D&D General Mapping: How Do You Do It?

[Lakesidefantasy]

Though yeah I get it. If you dont want to be ten foot pole tapping old school survival sim, then its easier to just skill check it and go.

I get it.

But what happens when we fail our mapping/memory skill checks?

 

[payn]

I get it.

But what happens when we fail our mapping/memory skill checks?

I mean, if you want old school you toss a random encounter at them.

 

[Thomas Shey]

It’s not a universal benefit. It may be beneficial in games where successfuly navigating the space is meant to be part of the challenge of the dungeon. It would be quite detrimental in games where that isn’t the case.

Only reason I mentioned it was that at least some of the people who mandate it seem to think it should be done universally.

 

[Lakesidefantasy]

I mean, if you want old school you toss a random encounter at them.

Cool!

What...happens...after...that...?

 

[Reynard]

Only reason I mentioned it was that at least some of the people who mandate it seem to think it should be done universally.

I'm not sure anyone in the thread said that. What we've said is that if exploring the dungeon is a important component of challenging the players, then mapping is part of that.

 

[Thomas Shey]

I'm not sure anyone in the thread said that. What we've said is that if exploring the dungeon is a important component of challenging the players, then mapping is part of that.

The problem, again, is the ambiguity of "mapping" here. I think the GM having a map is part of that, but I don't see why the players doing so manually rather than just being assumed to have have a pretty good idea as the GM reveals it has to be important.

 

[Lanefan]

Emulation doesn’t matter. What matters is whether or not navigating the space is meant to be part of the gameplay challenge. If it is, then the players making a map is something they can do to try to make that challenge easier. If it’s not, then there’s no point in the players making a map, and the DM should just give them an accurate map (one room at a time if they want to preserve the fog of war effect).

The DM giving them an accurate map one room at a time is far easier on a VTT than it is in person because the VTT very neatly preserves the map afterwards.

In person, the map the DM provides a room at a time will very likely be drawn on a reusable surface (whiteboard, chalkboard, etc.) and then erased once the PCs move on to allow space for the next bit of map; meaning that unless a player replicates that map onto some paper and thus preserves it, in the end the players* have no map other than the very last bit they explored.

* - and, by extension, the characters; mapping is one area where I'm pretty hard-line on saying if the players don't do it the characters didn't do it either.

 

[Lanefan]

The problem, again, is the ambiguity of "mapping" here. I think the GM having a map is part of that, but I don't see why the players doing so manually rather than just being assumed to have have a pretty good idea as the GM reveals it has to be important.

I take it as a given that the DM has a map; a few DMs might be good enough to wing an entire complex on the fly and have it remain geographically consistent but I ain't one of them and I don't know any who are, and so a GM-side map is assumed.

In a small complex or a linear dungeon with few or no branches, I'll usually assume the PCs have a reasonable idea but even then the players should probably map it anyway just in case something doesn't make sense "We passed through six chambers to get to the McGuffin, but this is the eighth chamber we've seen on the way out...er...did we mess up somewhere?" (teleporters are fun!).

In a bigger complex, or anything with multiple levels, I'll usually assume they don't have a good idea of things geographical unless they make a map, because it's very easy to get turned around when exploring a place for the first time without the sun to give a direction guide (e.g. a city on a cloudy day or at night, or somewhere big indoors like the Indianapolis Convention Centre).

 

[Reynard]

The problem, again, is the ambiguity of "mapping" here. I think the GM having a map is part of that, but I don't see why the players doing so manually rather than just being assumed to have have a pretty good idea as the GM reveals it has to be important.

I think you are conflating players and characters here. The point is challenging the players in this style of game, and so the work done to map is a player side thing. How they do it is up to them, but in a game where getting lost in the dungeon, turned around, or as @Lanefan mentions, teleported without realizing it, mapping at least somewhat accurately is a thing. That isn't even to mention figuring out by context where the secret doors might.

But, to reiterate, it is a player puzzle, so it doesn't make sense to assume their characters map perfectly.

 

[Thomas Shey]

I take it as a given that the DM has a map; a few DMs might be good enough to wing an entire complex on the fly and have it remain geographically consistent but I ain't one of them and I don't know any who are, and so a GM-side map is assumed.

In a small complex or a linear dungeon with few or no branches, I'll usually assume the PCs have a reasonable idea but even then the players should probably map it anyway just in case something doesn't make sense "We passed through six chambers to get to the McGuffin, but this is the eighth chamber we've seen on the way out...er...did we mess up somewhere?" (teleporters are fun!).

The simple answer to that is "No, it appears something odd happened along the way." Being coy there only matters if you consider mapping itself part of the gameplay loop.

In a bigger complex, or anything with multiple levels, I'll usually assume they don't have a good idea of things geographical unless they make a map, because it's very easy to get turned around when exploring a place for the first time without the sun to give a direction guide (e.g. a city on a cloudy day or at night, or somewhere big indoors like the Indianapolis Convention Centre).

I have two answers to this.

1. In many cases, I just don't care. Since the players getting lost or disoriented isn't an important element of play, if they need answers to questions and don't have easy access to a literal map, I just tell them.

2. If it is something of an important element, skill or attribute rolls can be used to see if they're clear on it. If there's a Cartography skill, its the obvious case; if not others will do. If they don't have that I'm not going to assume a player-produced map is going to be a good substitue anyway, any more than I will any other player skill is a substitute for the skills of the character.

Either way, the players drawing a map is not desireable, either in being an unnecessary time sink, or being something I don't actually find a good representation of what's going on in-world.