Handling maps in your game

[Zulithe]

I've been a DM on and off for about 8 years, sometimes with as much as 18 months in between sessions (finding a playerbase when everyone is busy with school, work and blossoming families has provided many hurdles), and one thing that I have found awkward is the usage of maps while gaming. I just am not sure of the right way to go about using them in my campaign.

Let's say your players are ready to delve into a dungeon. Do you give them the map you created, or maybe a cruder version (perhaps aquired from an NPC)? Do you put it on the table and try to cover up the areas they haven't yet explored? Do you get one of the players to "map" the areas as the party progresses (which has went pretty poorly for my players, sadly)

Same thing goes for towns. Should they be given access to a town map (or map it themselves) assuming that it is a place of at least moderate importance to the plot?

I guess I'm really just fishing for ideas ... how do maps fit into your campaign, do they play a major role in your sessions, would you encourage players to map out areas even if none of your players seem to be apt at doing so, and if none are, then how can you make up for this weakness (rather it be theirs or my own inability to describe the information in an easily mapable form)?

 

[Emiricol]

In my campaigns, maps aren't much use outside of dungeons, but I would give the players a town map or a vague regional map if they asked for it. For dungeons, I draw it out as they go on a battlemat, or if I am playing online via OpenRPG I just whiteboard it as they go.

 

[haiiro]

With 3.x, I find battlemaps for combat to be essential -- what's lost in terms of the "chaos of battle" factor is more than made up for by the "everyone has fun and gets to use their abilities intelligently" factor. I draw my combat maps on big sheets of 1" square graph paper, cut to size from the roll it comes in.

Knowing this, my players rightly expect that if I pull out a map of an area, there's at least a very high likelihood that they're going to get into a combat there. To avoid this, I sometimes map areas where I don't expect them to get into a fight, and sometimes wait until the actual session to map ones where I do expect combat (which can slow things down -- I don't do this often).

In every D&D game I've run or played in, having the players map things out as they go -- while appropriate from the standpoint of versimilitude -- is a nightmare. IMO, it's always less fun overall than just having the DM do the mapping.

With really large areas, I either map them in small chunks -- taping new areas on as needed -- or map them all at once and cover up the parts they haven't seen. Both work pretty well.

As far as town and city maps go, I don't usually find them to be necessary. IMC, the party asked an NPC contact for a city map early on, so I drew one up to give them as an in-game prop. This city is also the current home base for the campaign, so it makes a lot of sense for them to have access to detailed info about it.

 

[Raven Crowking]

IMC, town maps (where appropriate) and large-scale regional maps are made available to players. Inside the dungeon (or for overland travel), I use description. We use a battlemat with the PC marching order, which is then sketched in if/when a fight occurs. If they don't map, and get lost, that's cool with me. Some of the PC maps, sketched from memory, are fun reminders of good times.

RC

 

[Doc_Klueless]

Let's say your players are ready to delve into a dungeon. Do you give them the map you created, or maybe a cruder version (perhaps aquired from an NPC)? Do you put it on the table and try to cover up the areas they haven't yet explored? Do you get one of the players to "map" the areas as the party progresses (which has went pretty poorly for my players, sadly)

In Face-to-face games, I map it out for the players on a "battlemap" which is discarded/erased when they leave the area or space is needed. It's their job to keep a record of what they've seen. I do NOT redraw the map again. I have separate sheets of individual rooms if they are needed for a reoccuring battle in a room they've already been through.

Same thing goes for towns. Should they be given access to a town map (or map it themselves) assuming that it is a place of at least moderate importance to the plot?

I hand out a map to towns/cities. It should be noted that, depending on the size of the town/city, individual buildings are NOT noted. For example, a city would only have city blocks noted while a small town (20 or less buildings) would have every building mapped but not labeled. I do not label buildings, that's the players' job as they explore the town.

I guess I'm really just fishing for ideas ... how do maps fit into your campaign, do they play a major role in your sessions,

Maps are very important in my campaigns (despite it's kick-in-the-door, hack-slash, gather-the-treasure mentality) as it's a dynamic world and there is a chance the characters will revisit important places (cities/towns/citadels/castles/etc). Individual "dungeon" maps need not be kept/aren't that important as chance of revisiting them are slim to none.

would you encourage players to map out areas even if none of your players seem to be apt at doing so,

I would encourage it, but would not force it. I HATE it when I'm forced to do something I don't enjoy/am not good at, so I use that frame of mind with my players.

and if none are, then how can you make up for this weakness (rather it be theirs or my own inability to describe the information in an easily mapable form)?

I'd map it for them myself, but I wouldn't let them keep a copy unless they made it themselves (which is what I currently do).

For On-Line gaming, I use Kloogeworks, push-to-talk, etc., so that's a whole other thread/topic which I currently don't have time to go into... (I'm off to the movies in a few minutes!)

 

[Thanee]

I just draw it up pretty crude, during exploration.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Jeremy757]

Ive never understood everyones dependency on grids. You don't need them. Get a ruler and the game will work just fine with out them. This is how my group has been doing it since we have been together.

On that note go down to your local Hobby Lobby or hobby store and buy a couple sheets of dry erase poster board. It only costs about $2. You can draw all the maps on them you need your players to visualize and you can draw your combat maps on them too. They last a long time too.

 

[Raven Crowking]

Hell, before 3.0 I didn't bother with minis. Realistically, the grid helps make the map easier to draw more than anything else.

 

[caudor]

Yeah, I know what you mean about feeling your way around with maps. I've grappled with the same thing. Over the years, I've tried numerous methods: computer-assisted, graph paper and pencil, and battle maps/minis.

After 3.0 hit, I finally settled on a battlemat with paper miniatures (i.e. counter collections series) since I run on a low budget. I draw sections of the dungeon on the battlemaps as the party progress through it. For complicated areas, I might prepare a scene on a paper grid in advance. Otherwise, I just wing it; things work out pretty good this way.

I also enjoy using commerical adventures that provide player handouts. (The Kalamar adventures get an honorable mention here). Such handouts/maps that are prepared for players really help me out as a DM.

In the end, you'll have to go with a method that works for you game and style of play. But...you may have to feel around for it before you find it.

Good luck.

 

[ElvishBard]

Computers rule

I use my laptop at the gaming table that has Interactive Dungeon (a great map program) that lets me run my map at a chosen starting place so the party can see the rooms and everything, and we all know what is where to elminate the confusion.
I don't have the site but if you want to download Interactive Dungeon just type it in google.