There are plenty of ways to playDungeons & Dragons. No matter how many people you have, how much money, or how much time, you can find a way to start an adventure in this TTRPG world.
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Whileminiatures and battle gridsare common visual tools for players, they are far from necessary to enjoy the game with your friends. However, it can be a little challenging for those who don’t know what to implement in place of these tools. Well, whether it’s to save money, time, or just for the extra creativity, here are some options for playing D&D without minis or a grid.
10Software
In the past few years, there has been a big upswing of new software available for making D&D easier to play. This is doubly useful for those gaming groups who don’t live in physical proximity to one another.
There is a wide array of software and websites out there that either replace minis and battle grids or make them unnecessary. They range from completely free to having paid memberships. Do some searching around to see if any fit your play style.
9Understand The Dynamic
The relationships between DM and players is an important one. The DM paints the picture of the world, but it’s the players that interact with it.
They are equally important halves, and without both the game doesn’t work.
Knowing that, and understanding your role in the game, is crucial for making sure everything goes smoothly. This is especially true when you are playing without the visuals minis and grids allow for in combat. Respect for anmd understanding of what each person at your table (or video chat) offers will make everything run a lot smoother.
8Agree With Each Other
There will be times when there is discrepancy between one player and another or a player and the DM. It is bound to happen, since no two people will envision a scene the exact same way. When this happens it is important to stay positive and agree with one another, within reason of course.
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Little things that don’t matter in the grand scheme of things aren’t worth derailing the entire session over for minutes at the time. Sometimes the best thing to do is understand where two people differed in their ideas of the situation and find common ground. You are friends after all. Finding a way to quickly solve these discrepancies when they come up is a great way to save time and frustration.
7Stay In Communication
When using the realm of imagination for combat, the key to making sure things run smoothly from turn to turn is to communicate well. This may seem like common sense, but it can actually take some time to perfect.
As a player: describe your move step by step, both in what you do and in how you think it will work in your mind. As the DM: make sure you are doing the same for the setting and any enemies/NPCs in the area, and make sure to clarify with your players on their turns often as well.
6Rough Sketches
Some of the concepts and settings you describe as the DM or player may be a little harder to envision with just your mind. Thankfully, even without grids and minis you have options at your disposal.
A simple pen and piece of paper can go an incredibly long way when talking about new areas or what is happening. Draw a quick sketch of what you are trying to describe. It doesn’t matter how good it is, stick figures can easily be grizzled pirates with a little imagination.
5Focus Less On Combat
Combat is a big part of D&D to be sure, but it isn’t the only thing, and it doesn’t have to be a priority either.
you’re able to see how much D&D relies on combat even when you create your character. However, if you talk to your group, they may be okay with toning down the combat side of things. This not only reduces theater of the mind combat, which can get confusing. But, it also allows for more of a role playing focus on the game where character decisions shine. This is great forhigh-fantasy and political campaigns.
4Take Notes
As stated before, sketches are a solid way to keep visuals simple but effective. Well, there are more uses for that pencil and paper.
Players should consider taking notes on what is happening. Anything from details about enemies, setting, or what other players are doing with their characters. It’s all valuable to be able to refer back to. When combat is lasting a while and has multiple turns for multiple rounds, it’s amazing to be able to look back at even a short list of what’s happened so far.
3Getting Creative
As stated before, a pen and paper can do a lot of work for a DM. you may take that a few steps further though.
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Being creative in a game all about imagination and creativity opens up a lot of doors. Look around your house, or wherever you play, and see what you can use to help describe your scene or character. Action figures, Lego, toilet paper rolls, your household pet, it doesn’t matter as long as you’re having fun.
2Use Internet References
The internet has nearly anything you want. You found this article on there for example. Use it to your advantage during games.
D&D artwork can be used to show character ideas, movie scenes to show combat moves, Google Earth to show battle maps, all of that and more can be used to help your players better understand your game. It really is only limited by your own creativity. Don’t be afraid to hop on the internet to grab a quick visual for your party.
1Leniency
As the DM of a D&D group that has decided against using minis or grids, you’ll want to avoid being too much of a rules stickler.
This comes mostly into play where combat is concerned. Patience is key here, and thumping the core rulebook isn’t always the best way to solve a problem. Find your amount of leniency when it comes to combat rules and rulings. Some rules are better left untouched, but tweaks here and there for a better time and party dynamic aren’t going to hurt anything.
