No minis, full on minis with elaborate scenery like Dwarven Forge or like Chirine does, or something in between, all are fun.

I prefer Theater of the Mind for one reason, at the very root:

"Something was coming up behind them. What it was could not be seen: it was like a great shadow, in the middle of which was a dark form, of man-shape maybe, yet greater; and a power and terror seemed to be in it and go before it...Its streaming mane kindled and blazed behind it. In its right hand was a blade like a stabbing tongue of fire; in its left it held a whip of many thongs....His enemy halted again, facing him, and the shadows about it reached out like two vast wings. It raised the whip, and the thongs whined and cracked. Fire came from its nostrils."

No picture, painting, miniature, or movie depiction of a Balrog is even a tiny fraction as awe-filled as the picture those words conjure in my mind.

Quote from: Gronan of Simmerya;989616"Something was coming up behind them. What it was could not be seen: it was like a great shadow, in the middle of which was a dark form, of man-shape maybe, yet greater; and a power and terror seemed to be in it and go before it...Its streaming mane kindled and blazed behind it. In its right hand was a blade like a stabbing tongue of fire; in its left it held a whip of many thongs....His enemy halted again, facing him, and the shadows about it reached out like two vast wings. It raised the whip, and the thongs whined and cracked. Fire came from its nostrils."

But does it have wings? (Ducks)

Quote from: estar;989649But does it have wings? (Ducks)

Hey, don't drag me into this!

Quote from: Willie the Duck;989656Hey, don't drag me into this!

Just ask an old Traveller grognard about near-c rocks, space pirates, and Aslans in comfortable shoes. Then you will get dragged into it.

Quote from: RPGPundit;989434It does astound me the amount of effort some people go to in order to use minis. And the expense!  When it's really well done, it can be very impressive, but really, in a practical sense I find it just slows everything down without enough mitigating benefits.

And there you go - it is, in the end, all about play styles. I like to use props and stuff, you don't; I'd be happy to play in one of your games, and I think you'd have fun in one of mine.

Quote from: chirine ba kal;989778And there you go - it is, in the end, all about play styles. I like to use props and stuff, you don't; I'd be happy to play in one of your games, and I think you'd have fun in one of mine.

In other words, it's like 90% of all discussions on Internet:D!

I'd play whatever is on offer, but as a rule, I'm with Gronan on that. Minis are nice, but I don't have the space for them, and I really don't have a special effects budget that can get even close to what my mind regularly conjures;)!

Quote from: Tod13;989488I think sometimes using the minis is the excuse for liking to paint and convert them. I use 6mm, which reduces cost.

Yeah, that probably accounts for the majority of it. It's a whole separate hobby, one I have no interest in (what with my serious lack of artistic ability).