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Combat

I generally do not use maps, tokens, etc. for exploration or most simple combat encounters. When we have a particularly complicated combat, we’ll go to a map on Owlbear Rodeo for the encounter.

For simpler encounters involving only a handful of NPCs, I do combat in “Theater of the Mind” where I describe situations and general placement and players describe what they want to do.

If you’re ever not following, not sure where someone is or how far away something is, or need a general refresher on the scene, it’s totally ok to ask for clarification or a recap!

I think this frees us up to focus on having fun, telling a story, and also speeds up play in general so we can enjoy some good D&D in short-ish sessions without fiddling with a tool. If you’re the kind of person who likes to have rules for things 😄 It may be helpful to read these guidelines for theater of the mind combat from Sly Flourish.

Finally, we don’t use any house/optional rules like flanking.