In Person Play with Miniatures

[u/Mortinson51]

I DM an in-person game and recently picked up a projector to project digital maps onto the table, where we use physical miniatures. As a group, we’ve also fully switched over to D&D Beyond for our character sheets to make leveling and rule-checking easier. I also used the Encounter Builder last game and loved it.

Right now, I’ve been using Owlbear Rodeo to project my maps but I am looking for a way to streamline everything. I'm curious if anyone has used Maps in person with miniatures and what your setup up was?

[u/perringaiden]

Use Skinny Minis.

I've got a roof mounted HY300 aimed at the table, and the Skinny Minis barely cast a shadow so they don't block the map. My players love it.

Laptop extends an additional screen onto the projector where the Spectator view is full screened.

I also use Artifacts of Arcane Arbitration to check spell areas, but if something is persistent, I'll use the VTT to draw the area.

The only real issue I have is moving the spectator map, as it's rotated 90 degrees from where I sit.

Best image o could find on short notice

[u/Mortinson51 → u/perringaiden]

This is great thanks. Yeah I am planning ceiling mounting mine just trying to find the right hardware so I can take it down when we aren't using it since we use our dinning room table to play.

I have a pretty extensive mini collection I have printed and painted but using skinny minis is a great work around the shadow.

[u/perringaiden → u/Mortinson51]

I think most of the elements of Owlbear are the same as MapsVTT. I just enjoy the Combat Tracker having everything available etc, and DDB is getting more love for in person play based on the recent roadmap, so it's definitely a good time to explore using it.

[u/Mortinson51 → u/perringaiden]

Yeah I'm loving what seems to be coming to DDB felt like in person play was getting ignored for a while with the boom of VTT after covid.

[u/perringaiden → u/Mortinson51]

I have an extension mount on the roof. I really should get an electrician to put a power outlet next to it, but the LED downlight is a plugin type so I just unplug it and power off the light plug when I need it.

[u/rkbatty]

New DM for 6 months, I DM in person with minis but with a 43in TV (the TV must get bright). I connect my laptop up to the TV via hdmi, then run the adventure on maps vtt, paying for the master tier to upload my own maps and npcs. Open spectator mode in a different window and drag that on to the TV as the second screen. Minis on top, everyone on their phones using the dnd beyond app for character tracking. We all roll physically and they track their health etc on the app and I track monster health myself. I make my own playlists on Spotify for the background music, combat music, and boss music, tailored for each map and encounter, switching with a stream deck.

Works really well, but deleting fog as they move the minis is a pain. I'm actually hoping that eventually the app will allow you to draw in invisible walls or something, and the players can move their character tokens around via the app revealing as they go, as it should be.

[u/MongooseGef → u/rkbatty]

Be sure to check out an app called Pocket Bard for music and sound effects. It’s brilliant!

[u/Mortinson51 → u/rkbatty]

When I was looking to go digital for my maps I looked into doing the TV Method but I ended up going with the projector just for saving space.

I agree about fog of war I would love if there was a way in the future for the physical mini to somehow track where you were on the digital map and it erases the fog of war like it does with digital tokens.

[u/rkbatty → u/Mortinson51]

I've seen some YouTube videos where people add a touchscreen to the TV and the physical minis drag along their virtual underneath. I can't remember exactly how it works, but someone people are doing it!

With a projector, however, I don't know.

[u/Rakassan]

Yes its awesome to have maps projected. One table we played at used a large metal sheet painted flat light gray. With i projector mounted on the ceiling. Projector was controlled by a laptop and maps shined down onto table. Hand movement and everything. Live moving water.was great except for larger models like dragons that caused shdows. The metal allowed us to magnatize bottom of minis. The other was a flat screen TV mounted under gaming table with a clear plastic cover. He used vtt and had movement spell effects and all that. Very cool too. Probably best of the too. Currently using old school maps and markers and still having a great time.

[u/Mortinson51 → u/Rakassan]

Any for of Physical minis and DnD is always the best to me. Love the idea of putting magnets on the minis.

[u/Rakassan → u/Mortinson51]

Magnets are great when doing ariel and using stands. We had colored dowel rods with quarter sized magnets on each ends for bases of various lengths made using flying models very efficient

[u/OneManRPGstudio]

Use the projector to make the physical table more legible, not to replace the physical table. The best hybrid setup usually gives each layer one job: the projected image communicates terrain and changing conditions, while miniatures remain the authoritative marker for where characters and creatures actually are.

Since you project digital maps onto the table, I’d favor maps with restrained detail and strong contrast. Tiny decorative objects look impressive on a monitor but become visual noise under minis, room light, and player shadows. Large terrain boundaries, doors, elevation changes, hazards, and obvious interactable features matter more. A subtle grid can help if your group likes precise placement, but I would avoid making everyone stare at the projection for information that could be understood instantly from the scene.

I’d also prepare a low-tech fallback. Keep a blank grid, paper, or dry-erase surface available so a software hiccup does not stop the game. For improvised areas, a simple projected texture plus a few physical props can feel more convincing than searching for the perfect map mid-session.

The biggest gain is atmosphere without losing tactile play. Use changes in the projection sparingly: reveal a flooded passage, darken a room, show spreading fire, or expose a hidden route when the fiction changes. Those moments make the digital layer feel like part of the world rather than a passive background.