Visual Vs Narrative Dungeons & Dragons

I would like to start with a disclaimer: the following post, and all those hereafter, are my personal thoughts and opinions on the game. I in no way intend to criticize other players or Dungeon Masters (DMs).

I have played Dungeons and Dragons for about five years now. I was introduced to the 3^rd and 3.5^th Editions in my early years of university and have been involved in a variety of different campaigns. Throughout those five years I have also experienced many different styles of DMing [Dungeon Mastery]. 

In the past year I graduated to 5^th Edition Dungeons and Dragons and have experienced being the Dungeon Master of both official campaigns such as Curse of Strahd, and home-brewed campaigns. My regular group of campaigners, self-named The Fire Brigade, recently completed the official Curse of Strahd campaign and have since moved on to the official Tomb of Annihilation campaign.

I was introduced to the game using hand-drawn miniatures, a gridded table and tokens for enemies. The use of grid systems and miniatures in gameplay was popularized on online forums such as Roll20.com and Fantasy Grounds. The customization of characters, enemies and environments is made possible through massive online libraries and community interaction. This was incredibly helpful when learning all the rules and mechanics of the game, making it easier to become proficient in a short period of time. The gridded table was especially effective, as it could be used to map out the entire environment. Furthermore, the table functioned as a system to keep track of exact enemy and player locations and movements, and to calculate exact distances. Players won’t lose track of how many doors there are in a room or where exactly that ghoul is standing. I found the system so effective that when I first started to DM I spent some time hand-crafting some modular tile sets for D&D out of foam-core and wood. The tiles ranged from 2x2 pieces to 10x10 pieces. Each space of the grid was just over an inch. One side was carved and painted like stone, while the other side is painted wooden planks, which meant they can be used in many different settings and create a better sense of immersion.

DMing with a grid system and miniatures is best suited for the player who likes to keep to the rules and wants to play D&D as accurately as possible. In my experience, playing with these grid systems has led to some unexpected and sometimes hilarious situations. During a particularly complex campaign, whilst fleeing a group of overpowered monsters, the group’s rogue attempted to hide in the exact grid square that the group’s bard cast ghost sound on. This information was kept from the players until two raging skeletal Ettin charged in direction of the sound and annihilated the unsuspecting rogue.  

Narrative DMing removes all such resources, favouring the spoken word over visual grids and miniatures. A Narrative DM must be a confident storyteller to successfully describe the players’ location without literally mapping it out for them. Popular podcasts such as The Adventure Zone rely on verbal responses which allow the players to describe what they want to do, down to the finest details, and the DM determines whether they can do that or not. The way I personally run Narrative DMing is lenient on the rules because no enemy or character have an exact location. For example, when a large group of enemies appear, the creatures will be standing side by side in a large group unless I state otherwise. I DMed Curse of Strahd this way, which led to a hilarious moment where the players were flying down a mountainside chasing a giant ram that was attacking their ally Shield Guardian, all while an avalanche was following behind them.

Narrative DMing is extremely useful when players cannot necessarily be face-to-face. The grid system falls short when someone overseas has to Skype call in each session. It meant the Fire Brigade could continue campaigning when various group members moved away, without too much hassle. However, Narrative DMing does have some drawbacks. The DM may be required to describe a situation multiple times because the players cannot physically see what is going on, and combat is not necessarily as fluid. Wizards of the Coast do a really good job of creating decorative descriptions of campaign environments. Unfortunately, I have found that oftentimes a room’s fancy curtains, several locked doors, specifically placed altar and elaborate kitchen sink tend to metaphorically bury the person you have been looking for, lying dead in the corner over there. Other times the scripts have used so many fancy words that I must re-describe exactly what they say in plain English. Both of these slow down the gameplay drastically.

Personally, I enjoy narrative DMing over visual DMing, but every DM has their own style of hosting and each style has their own strengths and shortcomings. Visual DMing allows players to keep track of everything in a more accurate way, but limits the imagination and creativity of situations. Narrative DMing is the complete opposite, increasing the chance for creativity and imagination but limiting the accuracy of rules and mechanics. Narrative explanation allows me to imagine the scene and feel a stronger connection to the environment and situations. It feels more like telling a story around the campfire that everyone can be involved in.