Had a chat with a random guy at my local game store that totally changed how I run D&D

So I was browsing the miniatures section last Saturday and this older dude just starts chatting me up about how he's been running the same campaign since 1998. I was like whoa, that's insane. He told me he stopped using dungeon tiles and minis completely about 10 years ago and went full theater of the mind. At first I thought he was crazy because I love my maps and prep work. But then he explained how he just focuses on one or two key details per room and lets the players fill in the rest. It hit different because I've been spending like 3 hours per session just setting up terrain pieces. Has anyone else tried ditching the minis and found it actually works better for roleplay?

2 comments

2 Comments

simonmoore1mo agoMost Upvoted

Tried it once during a power outage and my players roleplayed better than ever.

the_richard1mo ago

Oh man, my buddy swore by his battle maps until he ran a one-shot for his kids and their friends. He told me after that first session with no minis, the kids described way more creative actions than he'd ever seen at the table.