Charlaquin
Goblin Queen (She/Her/Hers)
For the players, obviously. Characters, in this context, are game mechanical constructs that can’t make decisions or solve puzzles.
D&D General Mapping: How Do You Do It?
- Thread starter Reynard
- Start date
Charlaquin
Goblin Queen (She/Her/Hers)
I would guess there’s selection bias at work here, because there are certainly RPG communities in which player mapping is very popular. But, yes, my experience has also been that most of the people playing D&D 5e don’t want to do player mapping, and that’s fine.
Of course. I think it goes without saying that if the players don’t want to do something the DM shouldn’t force them to. RPGs are a leisure activity, nobody should be forcing anybody else to do something they don’t want to as part of that activity. It’s one thing to encourage players to try something they may not think sounds fun on the surface, it’s another thing to say they must do it or there will be no game. I suppose if the DM isn’t interested in running a game unless the players are going to be mapping, they shouldn’t be forced to do so either, but A) that’s a pretty strange preference to have IMO and B) if the players’ preferences and the DMs’ preferences are that opposed, maybe it’s best they not play together anyway.
Reynard
aka Ian Eller
Nothing is ever a puzzle for the characters in an RPG. It is impossible.
Not personally a fan, mostly be I am crap at puzzles
Lakesidefantasy
Legend
You could roll a die.
That would be sooooo much fun.
Basic Expert
Explorer
As a player, if I feel the need to map a dungeon, I use little boxes for rooms/areas with a descriptive label (such as "Statue" or "Orcs", or "Dark Chasm") so I can remember what's there. Hallways/connectors are lines. Pretty much a simple node map.
It's pretty rare where more detailed mapping will be a benefit. It's never led to finding a secret or gaining any other advantage, so why bother?
Usually, mapping is not to prevent getting lost as that's not usually a danger in how our group plays (i.e. we can usually just say to the DM: "We go back to the throne room" without having to navigate back step by step). The purpose of the map is more to organize notes, help visualize the space, and keep track of areas we haven't yet explored.
As a GM, I map a space in whatever style I think is beneficial to the players (from no map at all, to node maps, to simple diagrams, to more detailed plans and battlemaps). Generally, the larger the scale, the simpler the map. I seldom map villages, towns, cities and other communities (unless I expect them to be ongoing locations) as this is usually a poor return on prep time investment.
Playing on VTT, I've lately been using scenic backdrops instead of maps: evocative art that gives a feeling for the place more than simple mapping.
It's pretty rare where more detailed mapping will be a benefit. It's never led to finding a secret or gaining any other advantage, so why bother?
Usually, mapping is not to prevent getting lost as that's not usually a danger in how our group plays (i.e. we can usually just say to the DM: "We go back to the throne room" without having to navigate back step by step). The purpose of the map is more to organize notes, help visualize the space, and keep track of areas we haven't yet explored.
As a GM, I map a space in whatever style I think is beneficial to the players (from no map at all, to node maps, to simple diagrams, to more detailed plans and battlemaps). Generally, the larger the scale, the simpler the map. I seldom map villages, towns, cities and other communities (unless I expect them to be ongoing locations) as this is usually a poor return on prep time investment.
Playing on VTT, I've lately been using scenic backdrops instead of maps: evocative art that gives a feeling for the place more than simple mapping.
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