grid alternitives?

[Jayngfet]

Are there any viable alternatives to grids, that don't require miniatures and hunting down proper miniatures?

[The Necroswanso]

Legos.
There's plenty of medevil sets for logos. My group has been using them for a while, and, they don't stand well if you don't use a base. But they're still fun.

It's also nice to have to fight a collosal metal spider with crab claws and three lazer cannons.

[DirtyPacifist]

I've never played with miniatures, really. Just grid paper (well, hexagon paper once but I like grid more) and pencil. It isn't as graphical but is easily available, affordable and works. It isn't disturbed by pets (which about half of our group has. You wouldn't believe how interesting figures can seem to a parrot, for example...), either.

Other option could be all the DND related softwares on laptop, OpenRPG for example.

[Pironious]

Other option could be all the DND related softwares on laptop, OpenRPG for example.

Or non-DND related softwares on laptop, like Microsoft Excel. ;)

[Xefas]

My group spent $15 on a big gridded dry-erase mat. Just take a marker and draw the terrain on! When the PCs go to a new area, wipe it off, and draw the new area.

Instead of miniatures, all the players throw in a personal token of theirs to represent them. One of my players uses some foreign coin from a vacation he took to Europe. Another uses the Regdar chip from the 3rd edition boxed set that his parents got him long ago. Another uses a d12 from a dicebag they got as a gift from someone, etc.

As the DM, I use random crap for everything. Risk pieces with numbers written on them, boardgame pieces, action figures, yo-yos, empty ink cartridges, Lego men, etc.

Sure, it looks wonky, but it's better than coughing up money for miniatures and STILL having to substitute your Ogres for Sword Archons, and your Kobolds for Incubi.

[Dr Bwaa]

Legos.
There's plenty of medevil sets for logos. My group has been using them for a while, and, they don't stand well if you don't use a base. But they're still fun.

It's also nice to have to fight a collosal metal spider with crab claws and three lazer cannons.

This is absolutely the best way to do it, IMO. It works especially well if someone has a great many LEGOs and the DM has a great deal of time. one of my friends uses them all the time, and will generally come to each session with several bits and pieces pre-assembled, to put together into important terrain/maps/battlegrounds/castles/whatever.

Also, ditto the laser spider coolness. Nothing makes a choker more threatening than portraying it as a radioactive manta ray with claws, lasers, and rockets. Except possibly that CR20-odd Choker that I heard someone homebrewed around here someplace...

[Dumbledore lives]

My group used dominoes to represent walls, and just whatever miniatures we had lying around. It worked pretty well in that we always knew where everyone was so it worked fine.

[FMArthur]

Legos.
There's plenty of medevil sets for logos. My group has been using them for a while, and, they don't stand well if you don't use a base. But they're still fun.

It's also nice to have to fight a collosal metal spider with crab claws and three lazer cannons.

Lego Men generally stay in place better if you sit them down.

[Jimp]

Imagination.
A pad of graph paper would set you back only a few € and can be used for many maps.

[expirement10K14]

I use lego's to represent things. I can easily build walls and such. Here is an example of my Lego "grid".

Spoiler

Show

FYI, the image is quite large, and bad quality. I will never take a picture again in my life.