There’s a myth that “old-school” Dungeons & Dragons was mostly a minis game. That may have been the case in the very earliest days, but throughout 1st and 2nd Edition, we played without minis and maps. Our game happened entirely in “The Theater of the Mind.” And, in many ways, it was a different experience from the maps-and-minis style of game most DMs run today.

Some DMs still prefer theater of the mind. Thorin, for one! Dave’s not as hot on the idea, and Tony kind of likes it both ways. Would you? Even if it’s not your preferred style, you might run a theater of the mind game whenever you don’t have all the accessories for maps-and-minis play

In this episode, we answer Marshall, a DM from Brazil who asked to explain how to play D&D in Theater of the Mind. We talk about what we like about this style of play, what we don’t, and our best tips for making theater of the mind games flow and resonate with your PCs.

1:00 What is theater of the mind? How we use it and when we use it

5:00 Thinking beyond the battle map

9:00 Which style has faster combat: Mas-and-minis or theater of the mind?

13:00 What are the players paying attention to: You or the map?

15:00 How do you keep ruling consistency in combat without a map?

17:00 Tips for tracking turns, distances and combat details behind the DM screen in theater of the mind

21:00 Is D&D traditionally a minis game? Busting the myth that 1st, 2nd and other early editions were “mostly" minis games

23:00 When should you break theater of the mind and show the party a map?

27:00 Problems that can arise with theater of the mind

30:00 Pressure on the DM to provide engaging descriptions that focus on the right things

37:00 How much longer does it take to prep maps and minis compared theater of the mind?

41:00 How Tony’s game survived the Frost Giant Jarl in Storm King’s Thunder (on a map!)

43:00 Combat descriptions with minis vs. theater of the mind

46:00 All Eyes on Me! The biggest advantage of theater of the mind

53:00 Tips for doing theater of the mind well

• ·Simplify movement into 1-move units equal to the party’s most common speed
• Tailor the length and detail of your descriptions to the room
• Let players do things beyond what you had planned – they’re adding to the story
• Get cool with your combat descriptions!
• Adjudicating area effect spells

64:00 Final thoughts