map suggestions?

[thegrumpyyoungman]

I have a healthy supply of dungeon tiles at my disposal that i use to premake the maps I plan on using for encounters during the session. The only issue with this is that it kinda removes the randomness possibilities that both I and my players like. Yes I could just keep tiles handy but it takes too long during the game to set it up on the spot. I've looked at vinyl battle maps and wet erase markers but I don't want it to look so bland.

Do any of you use a hybrid approach to setting up your maps? Tiles + vinyl battle map + ????

 

[badula]

I'm longing for terraclips release!^^


another solution for you could be CCC or dundjinni!
So you can generate your own maps but you play only the visible part step by step!
you don't want it to look crappy?
printing on cardstock help A LOT!


if you have a battlemap you could even go hybrid...
you print out the battlezones and you connect them drawing on the map on the fly!

 

[Saagael]

I will often use a hybrid of my Chessex Battlemat and the dungeon tiles, along with other props. Recently I've been messing around with some of the 2D and 3D terrain produced by Fat Dragon Games, and making my own 3D papercraft objects.

One of the more creative uses for the dungeon tiles is for 3D battle areas. You can use the battlemat as the ground floor, while you can use clear 1/2" PVC pipe to raise pieces of the tileset up 8-12 inches so you've got a 3D battlefield the players can use.

Though if you want to get really fancy, I'd also second the idea of using Dundjinni to make and print maps, then use them as you need them.

 

[the Jester]

I hate hate hate tiles, but what I do sometimes is pre-draw (or build, if I'm extra sassy) a battlemap of an area I heavily anticipate using. I've used gridded 24x36 paper so I can make more permanent maps, with full color representations of surgical tables and organ bins to freak the players out a little.

 

[thegrumpyyoungman]

I hate hate hate tiles, but what I do sometimes is pre-draw (or build, if I'm extra sassy) a battlemap of an area I heavily anticipate using. I've used gridded 24x36 paper so I can make more permanent maps, with full color representations of surgical tables and organ bins to freak the players out a little.

Why do you hate them? Lack of flexibility?

 

[Ryujin]

I prep ahead of time, by using a pad of 1" ruled graph paper. As a backup, for when the scene changes halfway through an encounter, I have a fairly large whiteboard, that I painted a 1" grid on.

What I'm hoping to do eventually, when we have a solid playing area, is to get a small computer connectable projector and just project the map onto a white tabletop.

 

[the Jester]

Why do you hate them? Lack of flexibility?

Exactly this. Basically, if I had a dungeon that came with tiles specifically representing that dungeon, I would love them for that dungeon. What happens a lot is that designers or dms use the tiles as a (very limited) set of building blocks that constrain their design; alternatively, you'll have the "horses on a Dark Sun map, but pretend they are something else) issue where the tiles don't actually represent the scene, breaking immersion.

I mean, how many rooms do you need with the same crystals growing out of the same exact places?

The premade battlemaps in some of the 4e modules are a mixed bag, because it's pretty hard to read the grid on a lot of them. (I've had many player complaints about that.) Sometimes they're pretty murky, too. Some of them are great, though; H1's map of the kobold ambush site along the road is good and generic enough that you can reuse it a lot, and MV2 has some pretty good premade battlemaps along those lines too.

 

[thegrumpyyoungman]

Exactly this. Basically, if I had a dungeon that came with tiles specifically representing that dungeon, I would love them for that dungeon. What happens a lot is that designers or dms use the tiles as a (very limited) set of building blocks that constrain their design; alternatively, you'll have the "horses on a Dark Sun map, but pretend they are something else) issue where the tiles don't actually represent the scene, breaking immersion.

I mean, how many rooms do you need with the same crystals growing out of the same exact places?

The premade battlemaps in some of the 4e modules are a mixed bag, because it's pretty hard to read the grid on a lot of them. (I've had many player complaints about that.) Sometimes they're pretty murky, too. Some of them are great, though; H1's map of the kobold ambush site along the road is good and generic enough that you can reuse it a lot, and MV2 has some pretty good premade battlemaps along those lines too.

So would you suggest using a battlemat only and draw out the map beforehand? Or draw it out as it was happening? And how would you use tiles in combo with the battlemat?

 

[badula]

Having A LOT of time to prepare your sessions i'd suggest going for custom maps using dundjinni, you'll need maybe some "structures" to allow vertical growth (you can cover those structures with the same tile options used for the mab to blend them, better if you cover them in a removable way).
This way you'll have the best scenes ever possible!
Obviosly you can CUT maps in a way that doesn't reveal much to the players.

The cons are that this process is extremely time consuming, not mentioning the depletion of your ink cartriges!^^
I prefer investing that time thinking of more complex encounters or deeper backgrounds for my npcs!^^


p.s.

tiles in combo with a mat means you use the mat as a background layer and place your tiles where needed. You'll end up with a map dotted with tiles, maybe with hand drawn connections between the tiles (corridors open space etc etc)

 

[thegrumpyyoungman]

okay well i'm looking at doing a sewer encounter for my next session. i have the tiles from the WoTC City set, but honestly its not very much. so here's what im debating on doing:

1. staying old school and basically describing everything and going through the adventure without a map or mini's until an actual encounter begins. then i bust out a small/mid size dungeon tiles map for the battle. this is what i've been doing for the most part all along

2. get a battlemat and draw out the sewer tunnels and have the players go through the entire sewer environment. if i do this one...that leads me to the next question...

what battlemat to buy? chessex (wet erase), gamemastery (any marker type)...folded or rolled? i already have a dry erase board that i could score with an exacto knife and make my own but it looks a little messy from pictures i've seen. suggestions?

also, this map doesnt have to be portable as it will stay in the same location for gaming. and how do you guys handle revealing parts of the map? if its wet erase and you have the whole map of a large area drawn out...how do you handle the fog of war?