What's wrong with Mini-Centric?
Nlogue
First Post
Hussar said:
For me there is nothing wrong with using minis. But when they become indispensable to the game, that's unfortunate in my opinion. One of the strengths of D&D is its versatility. You can play it loads of ways. As this changes, it makes the game less adaptable...also a lot more expensive. I like that I can just throw my three core books in a bag with some paper, pencils and dice and I'm ready to play.
If I NEED a battlemat, and I NEED minis to play, well that makes my life more difficult and makes the game less adaptable for me.
I personally never use minis, just my preference, so as I see the game moving towards minis-only play, it makes me less excited about playing it, and as someone without a lot of capital at my fingertips, it makes the game less feasible as a pastime option for me. There are other games I can play without needing a closet full of stuff to do so.
Edit: To say nothing of how focusing on a battlemat and minis turns the whole experience into more of a board game feel for me, and less of an interactive game whose purpose is creating great stories with your friends (not saying this is HOW TO PLAY, but rather this is how I like to play).
Nifft
Penguin Herder
I like minis, but there's only so much room on my battlemat, and my apartment isn't big enough to do hold much more. The PCs in my game are 16th level, and combats can range over huge areas -- between the fly speed of a Dragon and the range of a dimension door, the battlemat is far too limited a theater.
So rules to resolve things that are just plain out of scale would be awesome.
Cheers, -- N
So rules to resolve things that are just plain out of scale would be awesome.
Cheers, -- N
Avatar_V
First Post
Eh, definitely a personal preference thing. But, for me, it's too much combat simulation in a game that I like to be more about roleplaying. I play with two groups - in one, we use minis and it works out fine. In the other, (the one I DM) we don't and it works out fine as well. I like that I don't need to bother with them and the players in that group prefer combat to be more abstract since it's not really the focus of the game for them (yes, I've been told before that this group is playing the wrong system 
).
).
Bagpuss
Legend
To a greater or lesser degree I find it limits my imagination. It's a bit like if you read a book and imagine the description of a dragon, and then you see one in that terrible Dragonlance Trailer, it just isn't the same and if I have the images presented in front of me I don't need to imagine them, I actually find it harder to imagine them, because I have this actual experience in my head now.
If I imagine a combat, like I had to in 2ed, it was much more detailed and larger than life, while we still had rounds it just felt more fluid. If I watch a combat on a battlemat it's static and considerably smaller than life, and it actually makes it harder to imagine a real battle, because your focus is on these inch-high plastic figures.
If I imagine a combat, like I had to in 2ed, it was much more detailed and larger than life, while we still had rounds it just felt more fluid. If I watch a combat on a battlemat it's static and considerably smaller than life, and it actually makes it harder to imagine a real battle, because your focus is on these inch-high plastic figures.
what the hack was that? Dragonlance? Thats a joke right? I mean - there is a crappy mix of CGI and lame animation... it would have passed in the 80s.. but 25 years later - art still suxx that badly...
I mean.. did they just make it, lost funding and locked it away in a vault for 25 years, and now finally raised the $14000 necessary to finish animation? i mean...WOW... what the heck was that?
And I agree.. my imagination is much better than that.. even though I see things in stick figures.. at east they had more persoality than that load of Pile!!
Oh yeah - an army of dragons... when did every dungeons and dragosn HAVE to have an army of dragons... what happened to theyir power and mystique. Now - graduate from grade school by slaying one... GGGRRRR!!!!
As for minis - I kind of like perusing through the walls of minis to have something that fits what I view is the best characterization of my char. Then I can see him and people can see what I see when i start to RP his quirks...
I mean.. did they just make it, lost funding and locked it away in a vault for 25 years, and now finally raised the $14000 necessary to finish animation? i mean...WOW... what the heck was that?
And I agree.. my imagination is much better than that.. even though I see things in stick figures.. at east they had more persoality than that load of Pile!!
Oh yeah - an army of dragons... when did every dungeons and dragosn HAVE to have an army of dragons... what happened to theyir power and mystique. Now - graduate from grade school by slaying one... GGGRRRR!!!!
As for minis - I kind of like perusing through the walls of minis to have something that fits what I view is the best characterization of my char. Then I can see him and people can see what I see when i start to RP his quirks...
Gez
First Post
It's expensive. Especially given that WotC distributes them randomly, so you have no guarantee you'll get the minis you want.
This has led to the creation of what I would call a parasitic market (not in a negative meaning, mind you) where people buy a huge lot of them, open all the boxes, sort the minis out, and resell them individually.
This has led to the creation of what I would call a parasitic market (not in a negative meaning, mind you) where people buy a huge lot of them, open all the boxes, sort the minis out, and resell them individually.
Bagpuss
Legend
Balgus said:
Perhaps because your nearest games shop is £13 on the train or £5 parking, and an hours drive away and even when you get there they have a really limited range of singles, and no lead miniatures?
Of course you can buy from online singles suppliers, or ebay but then you have postage charges that inflate the price of the miniature as well.
Whisper72
Explorer
Well, mini's are fine in some respects, and to each his/her own, but...
in my opinion, the overuse of mini's makes the game more of a tactical combat game rather then a role playing game. The use of mini's is also, in my opinion, a factor that can limit the boundaries of one's imagination. The terrible troll is now no longer some image conjured in the mind, but a piece of plastic to be tactically and emotionlessly defeated using mathematical rules of movement and causes and effects (AoO etc.).
Too much clarity leaves not enough room for imagination. although mini's are wonderful toys and in some instances can be very helpful explaining positions, personally I would rather play without them...
in my opinion, the overuse of mini's makes the game more of a tactical combat game rather then a role playing game. The use of mini's is also, in my opinion, a factor that can limit the boundaries of one's imagination. The terrible troll is now no longer some image conjured in the mind, but a piece of plastic to be tactically and emotionlessly defeated using mathematical rules of movement and causes and effects (AoO etc.).
Too much clarity leaves not enough room for imagination. although mini's are wonderful toys and in some instances can be very helpful explaining positions, personally I would rather play without them...
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