Maps getting crappy now that "tiles" are used to make them?

[Nymrohd]

Deleted.

 

[catsclaw227]

I've only seen the tiles in the delve products.

Personally, I prefer regular maps. If required, the tiles can pidgenhole the developer into an encounter design that doesn't fit what they are going for.

I think they would be fine for a one-off or a delve, but not for a full adventure. I want the maps done custom to the adventure itself.

 

[amysrevenge]

My only real experience with WotC product so far is Living Forgotten Realms, which does indeed require Dungeon Tiles for all maps. Of course, this is a cheap and easy way to do maps for their "Free module every week or so" schedule.

 

[doctorhook]

They're not - unless someone has figured out some kind of crazy way to do it.

Dungeon Tiles are pretty and a great concept, but I found them to be seriously flawed during actual play.

-O

I totally agree. I can see how it might work if you like Nethack-style maps, with mostly large, empty, rectangular-shaped rooms, but most adventures don't have maps like that. I don't mind laying down big tiles and hallways, but anything smaller than 2x2 might as well not even exist, for the use I get out of it. (And even 2x2 is pretty rare.)

Despite their quality, I've stopped buying Dungeon Tiles until I can figure out how to use them. Ironically, if more adventures used maps made with Dungeon Tiles, I might actually use the tiles, too.

 

[JohnnyQuest]

I like the tiles a lot. I hate drawing on a vinyl mat. Hate it. Maps are nice, but I don't like having to cover up parts of the map. In fact, for the past couple of Game Days, I've recreated the map using tiles, as I like them much better. I use outdoor maps quite a bit, but I like tiles for everything else. I would prefer adventures to use tiles for the 'maps', but even when they don't, I just use tiles to approximate what's given. I like being able to set up for the day by pulling all tiles and minis needed. Then, I can focus on doing what I do best. Killing

 

[Nymrohd]

I wonder, if the dungeon builder ever comes live, with dungeon tiles to print at our specification, how much use will it see?

 

[Obryn]

Despite their quality, I've stopped buying Dungeon Tiles until I can figure out how to use them.

Ditto. My math was basically... $20 buys me 2 sets of dungeon tiles. Or it buys me a 50-page presentation pad of 1" graph paper where I can pre-draw maps for the whole adventure, and mark them up however I'd like.

It was an easy decision for me.

Ironically, if more adventures used maps made with Dungeon Tiles, I might actually use the tiles, too.

Not ditto. My math stays the same here.

-O

 

[Wormwood]

Dude, I would *love* it if every Dungeon Adventure had maps that were able to be accurately reproduced using Dungeon Tiles.

I bought the entire run of tiles, but most of the published adventures have maps so idiosyncratic that I have to hand draw them on our dry-erase battle map. Not only a waste of my time, but a waste of my money.

So please, PLEASE make use of Dungeon Tiles in Dungeon magazine!

 

[catsclaw227]

So please, PLEASE make use of Dungeon Tiles in Dungeon magazine!

No offense, but....

PLEASE NO!!! The maps look silly and they're not organic enough. You have to work too hard to make using them simple, and they lose their plausibility if the dungeon had to conform to what tiles are available. There's a lot of out of print sets, and map making software is much cheaper and more prevalent.

I would prefer it if, when the cartographers are designing the maps, they do a battle map sized version of each encounter.

 

[WalterKovacs]

I'd rather they make the map using tiles. If they aren't going to give a map that you can lay out on the table, you'll have to either draw it yourself or build it out of tiles. I run a game at a store, so I don't exactly have room for a big grid to draw on, and I'd rather use the tiles I've paid for than have to print out a new map for each encounter and pay for that paper and the ink, etc. I don't mind if it uses the tile or not, but when the rooms are 'odd' sized so that you can't really make them out of tiles, it's a bit frustrating. I'm fine with using dice for random things like doors, boxes and such, although it's a bit hard to do things like hindering terrain since characters can still go in those squares. In the case of the dungeon delve it let's you actually use the terrain that appears on the tile, which is more helpful than just using the tiles to approximate the maps.

Ultimately, a drawn map can copy the tiles, but the tiles can't really copy anything that isn't made using the tiles.