Hi everyone! 
I just started playing D&D and I'm starting to get a group together, but I wasn't sure if I needed a board or not. I know some people use one and some don't. I just need to know if I should purchase one or not, because I know combat can get a little hectic without one. If I do need one, how and when should I use it? (I'm the DM by the way)
Glad to hear your playing and taking on the roll of DM! I've always loved telling the story and seeing the players figure out stuff, hard to keep from smiling when they do which might be a giveaway on my part. When I first started back in the late 80s in high school, i bought a chessex battle map that I still have and a few dry erase color markers to draw with. Should last you many years of play with it until you feel like upgrading or changing your style. The battle map gives you the option of drawing out stuff like rooms, dungeons etc so it add an element to the game and most players like seeing their mini in the 30x30 room and helps with the "can it run here or do this type questions." Keep us updated on how your game goes or if you need GM hints.
It's really either way. The game is fun with a board and fun without a board. The board lets you be a little more tactical in combat, but it also tends to slow combat down a bit, IMX.
I've tried playing without a mat, but once you get a dozen or so combatants involved I found it very difficult to keep track of everything. Now I alway use one of the foldable mats, not only can you use a variety of markers (dry erase or wet erase) and they're easy to hall around/store.
You can get some from your local game store or paizo http://paizo.com/products/btpy8oto
A board is not required at all, but a lot of players like having the board. Gives you a physical mini to interact with helps with immersion and also to keep the players focus on the table.
I wasnt using one, but my playerskept asking me to, so I relented and busted out my mini collection and I spend about an hour each week drawing the dungeon beforehand.
If you plan to use flanking rules, the board is much more needed. But i don't recommend it. It encourages the players to make bad decisions!
lotusofblackness wrote:
MechaPilot wrote:
I love using game boards... even if you don't use miniatures, game boards help the players visualize the landscape and combat. I also use a Chessex mat, and I also have two sheets of plexiglass that I can lay on top of the mat which places a map drawn on the plexiglass over the grid on the chessex mat. I go that route if it's a large map that might take a while to draw. I'll draw it before the session starts. And with more than one sheet of plexi, I can quickly change maps without having to draw/redraw.
If you're prone to bumping your plexiglass and smearing the dry erase marks, you can use cling-wrap as a protective layer over the maps once they're drawn. Or there's always wet erase.
I think 5e runs better without the grid, but it works well with it, too
It's either or... like everyone else has has said... if your running with large encounter sizes or terrain which influences combat in an unusual way i would advise one... also helps with movement etc for your enemies who have tactics involving keeping the adventuring party at a distance
We made one at home. was pretty simple... got a piece of mdf or plywood, cut it in half put some hinges on it and drew some lines... then glued transparent contact paper on it... and you have a collapsable board... Or you can buy the premade ones... i made mine because theyre difficult to find in my area
If not using a grid, I would still use some sort of 'board'. Even just a sheet of paper with a rough diagram that may not even be to scale. It just helps folks visualize whats going on and keep track of where everyone/thing is.
I haven't been using a grid with our 5e game so far. We've been fine using "theater of the mind" style play and focusing more on storytelling and heroic actions than miniature wargaming and simulation. What I do though is I have a PC set up with a monitor facing the players and I use Fantasy Grounds on it to reveal the map to them so they can at least see the area they are in and where they have and haven't been (since it has a crude form of "fog of war"). There's of course other software to do that with and I just use FG since I also use it on my laptop (instead of a DM screen) to track combat and as a reference source for monsters (and a copy of the PC's sheets in it as well).
When I played 4e I did use a grid as the system was geared towards grid play and so have a permanent grid on my tables (with a laminate over them that allows the use of dry-erase markers on them). I've found combat without a grid does tend to go faster as players aren't as likely to stare at the position of all the minis and come up with strategies like a general at a war table and instead gets them to react more quickly as if they were actually in combat, not planning for it.
Visuals are always helpful for many players, especially when you have a bigger table.
What I've found is that sometimes a quick sketch of the area is enough to put it in some people's minds-eye, especially when I'm not able to effectively describe the shape of this "oblong, 5 1/2 pointed trapezoidal room" that the party has entered. Grids aren't as necessary unless you have players who deal with a lot of area-of-effect spells, or who really enjoy getting into battlefield control.
I have a piece of lexan, which I drew a grid on with a Sharpie and a straight edge. Works when we want to draw on top with wet-erase markers, slide a preprinted map section underneath, or just use it as a scratch pad during the game. Cost me about the same as a Chessex battlemap, and is a bit more versatile (IMO)