new DM, trying to figure out maps, dungeon tiles, graph paper

[S'mon]

Bluetack! Of course! Why didn't I think of that? Thanks S'mon!

I like the dungeon tiles, but they do require loads of pre-play set up to get what you want for your encounter. The big drawback I've had with them, is getting them placed on the table in a timely fasion. Using bluetack with the foamcore boards I have, means I can pre-set the tiles on the board to my satisfaction, pull them out and use them at the appropriate time, and then remove them after play for re-use. Much better than taking a chance of damaging the tiles with tape...

...Thanks again S'mon. It's the little pointers like yours that keep me reading these forumns.

You're very welcome - it wasn't my idea, I read it on a 4e advice blog I think, can't recall which one (Sly Flourish, Keep on the Gaming Lands, Newbie DM are some possibilities). I have a set of 3 boards set up this way currently as 3 levels of a tower for possible use next Sunday.

One thing I noticed is that with using blutack and stacking tiles you can get a sort of semi-3d effect, which may or may not be desirable. Could be very good if you want to indicate eg an elevated walkway or parapet.

Another thing - pre-sticking the tiles onto boards is great for tower levels, or dissociated encounter areas, but not so great for mapping a big sprawling dungeon. For that I'd think a simple battlemat/blank flipmat and marker pen approach is best; but boards can be pre-done for set-piece areas.

The key is not to get lured into trying to set up Dungeon Tiles from scratch at the table while players are waiting (perhaps to start a fight) - the benefit from better visuals is far outweighed by the loss of momentum from the stalled game.

 

[buddhafrog]

great tips everyone, thanks.

I've printed my dungeon tiles .pdf's and glued them on chipboard (one sided so I more easily see what I have without flipping everything over). I bought black poster board that has pretty heavy ridges in it (a little like this Handmade Paper | Ridged Paper | CentralCrafts.Com -- but BLACK of course). This holds the tiles pretty easily. I then bought a couple sheets of slightly 3-D alphabet stickers (100/sheet) and stuck them to the corners of each tile. Now, the tiles barely move at all, I don't have to stick/unstick each tile, and I can throw things up on the map very quickly. This has worked great for me.... (in the only one time I've tried it). But it was very fast and with no clean up.

I think what I'll do is generally use the tiles for creating dungeons, making extra prints of the most useful tiles, to give that added feeling of "what is around this corner... and will it eat me?" I haven't yet, but I think I will start making the kids map out the dungeon as I place the tiles. I'll then let them sell/trade these maps in town for extra incentive.

I've read many people who love the vinyl cheesy maps - but do they stay flat? I use the paper/poster maps and put the acrylic sheet over them both to let me use the markers, but even more importantly to keep these posters flat. Based on a recommendation from Icosahedraphilia (great podcast), I bought the Star Troopers Floorplans. They were only $6.99 and have 8 different terrains. This lets me give the impression of snow, heavy jungle, mountains, etc, but still have a blank map that I can draw on.

I suppose with more practice and experience I will just become more comfortable and know how to best switch between methods.

The one option I have no experience with and don't quite understand (even after many searches) is the Flip-mats. I've seen pictures of some of the actual maps (I like the tavern map), but how do they "flip" exactly? Do they stay flat? Why are they so useful?

Thanks again, all! I'm going to be making a post today about Korean kids being exposed to D&D for the first time -- they love it!

 

[S'mon]

The one option I have no experience with and don't quite understand (even after many searches) is the Flip-mats. I've seen pictures of some of the actual maps (I like the tavern map), but how do they "flip" exactly? Do they stay flat? Why are they so useful?

They 'flip' in that they're double-sided, you flip them over to use the other side. They're heavily laminated so they take dry erase, wet erase, and even permanent marker (rub over w dry erase to remove). I especially like the outdoor encounter areas ones, vastly better than either a blank mat or trying to use my Ruins of the Wild tiles (before most of them went missing). I have a few interior ones too (Keep, Cathedral, Dungeon) but those are less flexible, whereas I repeatedly reuse the wilderness ones, including the generic Underdark/Cavern-floor side of the Darklands flipmat.

Favourites include:
Reverse of 'Keep' mat - a narrow winding forest/wilderness trail
River Crossing mat - river in forest, with bridge over river on one side, river with fallen log on the other
Woodlands mat - with cave & stream on one side, generic forest road/broad path on the other
Darklands mat - stone bridge over underground chasm one side, generic cavern floor with stalagmites the other

I've used the Cathedral map once for a set-piece battle, and I'm planning to use the Keep map for a large manor-house complex. Just got the Dungeon map, I may use it if I need an impromptu dungeon, otherwise I'll plan it out eventually.

Flatness - when initially set on the table, new ones tend not to lie completely flat, but you can put books etc on the edges, over the creases, to make them go flat, after a while they're fine.

 

[Dedekind]

Tiles for specific encounters, but never a whole dungeon. Graph paper for the rest.

I used a large wet erase battle mat for a long time. It was nice because I could draw out the full map on the mat, and then just show them what they needed as went along. This kept the PCs out of the mapping business, but sometimes it was awkward covering the parts of the map they didn't know.

 

[Mark]

Another thing - pre-sticking the tiles onto boards is great for tower levels, or dissociated encounter areas, but not so great for mapping a big sprawling dungeon.

We've sometimes gone the route of using foam board with loops of electrical tape to hold the dungeon tiles in place (comes off easy but I wouldn't leave it on for weeks at a time) and covering sections with cardstock, revealing portions as you go.