DMs: do you make your players draw their own maps?

[Hjorimir]

They map if they want to map. I don't help them...I don't correct them...and I don't allow them to use graph paper. I draw the maps on my Tact-Tiles and they update the map as they have time. However, if one of the players is mapping so is his character. No sword drawn, kneeling with ink and paper out.

I also have twisty natural caverns that go up and down as well.

I'm a jerk like that, but my players enjoy it.

 

[Jib]

Man I miss the old days of mapping on graph paper, scratching notes in the margins, and keeping them together along with my character sheet folded up in the back of the PHB.

I wish my Players would give mapping a try. Sometimes I reward them with a map but other wise they won't even try. Hell, most won't even write up a character background beyond a 5 word sentence!

 

[howandwhy99]

Mapping is half of dungeon romping. It stuns me so many of the people here simply draw out the maps for their players.

I don't force my players to map. They can use other means to find their way around: chalk, string, memory. And when I draw out a room on the hexgrid or squaregrid for combat, by all means they can copy exactly what I've put. But if they choose to map then I only give help when I felt my description was really poor. This is the difficulty: adequately describing the room and area without becoming overdone or dry. If the players are confused, they can certainly ask me more questions about the room or area... or explore some more. I don't see the trauma of using an eraser.

I'm confused as to how "maze" elements are discovered when the DM maps. If there is a short wall that doesn't fit with the rest of the house, the PCs who map understandably look for a secret door. (hidden stairs, room, etc.) Also, if they find a "square" with no entrances, the players wonder what could be inside.

Spoiler

Like with Maure Castle's hidden purple stone

By measuring their map, they can test cavern areas which are suspiciously unexcavated. (a little metagamey, I know)

Spoiler

Like Prince Thrommel in T1-4

Also, dungeon creation often takes into account wall thickness and distance between rooms.

Spoiler

The banewarrens is purposefully designed for a well placed Passwall spell

How do you not lose that when the DM draws the map?

Also, in terms of player vs. character challenges, I prefer player challenges almost every time. (both as player and DM)

 

[devilbat]

I usually pre draw the map on tac-tiles or the battlemap for the players. It's quicker that way.

 

[Greylock]

However, if one of the players is mapping so is his character. No sword drawn, kneeling with ink and paper out.

Mapping is not that damned hard. A player should know where his character is on the grid. If not, either the DM is describing it damned poorly, or the player is a complete dink.

Complex mazes? Sure, make the character invest some time. But much of it should fall under a basic INT test. Sit yourself down, and draw a basic map of how you get to *some generic place* everyday. It ain't rocket science, it doesn't have to be done on the fly, and it doesn't have to be done at the moment you are there.

Memory is a marvelous thing. I have no skills invested in Survival IRL but I can tell true north most days, and I can navigate most cities and find my way back out, without a map. Why shouldn't our characters?

Now, in the first scenario I described in my previous post, none of the characters had any Craft:Cartography skills, but we could get around the world, and around a dungeon, regardless of my abilty to visualize things. Hence the "dirt map". My new char DOES have Craft:Cartography. Are you seriously suggesting that half his day should be spent out of action, drawing rinky-dink dragons and narwhals and mermaids on a piece of parchment?

 

[DragonLancer]

They draw their own maps but if they get too wrong, then I'll step in and correct the map a little.

 

[Zulithe]

I draw it in on our huge battlemats in most cases. I do not force them to map dungeons, it would be too time consuming. Especially the way MY dungeons are designed. They have rather complex layouts, but not the point of being mazes. There's always at least one character with a rather high Wisdom score, so backtracking should not be problematic (I'm thinking in terms of wisdom accounting for memory).

The only problem I run into is when the dungeon far exceeds the size of the battlemats available. Erasing certain parts of the dungeon to draw new parts is not always the most desireable way to go about it. I've had to restrict the size of my dungeons, but I've always believed that limitations inspire greater creativity, so that's fine.

I just don't think it is worty worrying rather the player is mapping things correctly. There are far too many other things going on both in the game and metagame. Now, in the case of a maze dungeon or any situation where following a map comes into play, I would take a different approach, but so far that is the exception in my campaigns as well as those I've played in.

 

[Hjorimir]

Mapping is not that damned hard. A player should know where his character is on the grid. If not, either the DM is describing it damned poorly, or the player is a complete dink.

Complex mazes? Sure, make the character invest some time. But much of it should fall under a basic INT test. Sit yourself down, and draw a basic map of how you get to *some generic place* everyday. It ain't rocket science, it doesn't have to be done on the fly, and it doesn't have to be done at the moment you are there.

Memory is a marvelous thing. I have no skills invested in Survival IRL but I can tell true north most days, and I can navigate most cities and find my way back out, without a map. Why shouldn't our characters?

Now, in the first scenario I described in my previous post, none of the characters had any Craft:Cartography skills, but we could get around the world, and around a dungeon, regardless of my abilty to visualize things. Hence the "dirt map". My new char DOES have Craft:Cartography. Are you seriously suggesting that half his day should be spent out of action, drawing rinky-dink dragons and narwhals and mermaids on a piece of parchment?

You can always find your way without a map? Godlike omniscience says I! The ability to just go wherever you like and know how to get back and out again...oh, you mean cities with street signs, landmarks and the like. Gotcha.

Next time you go spelunking in twisted fissures of rock to explore twisting caverns and don't map your way let me know. Granted, you won't be able to because you'll probably get lost and starve to death. So much for being all-knowing.

For the record, I don't just describe things...they are drawn on Tact-Tiles or one of the two whiteboards we have in the room. Once they leave the area, those are erased. Furthermore, even if a character has Craft: Cartography that doesn't mean it doesn't take time to craft the map. I mean, do you let characters with Craft: Armor just pump out a suit of masterwork full plate in a day? No? Okay, this is no different.

Wow! I just cannot get over the fact that you don't need maps. Even US Special Forces need maps to get from place to place and those guys do it for a living. I think you missed your calling. Really.

You are right on one account. Somebody here is being a dink (but it isn't me).

Feel better? You attacked me and I reciprocated.

 

[genshou]

Where's the option for "No, I draw it myself on the dry-erase-compatible battlemat"?