D&D General Do your players map?

[Fenris-77]

Flowchart mapping is the way to go. Producing a scale map as you explore doesn't really pass the laugh test for me, neither for the characters nor the players. Too much business.

 

[jasper]

My whole group quit mapping in 2E. I would either give the Mapper a copy of the map with stuff blacked out. Or tell them to ignore the secret stuff. Today in a big map, I just say "Do you want to go right to rooms 22-27 or left to rooms 19-10.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

I had the players draw stuff back in 3.XE and 4E when we used a tabletop battlemap, but on paper honestly unless the mapper is experienced and you're drawing pretty standardised maps with precise measurements, you're begging for misunderstandings and inaccuracy and time spent correcting them. And DMs tend to be best at it, but they also er tend to be DMing.

In 5E I usually sketch stuff out for them and the other DM I play with regularly does the same.

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[iserith]

The players don't have to map in my games. That's a player role that isn't really relevant in more modern editions of D&D. I don't know of any reference to players drawing maps in the D&D 5e rules, for example. Even back in the day when it was an assumed part of the game, the person who got stuck with mapping was the person who was in the bathroom when roles were assigned. Nobody liked it then and I don't imagine they'd like it now. Only now it's made more irrelevant through the use of Roll20 at our table - the map is on the screen, revealed as they move about.

Now, characters often map in my games, when it's useful to do so. In certain scenarios, particularly those involving overland journeys, mapping is a useful Activity While Traveling which helps create an asset that allows the party to avoid getting lost on the return trip. Other times, I offer gold for source maps as a further incentive for players to have their characters draw maps instead of, say, keeping alert for danger.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

I've got two players at one of my tables that both map when we're in dungeons. One is better at the layout, the other has cleaner cartography.

Ironically, back in the olden days, I don't think I ever had a player bother to map.

 

[Umbran]

I've found it so much easier and faster for me to produce maps for the players. I can sketch an added area on the map for them about three times faster than the "I describe, they draw, I correct, they redraw..." process in typical player mapping. I don't have the time for that nonsense any more.

In my Ashen Stars game, maps have been pretty much unnecessary.

 

[Monayuris]

Yes my players map. I describe rooms as if they are mapping and I require them to navigate themselves through the dungeon.

I do allow a shortcut where if they can accurately narrate their movement from the entrance to where they want to go, I 'speed-run' the party to that location.

I don't require perfect copies of the dungeon (lines and circles are fine). It's up to the players how much detail and how accurate they want their maps to be.

 

[Zaukrie]

Back in the early days, yes. In the last decade or so? No.

 

[TwoSix]

Never. Then again, I don't either. I have maps of my world and important cities but location details? Ain't nobody got time for that.

Then again, I almost never do "dungeons".

This. It's extremely rare for me to do a site-based session that's more than a few rooms. If I ever did anything more complicated to the point the players got lost, I'd just explain it to them.

Quite simply, I don't think mapping needs to fall into the category of "player skill tests".