Game Formats: Theater of the Imagination vs Grided Combat

In this age of the internet, there are many ways to run a game. And the format you choose has a big impact on how the game will run. Each format has it's own strengths and weaknesses, and today I'm going to go over what I believe they are.

Theater of the Imagination

Theater of the imagination is a type of game the eschews any sort of battle map for Dungeon Master description. 

Strengths:

• Everything is in the imagination, so there's no need to invest in battlemaps, tokens, or anything else to keep track of things. All you need is a pad of paper, a pencil, and a Dungeon Master that is happy to describe things in gritty detail.
• Because everything is in the imagination, you get to picture everything in your mind. Distances don't matter as much, and it's easier to apply the 'rule of cool.'
• Because there's nothing to keep track of, it's easy to play a game anywhere you can find room to roll some dice.
• It stream lines combat by taking away all the time that players spend carefully plotting out movements on the map. They can simply ask, "am I within 30 ft of the kobold with the four forked tongue?" and the DM can say yes or no.

Weaknesses:

• It is much harder to track detailed combats. This makes it easier to run simple combats, but once you start dealing with eight or nine different monsters, it can be nearly impossible to keep things ordered.
• Players don't always understand things the way the DM intends. If the player and DM get on a different page, it can slow the game down while everyone gets back to the same mental map.
• The Dungeon Master will often have to describe the same thing multiple times, and will have to answer many questions about distances and available options.
• Players that have relied on maps in the past may feel helpless without a map to help them visualize things.

Should I use it?

If you are planning on running simple combats, and want to focus more on the cinematic action rather than the nitty gritty, this format is for you. Be prepared to hand hold players while they get used to picturing things in their head. 

Tactical Grid

A tactical grid is where you pull out a map on either graph or hex paper, and use it to track movement. Many online table top solutions like Roll20 or Table Top Simulator have a grid worked into their program. 

Strengths:

• Having a map on a grid makes tracking things super easy. No one has to wonder if they are within range to cast a spell or not. They can simply measure their distance and answer the question for themselves.
• Having a grid makes determining tactical situations easier. Instead of mentally trying to figure out who is flanking the twin headed drider, you can simply look and see.
• Having a grid makes things like movement speed much more important. With theater of the mind, movements and ranges are often lost in the action. On a grid it's very clear exactly where and where not your character can get to.
• Having a grid helps everyone stay on the same page. The Dungeon Master doesn't have to describe the same thing over and over, and can instead focus on describing the flow of combat.

Weaknesses:

• Using a grid often slows combat down. Players spend longer on their turn planning their actions, because they want to measure distances down to the inch. 
• Many people want to have tokens and miniatures to represent characters and monsters on a grid. This can get very expensive very fast.
• Playing on a grid can move a battle from a more cinematic scene to a slow slog without a good Dungeon Master to keep things moving, and to keep things fast paced.

Livestream Tonight!

Live Streaming tonight at 9pm est! I decided to ditch map making, which I'm not very good at, and instead work on preparing a small adventure in Syl! Then at 10pm I'm going to turn Baldur's Gate on and die. Over and over and over again!

Join me here!

https://twitch.tv/mutebanshee

Oh, and, uh, here's a token I made for the Blue Dragon Fera I posted about yesterday. Her art is from a Magic the Gathering card.

Sunday May 3rd Twitch Stream

So... Baldur's Gate is a thing I guess.

This is actually my official stream announcement for Sunday! I'll be starting at 9pm est. First I'll be doing an hour or so of productive Dungeon Master Stuff. I'm thinking about doing some map making for the world I'm developing. Let's find out what outside forces are intruding on The City of Steam!

But after the stream I'm going to take a jump into this gem. Full disclosure, I haven't played Baldur's Gate since I was maybe fourteen. I didn't like it then, and I don't really expect to like it now.

In fact, I think I might hate it. But I'm going to make the stupid game as hard as humanly possible, and torture myself with it.

And who knows, maybe I'll end up having a blast. I know most people do.

So, until then, I'll see you at my twitch channel!

Name That Spell: Necromancer Edition!

Here is a cool thing I made! I suggest rolling one or two attributes. Sometimes one fits better than two. Good luck, and have fun!

Introduction: Improvised Hopes

A blog. About Dungeon Mastering. I feel like I've gone back in time about ten years. It seems like content in the present is all about Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook, and (let's not forget) Google Plus. But although I have a Tumblr that I love, it isn't a great place for conversations. It isn't a great place to post the ramblings of a dungeon master that feels like she has something to say after running games for over two decades. It turns out that saying something longer than 120 characters is better off in an old fashioned blog.

I don't know. Maybe that's just two decades of bias showing itself.

But this is a blog. And as the subtitle makes clear, its about running table top rps. I want to stress the plural in that. 5th Edition Dungeons and Dragons is a wonderful system that will get plenty of time and space. But I love other systems too. I love simple, one page games like Lasers and Feelings. I love games like FATE and PBtA that focus on story and create mechanics to manipulate stories in ways that are completely foreign to a standard D&D game. Those systems will get plenty of space as well.

Then there is the homebrew stuff that I am constantly throwing together. Often times my creations are half hazard monstrosities forced to fit a very specific situation for a single game or session. But sometimes I spend more time designing new things, and I am sure that I'll talk about my design process here as well.

But most of all I created this blog because I want to share my experience as an improvisational Dungeon Master. I learned early (and hard) that careful plans and plots get destroyed well before the first roll of the game is tossed. I've learned to deal with the ridiculous, and how to embrace it and make it good (sometimes even amazing). I've learned that saying yes is more important than saying no. And I've learned that players will always, always surprise you.

Then again, any Dungeon Master with more than a few games beneath their belt has learned most of that. What I hope to bring to the table are tips and strategies that let you roll with moment, and suggestions people can use when they are suddenly slack jawed in horror.

We've all been in that moment. The precise instant that a game you think you have a handle on is suddenly thrown off the hook with a single statement. In Lord of the Rings that moment is when Frodo decides to put on the ring. One of my first moments was when my players used durian fruits to banish a hoard of demons. These are the moments that hit you out of nowhere, that you never saw coming, and that leave you in a panicked mess.

But that moment passes, and what a Dungeon Master does in the seconds that follow can distinguish between the good and the great. And that's what I hope to bring here - advice for turning those moments from disaster into memories that players will talk about for months and years to come.