Ever built a nice little piece of pointless art on your maps that your players somehow think is important?

[gnarlygninja]

It wasn't a map that I made but I once had a player become obsessed with 'this strange thing' on the map, coming up with wild theories about it.
It was just the border of the map.

 

[Zaukrie]

I off handedly mentioned there was a hut on the side of a river they were crossing..... Just as a description..... Forty minutes later they finally gave up and moved on....

 

[Benjamin Olson]

I've certainly encountered this sort of thing as a player.

As a DM, if I realize that all my players are fixating on a particular detail that doesn't mean anything (in a map, in an oral description, in whatever), nine times out of ten I'm either going to retcon some meaning into that detail, or come up with something inconsequential but goofy that results from delving further into it.

The rest of the time (when I don't have any better ideas) I'd call for everyone to make a suitable knowledge or insight roll. If they do okay they realize the detail isn't important. If someone gets a nat 1 or otherwise monumentally low roll I tell them their character is convinced the detail is the key to everything.

 

[Duke_]

I grabbed some random caves map for the VTT and absolutely didn't notice this formation in the far north that was like a dragon's skull viewed from above. Needless to say I had to improvise "yeah, the rock there is carved like a dragon's head and there's a tunnel going right down its throat".

 

[pnewman]

I have this problem more with room details than with larger map details. A desk can have a slight stain where the oil lamp sits on it without it being important. A dresser can have a spare blanket for the bed on it without this being a clue. An end table can have a novel in it without my needing to determine the title, authors name, publication date before saying that it exists. An ceiling can have a crank-open air opening to let out hot air in the summer and make the room more comfortable without the party needing to speculate about Tiny sized monsters.

 

[R_J_K75]

Whether I was creating an adventure, a map, a NPC, magic item, etc. I usually added some obscure detail that wasn't a fully realized idea. Once the players started asking questions about it, I'd elaborate a bit and with a little more back and forth, it became something worth pursuing further. In the end it was something we all collaborated on and created together during the game.

 

[aco175]

I made PC specific maps to start a campaign once. I took the original map and added small details for each PC that may not be on the other maps. It took a couple levels for the players to notice. I think one player mentioned that they could just go to X and the others were looking at their maps confused since X was not on their map. It was a cool moment but then everyone just traded maps to help fill in their own.

 

[Tigris]

I made PC specific maps to start a campaign once. I took the original map and added small details for each PC that may not be on the other maps. It took a couple levels for the players to notice. I think one player mentioned that they could just go to X and the others were looking at their maps confused since X was not on their map. It was a cool moment but then everyone just traded maps to help fill in their own.

Thats a really cool idea! Thank you for mentioning it

There is an adventure boardgame which I quite liked which uses these different information as its main mechanic: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/244274/the-crusoe-crew

But I never thought about using it for an RPG. In the boardgame the rule is that you are now allowed to show others your images and ir forces a bit cooperation (and stands for different knowledge and perception).

 

[LordEntrails]

I think embellishment and extra details are awesome to add to maps and illustrations. Look at so many of the classic art, maps and illustrations that have somethin extra; a spider in a corner, an extra large tree, a cave or a special lantern or whatever.
IMO especially important for maps, in game it's likely a map is not custom built for the adventurers, but rather something with all local knowledge of an area, even things added based upon rumor, myth or a cartographer's means of identifying copies.

i.e. it's well documented IRL that cartographers often add fake places to maps so that if someone copies their map and includes the fake "thing" they know their map was copied. Such as Argleton, Lancashire or Goblu, Michigan.

 

[Sossij]

I think embellishment and extra details are awesome to add to maps and illustrations. Look at so many of the classic art, maps and illustrations that have somethin extra; a spider in a corner, an extra large tree, a cave or a special lantern or whatever.
IMO especially important for maps, in game it's likely a map is not custom built for the adventurers, but rather something with all local knowledge of an area, even things added based upon rumor, myth or a cartographer's means of identifying copies.

i.e. it's well documented IRL that cartographers often add fake places to maps so that if someone copies their map and includes the fake "thing" they know their map was copied. Such as Argleton, Lancashire or Goblu, Michigan.

This is a good point. Maps players get can benefit from not just leaving things off, but having outdated or simply incorrect information they need to work around.