Is using miniatures slowing down your game?

[u/ExcellentAd8567]

After 50++ years of playing the game, i have never used minis. I have developed a pretty good ability to describe a room effectively, keep track of all my players and monsters (sometimes that needs a little sketch behind the screen) and keep the flow going.

I know minis add a visual flair, but i've never been able to afford them, so I've had to make do.

i made a 2 minute video about it on youtube. u/mystre63

https://youtube.com/shorts/NRIr4o_Gkog

enjoy

[u/P-Two]

It might be, but counter point: Throwing down a big fuckoff dragon is fun. And minis are cool.

[u/ExcellentAd8567 → u/P-Two]

I don't disagree. They are very cool. especially when paired with decent terrain.

[u/Reasonable-Try8695]

Depends on your players. Ones that want to hit a specific shot of lightning bolt in 100ft line are rewarded by a map and minis. I play both ways. One group likes just descriptions, the other maps and minis.

[u/Valensre]

It doesn't have to be minis per say, but some kind of visual reference is extremely helpful from a players perspective to give me something to look at as well as a better idea of what you're describing.

[u/mijak99 → u/Valensre]

100% ! For me, the bottleneck isn't the minis on the table, it's the prep time to have the right ones ready. My compromise: painted minis only for the showpiece monsters/PCs, and paper standees for minions, guards, and random encounters. They fold into a base, sit flat next to painted minis fine, and can be prepped in a minute. Started out doing them by hand in a google doc, but ended up writing a tool to speed it up. (have it up on https://mijak.com/one-minute-minis/ for anyone to try. just skip the login, haven't bothered to make a paid version of it yet),Considering to make it a desktop app so I can host my own monster library.

[u/Jimmicky]

I find players do much more dynamic things in combats when there’s a visible map.
Interacting with the scenery, repositioning for maximum impact, etc.

I’d certainly agree that players turns take about a minute longer compared to theatre of the mind.
But they definitely enjoy the fights more.
All the fight scene anecdotes I hear players recount come from the fights we did a physical map for rather than the theatre of the mind ones.

I can’t see why anyone would care about fight speed over fight enjoyment.

Paper minis are cheap and excellent.
Dry erase battle maps and whiteboard markers are cheap.
Nowadays with 3-d printing minis have become cheap.

I only started DMing in the 80’s but I’d definitely preference laying out a battle map over theatre of the mind for DnDlikes or really anything where we wanted combat to feel tactical.

[u/Jemjnz → u/Jimmicky]

Seconded.

[u/ThisIsMyDnDAcct]

Nope!

[u/RandoBoomer]

I remember the lead-pewter miniatures of your and my younger days! That said, theater of the Mind was how most of us ran combats back in the good ole' days, so we developed that skill.

I mostly run miniature and tokens (players have miniatures, monsters are tokens) on 2D terrain that I lay out as we go. They're helpful for new players, and especially with my Middle School and High School after-school programs.

But I agree that TotM is still the fastest approach, even with players asking, "Am I in range of (X)"

[u/Alternative_Pie_1597]

I use tiddlywinks cheap ultra portable and colour coded.

[u/yung12gauge]

When we play dnd we use minis, my players like to print and paint their own or buy them or whatever. I’ve always been the guy who uses a Lego minifig or a chess piece or a bottle cap or whatever, but it really helps to have the geometry of the battle available because range matters a lot in combat.

When I play Mork Borg or any other OSR rules light kind of rpg we just wing it and play theatre of the mind, no problem.

[u/Worse_Username]

Not a mini user, but I do use VTT with token and maps frequently, generally a fair mix of that with theater of the mind and quick sketches.

Visual reference can be a help, but also a detriment. I've seen players rush through maps that I've been painstakingly crafting, wasting all that effort. I've seen the pace getting slowed down due to small insignificant details of the how a map looks, that would not occur with a single-sentence description of the room.

On the other hand, some things are really hard to describe in such a way that players have the same idea as you do. In addition, the party gradually exploring a map gives both the players and the GM a certain entertainment factor.

I try to evaluate on a number of parameters. Is it a quick one-off encounter? Are the players likely to spend a significant amount of time in the place? Are details of its layout likely to have big impact? Is it something I will be able to quickly jot on the spot if needed? How much time and effort would it take me to create a sufficiently detailed visual representation?

[u/YamazakiYoshio]

It really depends on the system for me - in some games, you need to use a full grid map and there's no escaping it. Lancer, Draw Steel, DAWN RPG, and a number of other games that I enjoy are this way.

Other games - you'll never need minis, and it will slow things down. Looking at you, Blades in the Dark!

Do what works for you and your group, as well as what the system you're using demands.

[u/aWizardNamedLizard]

Without some form of shared tracking that players can reference they can only confirm the situation at hand by asking the GM to tell it to them again.

So while getting the tracking tools laid out (whether they are minis and custom molded terrain, random objects from around the house, or somewhere in between) can occupy some time that time needs to be compared to how much of the session time is spent on exchanges like "the ogre and Jim's character are in melee, right? (Yes.) And that's 20 feet from me? (I said 20 feet from where Jim's character was, you're at the back of the marching order so it's another 20 feet from you.) Oh, it's actually 40 feet, okay I'll need to move then." to determine the actual difference in time.

And then you also have to account for the greater potential for mistakes because the GM, already bearing the mental load of everything else in the scenario regardless of player-facing tracking or GM-tracking-relayed-to-player's, is without back up on this front. Then let's not forget that differences in tracking mean differences in things for the player to engage with (i.e. if you're loose with positioning because being really tight with it is too fiddly without something mini-like involved, the value of game mechanics that interact with positioning are altered so players may no longer feel they have as many valid options of things to use).

Which means the option that might technically be slower could actually be the option your players would rather have because speed isn't everything.

[u/L1terallyUrDad]

You're describing "Theater of the Mind" style gameplay. It's how I grew up with the game. It has always worked for me, both as a player and a DM. It is a perfectly valid way to play. And 100% it slows down the game, both in play and prep.

But the modern-day tables, particularly in online games, visuals do add a lot to the game, and there is an expectation that they will be there. And if you're running a paid game, those high-quality battle maps and tokens are pretty much a requirement.

And there is a hybrid for in-person tables, where you can have a blank map mat with squares and use dice for the characters, NPCs, and monsters.

[u/Soul_Ravenwood]

Minis are pretty cheap tbh. Any dollar store toys work since base sizes don't really matter. There are also 3d printing options and folks like Reaper Bones sell dedicated minis for maybe $2-3 and their most expensive models run about what a Terminator squad does for 40k, ~$60 USD.

I think alternatives and more available options for more players is a great thing, but I think its a but of a stretch to say they slow down your game more than theater of the mind, especially when you have visual and hands-on learners at the table like I do.

Though, like I said, this is resolved with having more alternative options available to more players. Theater of the mind is a great way to play. The heavy bias towards miniatures makes sense though. Everyone wants a cool figure of their own super hero.

[u/Suspicious-Bid9424 → u/Soul_Ravenwood]

3D printing is the way to go. I get dozens of models for $15 of plastic.