A minimalistic approach to RPGs for me means low friction prep and gameplay. I have bounced between theatre of the mind and more tactical style games over the decade Ive been playing and running TTRPGs and i think were i have settled is a happy medium between the two.
The imaginative freedom that comes with pure theatre is a powerful thing, but i think it works even better when substituted by gestural and simple props, such as miniatures on a playmat or simple improvised terrain. This is were i have found index cards to be a game changer, pioneered initially by Runehammer games the index card is a powerfull GM tool. Be it for passing a private note to a player at the table or to quickly sketch out the room the players miniatures a situated in.
Sugguestions
-
Quickly and easily generate rooms as the group explores deeper into dungeons or buildings.
-
Scribble and note down items and loot on different cards that your party can then distribute amongst themselves.
-
Fold a card in half to make a standup boss token
I recommend heading down to your local office supply shop and picking some up before your next session. but if sketching it out yourself seems like to much hassle check out the link to my ItchIO were you can download some printable cutout room tiles.
Print Ready Modular Cards
These simple printable battle maps are perfect to quickly represent and create a visual play space for your TTRPG games. Built to be able to create a 1-3 room dungeon with the provided 2 pdf pages, with the option to print multiple copies to facilitate larger dungeons if desired.
What are your favourite ways to show terrain and combat at your home game ?