players to focus more on what their characters can do, and how their characters can interact with the environment, instead of counting squares or making assumptions based on what's on the map or not.
I'm thinking of switching to zones instead of a battlemap with a grid.
What I'm picturing is a loosely sketched map that is not to scale. The map is divided into named zones. The players and DM move their miniatures around the zones, but aren't counting squares or measuring distance.
Written onto the zones would be tags that give clues and invitations on how to interact with the environment. So for example, a sample battlemap might look something like:
In game, I would quickly sketch out the battlemap and write the tags (or have a player do so) as I describe it. I purposefully wouldn't describe distances, except for words like "far" or "close" or "big" or "small."
Tags Encourage Tactics
The list of tags would hopefully encourage players to interact with the environment. It would be important to note that the features of the map are not necessarily in those exact places; the stalagmites may be anywhere in the Upper Alcove, and big mushrooms can be found all over the slimy Cave Floor. So a rogue on the Upper Alcove can describe hiding behind a stalagmite without worrying too much about their exact placement on the battlemap. At the same time, a goblin on the Cave Floor will likely have some cover because of all those Big Mushrooms!
Characters would be rewarded for interacting with the environment. A barbarian shoving a hobgoblin is going to have an easier time doing so on the Cave Floor (because of its slippery tag), and doubly so if they shove the hobgoblin into that Slippery Stream! Basically the hope is that the tactics of the grid would be replaced by tactics of the environment.
Movement and Distance are Abstracted
Obviously this would change the way character and enemy movement and distance is tracked. My thoughts are these:
A character can, generally, move one zone per 30 feet of movement. Faster characters could move more than one zone. Small zones, obviously, could be passed through easily.
A character or enemy in a zone could potentially be anywhere within that zone. This is very different than on a grid, where a combatant is located within a 5' square. It is assumed that on a turn a combatant can easily move up to a target in the same zone and attack. Combatants who want to be adjacent to an enemy would just place their miniatures right next to the other miniature.
For attack ranges, I'd probably use a rule like this:
Adjacent - 15 ft: Same Zone
Within 30 feet: Adjacent Zone
Within 60 feet: Within two Zones
Greater than 60 feet: No limits (within reason)
So a spell cast with a 30 foot range could target an enemy one zone over, while an archer with a 60 foot range could shoot anywhere on the map (within reason).
Similarly, Area of Effect spells would have to be somewhat abstracted. I would probably use Sly Flourish's general guidelines:
Tiny Area: 1 creature (cloud of daggers)
Small Area: 2 creatures (thunder wave, burning hands)
Large Area: 4 creatures (cone of cold, fireball)
Huge Area: Everyone (earthquake, circle of death)
Short Line: 2 creatures (wall of fire)
Long Line: 3 creatures (lightning bolt, blade barrier)
Adding and Changing Tags
One of the things that I would get excited about using Zones would be adding and changing the tags that describe the environment.
Of course, there are spells that would add obvious tags. A Fireball cast into an area with flammable objects would get an "Objects on Fire" tag added to a Zone. Shatter, Spike Growth, Grease, etc would add Tags to Zones.
But Tags could also get added through player inquiries. In the Cavern above, a player might ask if there are large stalactites hanging from the ceiling. If there are, I would add "huge stalactites" to the Cave Floor zone. Of course, a Shatter Spell cast on those stalactites would send them raining down to the ground to crush any targets hidden amongst the mushrooms... And then I would add something like a "rubble" tag to the Cave Floor.
Enemies, too, would be setting things on fire, knocking over columns, and adding Tags to Zones.
...
So that's my idea! I'm going to give this a try in a one-shot tonight (with very creative players) and see how it goes.
Have you used Zones, or a similar way of showing the battlemap? How'd it go? What are some benefits or pitfalls I may not have predicted? What are some creative or fun ways to use Tags?
