Id say it's usually easier for surprise to happen in the middle of combat for the NPCs, as the players don't know where the dm guys are but the dm knows where the players are.
Also a player who gets into position and waits a round loses more damage than they would gain so seldom a good idea.
I'm just here to parrot... The DM and the Players have to want as much story in a sword swing as they do a deception check. Being verbal. Improvising. Reaching out to do something narrative along side the math makes it great. I think 5e is pretty great to help facilitate interesting combat. Use all of the rules. Give advantage and disadvantage where it makes sense. Don't worry about the book's defined times it's relevant. Use it as a DM tool to shake people up... "Your opponent leaps from the back of his fallen comrade's corpse with spite in his eyes!" Roll at advantage, explain the kinetics!
PLUS DON'T USE A GRID FOR EVERY COMBAT! If at all. Force narrative and it's a much more enjoyable combat.
I actually find grid combat more enjoyable at it allows more planning and thought rather than there is a bad guys... No wait where is the rogue.... Is anyone next to him.... Uhm no wait I was suppose have attacked the same guy as the rogue so he can get sneak attack now....
Okay exaggerated, but having a grid with mini's makes it easier to make plans and jump off the rock pile rather than having to figure out if the dm is going to let me get to the rock pile in one round, remembering that there was a rock pile and more importantly knowing the bad guy is actually next to the rock pile.
I actually find grids to make combat more enjoyable than less enjoyable (at least in a game like d&d).
I actually find grid combat more enjoyable at it allows more planning and thought rather than there is a bad guys... No wait where is the rogue.... Is anyone next to him.... Uhm no wait I was suppose have attacked the same guy as the rogue so he can get sneak attack now....
Okay exaggerated, but having a grid with mini's makes it easier to make plans and jump off the rock pile rather than having to figure out if the dm is going to let me get to the rock pile in one round, remembering that there was a rock pile and more importantly knowing the bad guy is actually next to the rock pile.
I actually find grids to make combat more enjoyable than less enjoyable (at least in a game like d&d).
I'm of the camp that uses a grid. If frees up mental space for the narrative. Otherwise I have to put aside some for adjudication of spatial relationships. Not as fun.
Same here on the battle hex/grid, even back in the days of measuring out movement in inches using Mom's fabric measuring tape, I had my small hex mat put out by the company Chessex eventually bought out. Spatial definitions are my bread and butter in my line of work in forestry/GIS and where the biggest arguments came in those early games was "I wasn't in the breath weapon range/yes you were/no I wasn't/yes you were/blah blah blah. Since 3.0E went grided chess movement, the theatre of the mind works really well for ranged encounters but as soon as the melee gets involved, I have to represent it with miniatures. I've been painting minis since '85 so there's no shortage of appropriate monster/character representations. Besides, players love when their DM paints up their mini to their specifications (unless they paint too).
Same here on the battle hex/grid, even back in the days of measuring out movement in inches using Mom's fabric measuring tape, I had my small hex mat put out by the company Chessex eventually bought out. Spatial definitions are my bread and butter in my line of work in forestry/GIS and where the biggest arguments came in those early games was "I wasn't in the breath weapon range/yes you were/no I wasn't/yes you were/blah blah blah. Since 3.0E went grided chess movement, the theatre of the mind works really well for ranged encounters but as soon as the melee gets involved, I have to represent it with miniatures. I've been painting minis since '85 so there's no shortage of appropriate monster/character representations. Besides, players love when their DM paints up their mini to their specifications (unless they paint too).
Love to paint minis. Started around the same time as starting Warhammer fantasy battle and 40k. The guys being hard on forcing the what you see is what you get and basic painting really helped my love of the hobby.
I 3D print them now, and tiles for funzies. It's a great time for table top gaming.
Same here on the battle hex/grid, even back in the days of measuring out movement in inches using Mom's fabric measuring tape, I had my small hex mat put out by the company Chessex eventually bought out. Spatial definitions are my bread and butter in my line of work in forestry/GIS and where the biggest arguments came in those early games was "I wasn't in the breath weapon range/yes you were/no I wasn't/yes you were/blah blah blah. Since 3.0E went grided chess movement, the theatre of the mind works really well for ranged encounters but as soon as the melee gets involved, I have to represent it with miniatures. I've been painting minis since '85 so there's no shortage of appropriate monster/character representations. Besides, players love when their DM paints up their mini to their specifications (unless they paint too).
I want to get into painting mini's. I was thinking about buying some of the bones minis to practice on since they aren't that expensive. (And the new line has mind flayers and displacer beasts!)
I find, for better or worse, D&D is a game that almost requires a grid.
I can definitely see a ranged character claiming they were clearly far away from the Dragon's breath weapon because they had enough range to be far away and still hit.
I want to get into painting mini's. I was thinking about buying some of the bones minis to practice on since they aren't that expensive. (And the new line has mind flayers and displacer beasts!)
I find, for better or worse, D&D is a game that almost requires a grid.
I can definitely see a ranged character claiming they were clearly far away from the Dragon's breath weapon because they had enough range to be far away and still hit.
Check the Arts & Crafts part of the Forums on feedback on the new miniature line and buried deep in that forum should be a thread on 3-D printing where I show pictures of some final results on 3-D print vs. Bones vs. HeroForge vs. Metal \m/ . The new minis I am very encouraged by the detail they provide post-primed and their economic value cannot be denied. It's 1990 mini prices (albeit plastic).
I actually find grid combat more enjoyable at it allows more planning and thought rather than there is a bad guys...
It also makes the game more like a board game than a role playing game. Your planning and deducting encourages the combat to only be about numbers of squares, number of creatures, and dice rolls.
Grid combat only encourages 1 plane of combat. Dragons tend to land and just take hits from players. Players tend to square off 1 on 1 with monsters and play roll'em slo'em robots. They don't think about the 3rd dimension at all.
Grids encourage boring players to be more boring. Dragon chess is cool, as a chess game. D&D RPG needs to be played like an RPG.
A small drawing here and there is all that's needed. Make your players use their imagination and combat just gets better.
Same here on the battle hex/grid, even back in the days of measuring out movement in inches using Mom's fabric measuring tape, I had my small hex mat put out by the company Chessex eventually bought out. Spatial definitions are my bread and butter in my line of work in forestry/GIS and where the biggest arguments came in those early games was "I wasn't in the breath weapon range/yes you were/no I wasn't/yes you were/blah blah blah. Since 3.0E went grided chess movement, the theatre of the mind works really well for ranged encounters but as soon as the melee gets involved, I have to represent it with miniatures. I've been painting minis since '85 so there's no shortage of appropriate monster/character representations. Besides, players love when their DM paints up their mini to their specifications (unless they paint too).
I want to get into painting mini's. I was thinking about buying some of the bones minis to practice on since they aren't that expensive. (And the new line has mind flayers and displacer beasts!)
I find, for better or worse, D&D is a game that almost requires a grid.
I can definitely see a ranged character claiming they were clearly far away from the Dragon's breath weapon because they had enough range to be far away and still hit.
I really enjoy using the grid, I don't think getting rid of it is necessary. Sometimes we don't bother with it for a small encounter, but we usually use it. Partly because most of my party paints their own minis and goes out of their way to find ones for their characters with each new campaign.
I've also recently gotten into sculpting minis, and hope to soon be able to surprise my party with hand sculpted minis of all their characters. I still need some practice but my third one is coming along pretty good. :)
I actually find grid combat more enjoyable at it allows more planning and thought rather than there is a bad guys...
It also makes the game more like a board game than a role playing game. Your planning and deducting encourages the combat to only be about numbers of squares, number of creatures, and dice rolls.
Grid combat only encourages 1 plane of combat. Dragons tend to land and just take hits from players. Players tend to square off 1 on 1 with monsters and play roll'em slo'em robots. They don't think about the 3rd dimension at all.
Grids encourage boring players to be more boring. Dragon chess is cool, as a chess game. D&D RPG needs to be played like an RPG.
A small drawing here and there is all that's needed. Make your players use their imagination and combat just gets better.
I find your line of thinking regarding grid-based combat rather shallow.
Take your hypothetical on dragons in a grid-based combat for example. That's not an issue that's inherent in grid-based combat. It's an issue that stems from a lack of understanding for dragons by the hypothetical Dungeon Master. A dragon would never just "land and just take hits from the players". Just because the grid typically represents the "ground plane" in regards to this style of play doesn't mean that flying monsters are going to stop flying. The grid is a tool and is merely there to show the creature's location in relation to the players so that more tactically minded players can have a better spatial understanding of what's going on around them. You can place a dragon on the grid and still give the players the information that it's still flying 50 to 100 feet in the air (or more) whether that be through an exchange of words, a transparent base used to imply a different "plane of combat", or both. In the end, your hypothetical is just a shortcut to thinking and creativity.
I actually find grid combat more enjoyable at it allows more planning and thought rather than there is a bad guys...
It also makes the game more like a board game than a role playing game. Your planning and deducting encourages the combat to only be about numbers of squares, number of creatures, and dice rolls.
Grid combat only encourages 1 plane of combat. Dragons tend to land and just take hits from players. Players tend to square off 1 on 1 with monsters and play roll'em slo'em robots. They don't think about the 3rd dimension at all.
Grids encourage boring players to be more boring. Dragon chess is cool, as a chess game. D&D RPG needs to be played like an RPG.
A small drawing here and there is all that's needed. Make your players use their imagination and combat just gets better.
I find your line of thinking regarding grid-based combat rather shallow.
Take your hypothetical on dragons in a grid-based combat for example. That's not an issue that's inherent in grid-based combat. It's an issue that stems from a lack of understanding for dragons by the hypothetical Dungeon Master. A dragon would never just "land and just take hits from the players". Just because the grid typically represents the "ground plane" in regards to this style of play doesn't mean that flying monsters are going to stop flying. The grid is a tool and is merely there to show the creature's location in relation to the players so that more tactically minded players can have a better spatial understanding of what's going on around them. You can place a dragon on the grid and still give the players the information that it's still flying 50 to 100 feet in the air (or more) whether that be through an exchange of words, a transparent base used to imply a different "plane of combat", or both. In the end, your hypothetical is just a shortcut to thinking and creativity.
This was an awesome reply that fully encompassed my thoughts, kudos.
I understand the argument against minis/grid combat, but many players prefer the level of strategy it allows for. It is on the DM to prevent it from simply becoming flat, board game-esc combat.
4) And this one is one I see a lot of veteran DMs do...never start any scene or encounter with "roll initiative"
I've found having the players make 4 initiative at the first of the night and write them down on a card or post it and keep it by your screen. I put them in columns and if/when a combat needs to start I use one of the columns for their initiative order, it allows the narrative to flow nicely into combat. Once that column is used, I mark it out and use the next set for the next encounter. It can also keep the players surprised,
I would agree, at first glance, combat can be rather stale if played word-for-word by the rules. However, this is common with every tabletop game, even those with more complex dice/rules (Star Wars RPG, etc).
Most have already said this in far better ways than I can but the ruleset is a framework but the fun/flavor/entertainment is 100% on the shoulders of the people playing and DMn.
Here's a few things I do to make combat more fun. I'm sure others have better ways but these have worked for me over the years:
Grid/No-Grid as needed: If the party picks a fight with a local shopkeep randomly, likely not something that needs to require a full-stop to map out the scene, find the right Elven Shopkeeper mini and lay down where every piece of merchandise is. However, if they're about to fight the end-game villain and you've got 30 traps, 15 triggers, 5 ambushes, etc planned, may want to at least draw it out for reference. Grids should be used when needed and visa versa.
Go past simple Failure/Success: Avoid "Hit" and "Miss" responses as a DM or a player. What does the monster do when the PC hits it with his sword? What color are the magic missiles that slam into the chest of the PC Fighter from the hidden mage in the bushes?
Crit/Fail Charts: Create a critical hit/fumble chart for 1/20 and near hits/near fumbles. While the 1/20 is easier, lot of rolls usually fall into the "Dammit I rolled a 3" or "Crap, I almost hit their armor class". Have some fun with the near hits and the near fumbles too. "You come down with your axe, meeting directly with the Fallen Knights sword, locking the two of you in a battle of strength to free your weapon first as you glare at one another"
Improvisational Hazards: Add traps, weak bridges, a wasps nest, or an unintended crash through a random shop's window during a battle. A lot of times, combat becomes sterile because it's just roll, roll, roll, next round. If the fight is in a tavern, have more and more people run in to join the fight until the odds are overwhelming. If the fight is on a boat, have the seas become rough and require constant dex-related checks to stay on their feet/on the boat. Maybe the bad guy announces he just finished a ritual set to go off in 3 rounds if the party doesn't subdue him in time that causes undead reinforcements to arrive.
Overall, it's more about just using the rules as a framework and adding in fun things within them. It's hard at first as there's a lot of pressure as a DM to know the rules but I'm a fan of making things fun and figuring the rules out later.
I actually find grid combat more enjoyable at it allows more planning and thought rather than there is a bad guys...
It also makes the game more like a board game than a role playing game. Your planning and deducting encourages the combat to only be about numbers of squares, number of creatures, and dice rolls.
Grid combat only encourages 1 plane of combat. Dragons tend to land and just take hits from players. Players tend to square off 1 on 1 with monsters and play roll'em slo'em robots. They don't think about the 3rd dimension at all.
Grids encourage boring players to be more boring. Dragon chess is cool, as a chess game. D&D RPG needs to be played like an RPG.
A small drawing here and there is all that's needed. Make your players use their imagination and combat just gets better.
There is a whole reason combat tiers exist, and other mechanism to allow for creatures to be higher than everyone else.
A dragon might land to use its breath weapon (especially of the line types) in order to get more people in its cone/line. From the air, line based breath weapons could really only hit one person (or two if you allow the dragon to fire in the middle of a square).
Also also! Any advice for getting past shyness to be able to do things like different voices for NPCs and stuff? I've managed to get out of my shell here and there. Like last night, the necromancer was totally insane, believe himself the reincarnation of a god. He cackled a lot and I tried to cackle, and then at one point I managed to be "in the zone" enough to actually shout something like "you cannot defeat a god AHAHAHAHA!" and I literally shouted, and laughed super loud, and I could tell my eyes were like wide and bugging out of my head. And I saw everyone around the table jump and their eyes were wide, and I ducked behind my screen in embarrassment, but one of them was like "that was awesome!" I want to do that kind of thing more, but I've got anxiety, and I'm so shy, I dunno how to get comfortable doing that.
Practice! Sing in the shower, talk to yourself, play out the encounter in advance while no one's looking. Practice!
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"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both" -- allegedly Benjamin Franklin
I actually find grid combat more enjoyable at it allows more planning and thought rather than there is a bad guys...
It also makes the game more like a board game than a role playing game. Your planning and deducting encourages the combat to only be about numbers of squares, number of creatures, and dice rolls.
Grid combat only encourages 1 plane of combat. Dragons tend to land and just take hits from players. Players tend to square off 1 on 1 with monsters and play roll'em slo'em robots. They don't think about the 3rd dimension at all.
Grids encourage boring players to be more boring. Dragon chess is cool, as a chess game. D&D RPG needs to be played like an RPG.
A small drawing here and there is all that's needed. Make your players use their imagination and combat just gets better.
Echoing what Necrophlactr said, grids are only as boring as a DM makes them. Grids/battle mats and minis/game markers are a tool for helping the players and DMs visualize the fight. Theater of the mind is still running, the grid is simply a structure to help keep everyone on the same page. If the DM is setting the scene each round and the players are roleplaying, i.e. making decisions as their characters would, then dice roll concerns will eventually fade to the back. It should also be noted that the number of creatures is something a character would be thinking about.
I agree with you that it's possible to misuse a grid and I would add that narration can be misused as well. Long, descriptive narration about each attack can make a bored player even more bored. Generally speaking, a person only needs a few broad details and they will start filling in the rest in their head. If I say "Your shot misses the orc, landing firmly in the tree next to it. The orc glares at you and starts charging", your brain is likely going to start painting a picture of what that looks like. You don't need me to use prose and a handbag of adjectives to get the theater of the mind rolling in your head. Narration is a tool that, when used efficiently, can help people visualize the fight in their mind just like a grid.
As someone who lives with ADD, a grid and game markers are essential. I need the extra head room to manage the other parts of the game that are occurring simultaneously during combat - setting DCs, managing combat flow, improvising narration, roleplaying the NPCs/monsters in the fight, etc. Like any tool, grids can be misused, however they can also be a godsend for people with disabilities or people who just need visual cues more than auditory cues. It's not a lack of imagination, some people just process information differently than others. For myself and others, the grid takes some of the cognitive load off and allows our imaginations to run wild, helping us become better roleplayers and DMs.
Crit/Fail Charts: Create a critical hit/fumble chart for 1/20 and near hits/near fumbles. While the 1/20 is easier, lot of rolls usually fall into the "Dammit I rolled a 3" or "Crap, I almost hit their armor class". Have some fun with the near hits and the near fumbles too. "You come down with your axe, meeting directly with the Fallen Knights sword, locking the two of you in a battle of strength to free your weapon first as you glare at one another"
Crit fails/fumbles can be fun occasionally, however I would encourage a DM to be careful when using these as they can become punishing to any character that makes multiple attack rolls on their turn. A dual wielding fighter with extra attack is going to make three attack rolls, giving them a 15% chance to make a huge mistake when they swing their weapon. Compare this to a class who only has one attack roll, giving theme a 5% chance to fumble.
Also also! Any advice for getting past shyness to be able to do things like different voices for NPCs and stuff? I've managed to get out of my shell here and there. Like last night, the necromancer was totally insane, believe himself the reincarnation of a god. He cackled a lot and I tried to cackle, and then at one point I managed to be "in the zone" enough to actually shout something like "you cannot defeat a god AHAHAHAHA!" and I literally shouted, and laughed super loud, and I could tell my eyes were like wide and bugging out of my head. And I saw everyone around the table jump and their eyes were wide, and I ducked behind my screen in embarrassment, but one of them was like "that was awesome!" I want to do that kind of thing more, but I've got anxiety, and I'm so shy, I dunno how to get comfortable doing that.
Practice! Sing in the shower, talk to yourself, play out the encounter in advance while no one's looking. Practice!
This is great advice. Additionally you can test out voices when you're driving by yourself. If you have young kids, then you have the best partner to workshop new voices with and start building your confidence. They love it when you use different voices when you read to them. If you don't have kids, volunteer to read at your local library or a literacy center - you get to have the ultimate "yes, and"ers and you'll be doing something good for your community. I will also add that just changing the words you use, the volume of your voice, and your pacing. If you're a male trying to do a female voice - don't try and do the high pitch "girl voice" thing, just try lowering your voice a bit and it will sound more natural. Don't forget about body language - it conveys so much when we communicate. Crossed arms, furrowed brow, big grin, shifty eyes - they only require your body. You can practice when you're looking in the mirror at night while your brushing your teeth.
Here's a link to an article from the Angry DM that I found helpful as I've been working on improving my narrative skills.There is some good advice in there that may help you as well. His style is a little caustic and vulgar, so you've been warned.
My other thought is to try and breadcrumb them along to doing this. When you're setting the scene for the fight, point out a few items in the environment that they could potentially use to creatively end the fight. You can also do this between rounds when you're setting up the next one. If you make a point of telling them something is there, players tend to at least make note of it mentally. Don't spell it out for them, just make note of it to attract attention.
Overall Synieth, I want to say that your response to the constructive criticism has been great. You started out putting it on your players, some people suggested it might be falling on you as the DM, and you openly accepted that. Having an open mind and open heart to feedback is really what makes a DM great and it's a crucial skill that will serve you in your life outside of D&D. Seriously, kudos for demonstrating that. There's a DM forum here on DDB if you have more questions or want to throw out some ideas. Stop on by!
Why the expectation to roll initiative? I very rarely have my players roll initiative, and base combat order on how they entered the room, the order, stealth, etc. Implied initiative. That way, if and when combat starts, there isn't a break in the story telling.
Hey, you entered the room first, everyone else is following, what do you do. Makes more sense to me than, hey, the player right at the back of the line got a higher initiative than everyone else, and has to push past everyone to get anything done.
And being in a conversation with an NPC, who all of a sudden tries to kill a character, is a lot more fun than giving everyone a heads up that it's about to happen :)
Why the expectation to roll initiative? I very rarely have my players roll initiative, and base combat order on how they entered the room, the order, stealth, etc. Implied initiative. That way, if and when combat starts, there isn't a break in the story telling.
Hey, you entered the room first, everyone else is following, what do you do. Makes more sense to me than, hey, the player right at the back of the line got a higher initiative than everyone else, and has to push past everyone to get anything done.
And being in a conversation with an NPC, who all of a sudden tries to kill a character, is a lot more fun than giving everyone a heads up that it's about to happen :)
That's quite a good idea, but what do you do in situations that aren't so cut and dry? Like for example if they aren't entering a room but are out in the open somewhere on a road all grouped together, or being ambushed. How do you decide who goes first then?
Or what if one member of the party wants to attack but someone else wants to be able to talk to them first, how do you decide without initiative who gets to do their thing first in a situation where there isn't a "first person into the room" or neat line of entry?
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Id say it's usually easier for surprise to happen in the middle of combat for the NPCs, as the players don't know where the dm guys are but the dm knows where the players are.
Also a player who gets into position and waits a round loses more damage than they would gain so seldom a good idea.
I'm just here to parrot...
The DM and the Players have to want as much story in a sword swing as they do a deception check. Being verbal. Improvising. Reaching out to do something narrative along side the math makes it great.
I think 5e is pretty great to help facilitate interesting combat. Use all of the rules. Give advantage and disadvantage where it makes sense. Don't worry about the book's defined times it's relevant. Use it as a DM tool to shake people up... "Your opponent leaps from the back of his fallen comrade's corpse with spite in his eyes!" Roll at advantage, explain the kinetics!
PLUS DON'T USE A GRID FOR EVERY COMBAT! If at all. Force narrative and it's a much more enjoyable combat.
I actually find grid combat more enjoyable at it allows more planning and thought rather than there is a bad guys... No wait where is the rogue.... Is anyone next to him.... Uhm no wait I was suppose have attacked the same guy as the rogue so he can get sneak attack now....
Okay exaggerated, but having a grid with mini's makes it easier to make plans and jump off the rock pile rather than having to figure out if the dm is going to let me get to the rock pile in one round, remembering that there was a rock pile and more importantly knowing the bad guy is actually next to the rock pile.
I actually find grids to make combat more enjoyable than less enjoyable (at least in a game like d&d).
Same here on the battle hex/grid, even back in the days of measuring out movement in inches using Mom's fabric measuring tape, I had my small hex mat put out by the company Chessex eventually bought out. Spatial definitions are my bread and butter in my line of work in forestry/GIS and where the biggest arguments came in those early games was "I wasn't in the breath weapon range/yes you were/no I wasn't/yes you were/blah blah blah. Since 3.0E went grided chess movement, the theatre of the mind works really well for ranged encounters but as soon as the melee gets involved, I have to represent it with miniatures. I've been painting minis since '85 so there's no shortage of appropriate monster/character representations. Besides, players love when their DM paints up their mini to their specifications (unless they paint too).
We all leave footprints in the sands of time.
We all leave footprints in the sands of time.
I
Grid combat only encourages 1 plane of combat. Dragons tend to land and just take hits from players. Players tend to square off 1 on 1 with monsters and play roll'em slo'em robots. They don't think about the 3rd dimension at all.
Grids encourage boring players to be more boring. Dragon chess is cool, as a chess game. D&D RPG needs to be played like an RPG.
I would agree, at first glance, combat can be rather stale if played word-for-word by the rules. However, this is common with every tabletop game, even those with more complex dice/rules (Star Wars RPG, etc).
Most have already said this in far better ways than I can but the ruleset is a framework but the fun/flavor/entertainment is 100% on the shoulders of the people playing and DMn.
Here's a few things I do to make combat more fun. I'm sure others have better ways but these have worked for me over the years:
Overall, it's more about just using the rules as a framework and adding in fun things within them. It's hard at first as there's a lot of pressure as a DM to know the rules but I'm a fan of making things fun and figuring the rules out later.
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both" -- allegedly Benjamin Franklin
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Echoing what Necrophlactr said, grids are only as boring as a DM makes them. Grids/battle mats and minis/game markers are a tool for helping the players and DMs visualize the fight. Theater of the mind is still running, the grid is simply a structure to help keep everyone on the same page. If the DM is setting the scene each round and the players are roleplaying, i.e. making decisions as their characters would, then dice roll concerns will eventually fade to the back. It should also be noted that the number of creatures is something a character would be thinking about.
I agree with you that it's possible to misuse a grid and I would add that narration can be misused as well. Long, descriptive narration about each attack can make a bored player even more bored. Generally speaking, a person only needs a few broad details and they will start filling in the rest in their head. If I say "Your shot misses the orc, landing firmly in the tree next to it. The orc glares at you and starts charging", your brain is likely going to start painting a picture of what that looks like. You don't need me to use prose and a handbag of adjectives to get the theater of the mind rolling in your head. Narration is a tool that, when used efficiently, can help people visualize the fight in their mind just like a grid.
As someone who lives with ADD, a grid and game markers are essential. I need the extra head room to manage the other parts of the game that are occurring simultaneously during combat - setting DCs, managing combat flow, improvising narration, roleplaying the NPCs/monsters in the fight, etc. Like any tool, grids can be misused, however they can also be a godsend for people with disabilities or people who just need visual cues more than auditory cues. It's not a lack of imagination, some people just process information differently than others. For myself and others, the grid takes some of the cognitive load off and allows our imaginations to run wild, helping us become better roleplayers and DMs.
Crit fails/fumbles can be fun occasionally, however I would encourage a DM to be careful when using these as they can become punishing to any character that makes multiple attack rolls on their turn. A dual wielding fighter with extra attack is going to make three attack rolls, giving them a 15% chance to make a huge mistake when they swing their weapon. Compare this to a class who only has one attack roll, giving theme a 5% chance to fumble.
Why the expectation to roll initiative? I very rarely have my players roll initiative, and base combat order on how they entered the room, the order, stealth, etc. Implied initiative. That way, if and when combat starts, there isn't a break in the story telling.
Hey, you entered the room first, everyone else is following, what do you do. Makes more sense to me than, hey, the player right at the back of the line got a higher initiative than everyone else, and has to push past everyone to get anything done.
And being in a conversation with an NPC, who all of a sudden tries to kill a character, is a lot more fun than giving everyone a heads up that it's about to happen :)
- Stu
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