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<blockquote data-quote="Dausuul" data-source="post: 6452990" data-attributes="member: 58197"><p>The DM usually has a map with encounters, secret doors, and so forth marked out on it. The players don't get to see it. In old-school play, the DM would verbally describe the rooms and corridors as the party entered them, and a player would draw a map based on the DM's descriptions. This typically led to a map of questionable accuracy, since the DM often failed to describe things clearly and the mapping player often made mistakes. That was part of the fun.</p><p></p><p>If you don't feel like dealing with that, you can draw a map for the players as they go. Or you can just describe what they see and leave it up to them if they want to draw a map or not. You can also provide the players with a map, using some in-game explanation; in fact, finding a map to a lost treasure can be what inspires the PCs to go on the adventure in the first place. Of course, the map they find isn't necessarily accurate or complete... heh.</p><p></p><p></p><p>So far, what I've been describing are what I call "exploration maps." Battle maps and exploration maps are two different things, and you can use one, both, or neither as you prefer.</p><p></p><p>An exploration map is a map of the whole dungeon, encompassing multiple rooms and corridors, which the DM uses to keep track of where the PCs are. It's typically drawn on an 8.5" x 11" sheet of paper. In days of yore, graph paper with a small grid was customary for drawing exploration maps, with one square equal to 5 or 10 feet, depending on how big the dungeon was. Today, you can still use graph paper, or you could download or create a map on your computer and print it out. Or you could get it as a PDF and use a tablet.</p><p></p><p>The battle map is sketched out by the DM when combat starts, fully visible to the players. It's a blow-up of the room where the encounter is taking place. Most people use gridded vinyl mats with markers ("battlemats"), but you can also use a whiteboard or a big piece of paper. The usual convention, which you can follow or not as you like, is that 1 inch equals 5 feet. Players place minis or tokens on the battle map to represent their PCs, and the DM puts out minis or tokens for the monsters. These get moved around as combat proceeds. Once the fight is over and the PCs move on to another room, erase the battle map. You'll draw another one when the next fight starts.</p><p></p><p>If you're going to be doing a lot of dungeon crawling--that is, adventures where the PCs spend most of their time in underground mazes battling monsters and finding treasure--it's a good idea to have an exploration map. (Published adventures almost always come with exploration maps included.) Whether you want to use a battle map or not is entirely up to you. Playing with a battle map means everyone will have a clearer idea of where things are and what's going on, but it slows down combat. Playing without a battle map (known as "theater of the mind") can result in faster, more exciting play, but it requires good communication and trust between the players and the DM. You also have the option to switch between the two, using theater of the mind for minor skirmishes and a full-blown battle map for the big boss fights.</p><p></p><p></p><p>Minis are not normally used during exploration; the DM just keeps track of which room the party's in. Minis are for use on battle maps.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Dausuul, post: 6452990, member: 58197"] The DM usually has a map with encounters, secret doors, and so forth marked out on it. The players don't get to see it. In old-school play, the DM would verbally describe the rooms and corridors as the party entered them, and a player would draw a map based on the DM's descriptions. This typically led to a map of questionable accuracy, since the DM often failed to describe things clearly and the mapping player often made mistakes. That was part of the fun. If you don't feel like dealing with that, you can draw a map for the players as they go. Or you can just describe what they see and leave it up to them if they want to draw a map or not. You can also provide the players with a map, using some in-game explanation; in fact, finding a map to a lost treasure can be what inspires the PCs to go on the adventure in the first place. Of course, the map they find isn't necessarily accurate or complete... heh. So far, what I've been describing are what I call "exploration maps." Battle maps and exploration maps are two different things, and you can use one, both, or neither as you prefer. An exploration map is a map of the whole dungeon, encompassing multiple rooms and corridors, which the DM uses to keep track of where the PCs are. It's typically drawn on an 8.5" x 11" sheet of paper. In days of yore, graph paper with a small grid was customary for drawing exploration maps, with one square equal to 5 or 10 feet, depending on how big the dungeon was. Today, you can still use graph paper, or you could download or create a map on your computer and print it out. Or you could get it as a PDF and use a tablet. The battle map is sketched out by the DM when combat starts, fully visible to the players. It's a blow-up of the room where the encounter is taking place. Most people use gridded vinyl mats with markers ("battlemats"), but you can also use a whiteboard or a big piece of paper. The usual convention, which you can follow or not as you like, is that 1 inch equals 5 feet. Players place minis or tokens on the battle map to represent their PCs, and the DM puts out minis or tokens for the monsters. These get moved around as combat proceeds. Once the fight is over and the PCs move on to another room, erase the battle map. You'll draw another one when the next fight starts. If you're going to be doing a lot of dungeon crawling--that is, adventures where the PCs spend most of their time in underground mazes battling monsters and finding treasure--it's a good idea to have an exploration map. (Published adventures almost always come with exploration maps included.) Whether you want to use a battle map or not is entirely up to you. Playing with a battle map means everyone will have a clearer idea of where things are and what's going on, but it slows down combat. Playing without a battle map (known as "theater of the mind") can result in faster, more exciting play, but it requires good communication and trust between the players and the DM. You also have the option to switch between the two, using theater of the mind for minor skirmishes and a full-blown battle map for the big boss fights. Minis are not normally used during exploration; the DM just keeps track of which room the party's in. Minis are for use on battle maps. [/QUOTE]
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A running list of questions from a new player/new DM. Other n00bs please feel free to add in.
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