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Message: <blockquote data-quote="MNblockhead" data-source="post: 7601144" data-attributes="member: 6796661">No [MENTION=31465]Nebulous[/MENTION], paper is the NOT the best way to go. You instinct to get an LCD is right. Follow it.  THE CASE AGAINST LARGE-SCALE MAPSMy dad is in the process of selling of his business and retiring, which includes downsizing his office. I could have received a large scale printer for free. I've been using it for years to print out battlemaps. But, beside the space it would take up in my home, the paper and especially the ink, is EXPENSIVE. Far cheaper than having it printed by a print shop, sure, but you are still going to be spending money to make those paper maps. Then you have to store the damn things. I mean, you could just toss them after the game, but given the cost in ink and paper, and that they look too nice to toss, and you think you may use them again in the future, so you'll likely store them. Then you end up with lots of rolled up maps in tubes (because folding them makes them suck at the table. There is still effort involved in prepping most digital battlemaps for printing. Some publishers like Kobold press do a great job of giving you PDFs that are pretty much ready to print at scale with little prep.But for most I'm using software to get them ready. I know their are cheap and free software you can use to do this, but I was printing them in my Dad's office and so I used AutoCAD.I would rather use my prep time on the story and encounters. Also, big paper maps take up a LOT of paper space, so you'll often find yourself cutting them up anyway. If you care about fog or war and not letting the players see the entire map at once, then you have to get clever with tacky paper, cotton balls, or other ways of progressively revealing the map. Large paper maps are not spill resistant. WHY DIGITAL MAPS ARE BETTERThe initial cost is higher, but then you never have to worry about ink and paper again. Storage isn't an issue and you'll save a lot of time getting ready for your games. You do not need to buy a high-end display. There are lots of discussions online on the best displays for gaming purposes, but nearly any modern flat display with no bezels should be good. You probably can get away with a smaller display than you thought. Remember that you can pan the image and zoom in an out. So you can get a highly portable screen. I've seen DMs lay down a screen and just put a piece of PlexiGlass over it to protect the display. For mine, I had a case made for it by Collbrewate (<a href="https://www.collabrewate.com/tv-case" target="_blank">https://www.collabrewate.com/tv-case</a>). The screen and sides are protected, it is small legs to keep it off the table. It also has a fan built in to keep it from over heating. A handle is added to the outside making it easy to move for storage or to take to someone else's home. The first day that I used it, a player spilled his drink, no issues just wiped the areas it splattered on the case and lifted up to wipe the table under it. The only only thing that a paper map has over a digital map is you can use a paper map without a power source. Finding a play to power your screen at a FLGS is likely to be your main issue.  You would probably want to get a portable power station, which will significantly add to the cost of going this route.</blockquote>

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