Day 26 – Do you prefer miniatures or ‘theatre of the mind’?

I can’t play this game without minis. But I respect those who do.

We’ve always played D&D with miniature figures, right from the start. Even before Grenadier and Citadel released their first ranges specifically for third game, we were using home-minis on a blackboard to represent tactical situations. Nowadays, painting minis is as big a part of the game for me and I’ve branched out into strategic wargames as well (more of that in a later post).

We have found the minis help enormously during combat, and sometimes during NPC encounters too, because the players and I can see where everyone/thing is and there’s little chance for disagreements. I recently added in a few painted bits of furniture to the scene (those excellent new models from WizKids) and the players really enjoyed it – I’ll get some more.

But I also make a concerted effort to add ‘texture’ to a setting. As I’m describing a room, I am mindful of the sounds and smells in the room, the colours they see and the overall mood of the setting…

“The smell of salt and decay hits you as you round the next corner.” “The towering walls of the houses on either side of you cast deep shadows as you enter the alley. Overhanging eaves seem to crowd in above you deadening all sound.”

So I always use minis, but I also try to ensure that the world engages the characters’ senses through the imaginations of the players.

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