great enthusiasm! great prep! QQ, wouldn’t all the zombies be on the same initiative order? ie all 3 be attacking at the same time? it’s been a minute since i’ve played but i recall that being the method, cheers!
I like the series but not this video. USE A MAP. The players and the GM NEED to know where things are, can the all the zombies reach the party in move+charge? where is everyone located for Thunderwave?. Also knowledge checks should happen when you see the enemy, not later. Also bring up charges, opportunity attacks and readied actions (I ready a melee attack for when a zombie comes within reach)
Maps are helpful, but not necessary. It is entirely possible to play solely in the theater of the mind. My groups switch between the two, largely depending on how lengthy the battle is likely to be and what kind of creatures the party is fighting. Using a map tends to make battles take longer, as characters with AOE effects are going to take more time deciding what they want to do rather than just asking "How many enemies can I hit with thunderwave without hitting any of my allies?". For a large-scale battle against very weak enemies (e.g. hordes of goblins against a party of level 15 characters), the map isn't necessary as we play the battle out in a more cinematic fashion. Battles against a small number of very powerful enemies are handled similarly. We only really pull out the battle mat when there are a fair number of reasonably difficult opponents and a lot of tactical considerations are going to come into play.
@@daltigoth3970 You are entitled to your opinion, and if you have a well established group that communicates well, pays attention and understands the situation/encounter, then you can use theatre of the mind. For everything else: USE A MAP. With this being an introductory encounter/video intended for new starters, the map is very important, and from what I saw of the map in the video, this was setup as a tactics training encounter, with an obvious, slow-moving, melee-only threat approaching a good chokepoint (the wide stairs leading up). Working with a map should really show that using ranged attacks and readied actions would be much more effective and safer than charging into the fray and getting surrounded.
@@redtanker You are likewise entitled to your opinion. If you have a group of brand new players using only the materials included in the box, as is the intention of this set, then the group doesn't have a reusable battle mat or minis to put out there, so you are playing in theater of the mind. This battle against slow moving enemies that you are already some distance away from is a perfect example of when to use theater of the mind rather than slowing everything down to set up a battle mat. There aren't any intricate tactics needed here. You have slow moving opponents and that is being described to the players - attack from range and fall back is all you need to do. There is no need to hide behind cover, scatter to avoid AOE, or flank to get around cover. There are no enemies attacking from elevated positions or any other reason to put this on a map.
There are maps for this whole adventure on reddit for those who don't want to use Theater of the Mind. You can either print them out, draw them, or upload them reall easily to Owlbear Rodeo
As a beginner I just don't get why there are no maps the players can see to mark their locations... The DM can see cool maps and can visualise everyone's position and their surroundings but not the players!
i went through a phase of binging outsidexbox vids last year. i am stoked to see jane in this vid! the perfect person for explaining this stuff clearly tbh
Haven't played since 2nd Edition. On the wizard's character sheet under "Spell Attacks and Saving Throws" it states "When you make a spell attack, you roll a 1d20+5 to see if you hit." How come that part was left out of the video or am I misunderstanding something?
You could do a log in sheet. My sheet has Name, Class & level, Hit points, AC, Saving for DC (for casters), Passive Perception, Passive Instegation, and Notes. This way you don't have to keep asking if you hit the pc. And gives a general idea of how many hit points a PC may have; so you can if you want change targets and have mercy on the poor rogue.
I used to do this but found it made me pick targets or outcomes based on their current values. I found it more organic and fair to decide what to do and then ask players for their A.C. etc.
Be careful you don't turn it into a one sided affair. Yes you CAN record this information but involving the players each time keeps them.. well involved :)
I’ve always played that a nat 20 automatically gets one full damage die then roll that die again for additional damage. Nothing worse then rolling 20 then 2 1’s!
I am confused with initiative. Does each of the PCs roll initiative or is only one initiative run for all of the PCs and all of the monsters? Also do all the characters on the team that won initiative attack before the other side goes?
Do you have ANY VIDEOS that are NOT FOR DMs??? If you're going to do an intro video then at least say it's for DMs and not for Players. So far this game has been a nightmare, well I guess one would actually have to play in order to claim that. The thing is, the forums are half dead. Many many threads there for years with no activity. The "search for groups" threads are only answered by "professional DMs", which is just people trying to get you to pay them to be a DM. Never going to happen. I've yet to even see an introduction solo module so players can get used to online version. I'm an old school table top player that hasn't had a chance to play in decades.
Oh, get over yourself. Your pompous gatekeeping doesn't make you better than anyone else, but it is a handy red flag to let decent people avoid your company. Sincerely, an Englishwoman.
