Hello, sorry if I'm putting this on the wrong forum, but I find this messageboards simply not simple at all.
I would like to ask about the people that own miniatures how they implement those on their games. I currently own Rise of Runelords, But heard that there's no maps specifically for that adventures. I can't draw a map to save my life, never run an adventure before( although I ran the begginer box a few days ago) and was hoping that adventure paths were the solution for streamlining the experience of playing rpg's.
How to use the minis on the Adventures? There's a way to game with them( As I prefer) or they're simply trinkets? Is there a way to play rpg's without having to memorize whole books, spend hours drawing, preparing adventurers and so on?
Sorry for the abragency of the questions.
Dry erase grid mats and dry erase markers. You don't need to know how to draw, just draw in walls, draw in circles for objects that are in the way and draw in squiggly lines for difficult terrain.
The minis and the description to the players should take care of the rest.
As for time consumption, that's pretty much what RPG entails; lots of preparation and reading. Even if you get the material wrong, have fun, learn from it and move on.
You can also get large sheets of 1 inch graph paper at office stores. You can then draw the layouts ahead of time. You can even cut it up and then place individual rooms as the players explore it (though this tends to make the sheets move a bit more).
And if you don't like drawing you can try the piece-meal approach of tile sets.
You can use simple paper too if you don't have a white board or dry erase mats.
I took some foam core posterboard I bought at a dollar store (for a dollar) and cut it into several 8x10 sheets. Then I drew 1" grid on them and covered them with clear plastic shelving paper. I can draw walls and objects on them (and I draw badly) and then I can just lift up one side, erase them, slide the others over and put the erased ones on the other side to draw new areas as the party explores.
And, yes, we use miniatures extensively to lay out the tactical situation on the battle grid.
The Gaming paper is available from Paizo. It comes in 12 foot rolls, and in single sheets. It is also available in hexes. It is very reasonable at $4 a roll, the single sheets come in packs of 100 sheets.
No, I do not work for Gaming Paper nor Paizo. I have used the paper extensively in home games and in Pathfinder Society games.
Just my 2 cp.