How do YOU illustrate exploration through a dungeon?

[mykelsss]

There seems to be two main ways for a DM to do this. Its possible to be somewhat between these two styles but I'm only going to analyze the two extremes. Keep in mind my view of these two sides is mini/token-centric as thats the way more and more groups are playing now. Do you or your DM...


Allow PCs to move their minis around the battlemat, exploring the dungeon?

Pro:

• PCs are able to see their surroundings visually and are less prone to confusion about direction or distance.

Cons:

• Makes exploration tedious (taking turns moving)
• Line of sight - the DM must draw in new areas/place new tiles as the players move through the dungeon or the players will be able to see what is coming. Instead of being able to pre-draw everything the DM has to draw as the game is played which can be time-consuming.
• Less imaginative.

Solutions:

• No minis are used. The PCs are able to see the terrain and purely describe what they are doing/where they are going.
• The map is pre-drawn. The DM has to then fashion some sort of fog-of-war so that the PCs cannot see what's coming. Or perhaps he just doesnt care if the PCs see whats in the next room or four doors down.

Purely describe what the PCs do/feel/see/etc in the dungeon?

Pros:

• The most imaginative approach - it's just your dice, your descriptions and the PCs' imagination.
• Benefit of not having to have everything drawn or to draw everything in-game as the PCs will only need a battlemat if they encounter and fight some baddies.

Con:

• PCs can be unsure of where they are going or become confused easier.

Solution:

• Give them a map. Sometimes this may make sense, but other times it may not in the context of the story.

​

Basically I'm interested in:

• What style most groups utilize
• The ways people have been able to alleviate any problems inherit in either style
• What other problems groups have have faced with either style (I'm sure there's more)
• How any of these Pros can be made Cons or vice versa

 

[Bumbles]

No steam tunnel option?

 

[Ariosto]

Especially when areas are difficult to describe verbally, visual aids can keep the game from getting bogged down.

Showing only what can be seen clearly (e.g., within the nominal radius of torchlight) is more realistic, but again can slow play significantly. That really depends, though, on whether players use good tactics to scout or act with too much caution. If they're always creeping forward a few feet at a time and then asking for an update, then one can choose either to try to break them of the habit (perhaps while suggesting better methods, such as with leading questions) or to accommodate them by revealing more right away even if they should not be able to see it while, say, standing in a doorway.

Getting down to precise measurements on a "battle map" every step of the way tends in my experience to be even more of a drag. If mappers want that kind of precision, then let them invest turns (and wandering-monster checks) to get it.

So, what I have settled on is supplementing description as necessary with rough sketches. If a grid is important to combat (as in 4E), then I'll go to that extent when an encounter demands it.