A dungeon mapping idea

[IamTheTest]

I like legos. This is probably because in our group we have a grand collection and therefore they do not cost anything. Cost is the only thing stopping me from buying Tact-Tiles (I know they are well priced, but Im in college and very poor).

 

[Hodgie]

I once used the 'circle cut' out to good effect in a maze. The only drawback is that the paper surrounding the circle must be large enough so that no matter where it is positioned on the map it covers all other parts of the map. The best solution to this I could figure is to get a sheet of cloth and cut the circle out of that. This way the extra cloth can be bunched up rather than sticking in someone's face.

 

[GuardianLurker]

As a variant on the jigsaw puzzle, and the cut circle puzzle, here are a few more:

1) Buy one of those toy invisible ink pens, and draw a copy of the map with it. Turn it visible as the party explores the dungeon. You may need a (probably yellow) transparency if you want to keep the "invisible" ink invisible.

2) Get the map to the same square-size as the graph paper you use with a photocopier. (It may take some fiddling.) You may want to mirror the map with the phtocopier (if that's an available option). Cover the (mirrored) map with another sheet of graph paper. Lightly trace the areas of map you'll want to reveal as single units.

During play, put the cover sheet, tracing-side down, over the (unmirrored) map. You can draw the incorrect areas on the blank side. As the correct info is determined, you can cut out the traced area that matches.

If you want to be really fancy, you can use tape or semi-sticky glue to hold the tracing down.

3) If you have the time/resources, create an NWN map.

4) On the pre-assembled side, there's Dwarven Forge and WizKids 3D Dungeons as Lego replacements. And there are a number of preprinted Geomorphs, including Cardboard Heroes, and a few others.

5) Alternatively you can create your own custom geomorphs, by paying Kinkos to expand the supplied map to a 25mm scale or a plotter. This will cost more than geomorphs, but less than Dwarven Forge. If you can scan and expand the copy on your own computer, you'll save some significant money.

 

[pogre]

Here's what you need:

a nice Hirst Arts Dungeon like our own Gnarlo's

or one of my own

 

[S'mon]

I'm running Barakus, I'm actually mapping it out for them (as a rough sketch) as they go - I reckon this gives about as much info as if an actual dungeoneer were mapping it, if they want more they can always do it themselves.

 

[Keeper of Secrets]

I think lots of these are really good ideas, actually. However, the cheapest, most practical, least time consuming option is really for the GM to map it out for the players.

 

[Munin]

Once again, thanks for the tips, guys.
These are some really, really good ideas. I especially like the invisible ink and the circle cut-out idea. Really neat.

I have tact-tiles, and they rock. I hate drawing on it though, the tiles never seem to fit together just right, and I end up smearing the lines. Another thing too, they scratch very easily. I've had to felt the bottoms of all my metal minis to avoid it, and I have instituted a no-dice on tact-tiles rule as well.

Has anyone tried the dungeon stamps from Green Dragon with tact-tiles? I have the feeling that the ink will bead up and not work very well, so I've been hesitant to shell out the $40 bucks for the set.


Pogre, I'm in the process of building my dwarven forge set, but at $60-80 a pop, it's a slow process. Plus, I'm rather lazy, so I tend to only bust them out during climactic encounters.
Love the story-hour, though!

 

[Empress]

Our DM cut out the dungeon on paper, each room seperate, and as we came to the next room, we'd just glue the tile in place.

 

[Thornir Alekeg]

Our DM cut out the dungeon on paper, each room seperate, and as we came to the next room, we'd just glue the tile in place.

I did this using CC2 for one adventure. It was time consuming, but I mapped the dungeon out, added nice little features to the rooms and then printed them to scale. I cut out each individual room, and cut corridors at 30 foot lengths or to line of sight. It worked OK, but I don't know if it was worth all the effort. Most of the time now, I just map it myself on the battlemat as I describe it for the party.

 

[francisca]

Here is what I did recently:

Went to the office supply store and bought some of the easel pads with a 1" grid. I drew each room on the the pad, then cut them out, leaving a 1" border. The players draw a very rough map on some standard graph or plain paper, with crudely shaped representations of the room. When a battle ensues, I pull out the big map I drew and weigh the corners down with unused minis. We then draw all over the map, fold it up, and put in the party's folder after each encounter. By doing this, we have the benefits of the 1" grid for tactical stuff and a smaller, large scale map which shows their path through the dungeon/caves/etc. So far, the players have liked it, and I like it too, as I normally drew up the rooms on the battle mat anyway, in game.