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<blockquote data-quote="howandwhy99" data-source="post: 2697277" data-attributes="member: 3192">Mapping is half of dungeon romping.&nbsp; It stuns me so many of the people here simply draw out the maps for their players.&nbsp; I don't force my players to map.&nbsp; They can use other means to find their way around: chalk, string, memory.&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; But if they choose to map then I only give help when I felt my description was really poor.&nbsp; This is the difficulty: adequately describing the room and area without becoming overdone or dry.&nbsp; If the players are confused, they can certainly ask me more questions about the room or area... or explore some more.&nbsp; I don't see the trauma of using an eraser.I'm confused as to how &quot;maze&quot; elements are discovered when the DM maps.&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; (hidden stairs, room, etc.)&nbsp; Also, if they find a &quot;square&quot; with no entrances, the players wonder what could be inside.&nbsp; [spoiler]Like with Maure Castle's hidden purple stone[/spoiler]&nbsp;&nbsp; By measuring their map, they can test cavern areas which are suspiciously unexcavated.&nbsp; (a little metagamey, I know) [spoiler]Like Prince Thrommel in T1-4[/spoiler]&nbsp; Also, dungeon creation often takes into account wall thickness and distance between rooms.&nbsp; [spoiler]The banewarrens is purposefully designed for a well placed Passwall spell[/spoiler]&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; (both as player and DM)</blockquote>

[QUOTE="howandwhy99, post: 2697277, member: 3192"] 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[/spoiler] 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[/spoiler] 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[/spoiler] 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) [/QUOTE]

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