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<blockquote data-quote="I'm A Banana" data-source="post: 3869854" data-attributes="member: 2067">You can easily simulate terrain and situation in abstraction.I dislike minis simply because it adds so much realism that it removes the cinematic craziness, and not enough realism to make it really real and prevent weirdness like ten-foot horses and to be able to accommodate 3-D battlefields with different elevations and things like flying or swimming.&nbsp; In abstraction, the movement becomes a challenge to overcome, another cycle of risk and reward.&quot;I want to run up and attack him!&quot;&quot;Okay, there's some furniture in the way -- give me a Dex check to get through it.&quot;*rolls well*&quot;Good! You leap upon the table, flourishing your blade, knocking over a stool as you run up to him! This gains you higher ground! Go ahead and roll the attack, +1 bonus.&quot;On the grid, this becomes more mathmatical, more of a calculation.&quot;Those squares with furniture count as obstructed, right?&quot;&quot;Right, they cost double.&quot;&quot;Okay, then I can't quite make it to him...instead I'll throw my dagger.&quot;&quot;The furniture gives him some cover -- take a -2 to hit.&quot;I'm not a fan of the grid for a lot of reasons (including cost and set-up issues), but the strongest is that it marries my mind to the board, rather than letting it free to come up with all sorts of weird ideas.I'll admit, the abstraction is a &quot;mother may I&quot; game for a DM. I have my own problems with that, but I'm much more comfortable telling DMs to &quot;Make things interesting by introducing the occasional (but not constant) need for a skill check to navigate difficult terrain. If the character succeeds, they should gain some sort of bonus&quot; and then giving them some examples, than I am with measuring things out.Accuracy be damned. I shoot magic missiles and fireballs and holy lightning. I fade from your sight, and I can slay an army of orcs. I can raise the dead, or kill you with a thought. I should not be confined to a CAGE made of little black lines and filled with plastic men.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="I'm A Banana, post: 3869854, member: 2067"] You can easily simulate terrain and situation in abstraction. I dislike minis simply because it adds so much realism that it removes the cinematic craziness, and not enough realism to make it really real and prevent weirdness like ten-foot horses and to be able to accommodate 3-D battlefields with different elevations and things like flying or swimming. In abstraction, the movement becomes a challenge to overcome, another cycle of risk and reward. "I want to run up and attack him!" "Okay, there's some furniture in the way -- give me a Dex check to get through it." *rolls well* "Good! You leap upon the table, flourishing your blade, knocking over a stool as you run up to him! This gains you higher ground! Go ahead and roll the attack, +1 bonus." On the grid, this becomes more mathmatical, more of a calculation. "Those squares with furniture count as obstructed, right?" "Right, they cost double." "Okay, then I can't quite make it to him...instead I'll throw my dagger." "The furniture gives him some cover -- take a -2 to hit." I'm not a fan of the grid for a lot of reasons (including cost and set-up issues), but the strongest is that it marries my mind to the board, rather than letting it free to come up with all sorts of weird ideas. I'll admit, the abstraction is a "mother may I" game for a DM. I have my own problems with that, but I'm much more comfortable telling DMs to "Make things interesting by introducing the occasional (but not constant) need for a skill check to navigate difficult terrain. If the character succeeds, they should gain some sort of bonus" and then giving them some examples, than I am with measuring things out. Accuracy be damned. I shoot magic missiles and fireballs and holy lightning. I fade from your sight, and I can slay an army of orcs. I can raise the dead, or kill you with a thought. I should not be confined to a CAGE made of little black lines and filled with plastic men. [/QUOTE]

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