What makes a good map good?

[LordEntrails]

There's nothing wrong with DCC maps, they are perfectly readable and convey more than a typical rpg map does with a lot of character and atmosphere.

It does have lots of character and atmosphere. And might convey more than a typical map. But I wouldn't say its' very clear. The title says its a portal under the stars, but what is outside the walls? trees, grass, void? And how does one get to rooms 7 & 8? I'm guessing their is a portal somewhere?

But the point is the answers don't matter. When possible such things should be clear on the map. Nothing I hate more than a building map devoid of its setting. Sure, maybe it makes it less generic, but if I'm running an urban adventure and the party it going to interact with a building, I need to know where the alleys are. How wide the streets are. Where other buildings have doors. Where and how something is set is important.

Oh, and windows, who the F*%&% would make an urban building map and not indicate where the frigging windows are? (I'm looking at you Dragon Heist!) When does a party not at least want to look in a window if not use it for ingress or egress!

 

[Bilharzia]

It's not monochrome. It's clear where the walls are, which way the doors open and even what most of the 'stuff' is.
Thoughts?

Thumbs down, it communicates nothing of what the space is used for, why the rooms are arranged as they are, or who might use it. Purely from the image it makes no sense at all, and it's impossible to infer anything about the place, it's full of repeated objects that seem to form a maze, that's it.

Lots of the One Page Dungeons seem to have lots of good ideas.
I like this one, by Will Doyle (One-Page Dungeon 2017: Temple of the Moon Priests)

 

[LordEntrails]

Thumbs down, it communicates nothing of what the space is used for, why the rooms are arranged as they are, or who might use it. Purely from the image it makes no sense at all, and it's impossible to infer anything about the place, it's full of repeated objects that seem to form a maze, that's it.

Funny, you described exactly what that area is (it's part of a larger map). It's a series of room that use a lot of repeated objects to form a maze Let's see what others think.

Lots of the One Page Dungeons seem to have lots of good ideas.
I like this one, by Will Doyle (One-Page Dungeon 2017: Temple of the Moon Priests)

I think a lot of the one-page dungeons are evocative. And most do exactly what they are supposed to do, give enough info for a DM to turn them into something usable at the game table. But by themselves they are not usable at the table unless most everything is TotM.

 

[Lanefan]

Make your maps as bland as possible to cater to an audience that wants uniform and drearily functional art in their rpgs.

Art for art's sake is just fine. But maps are not supposed to be art, they're supposed to be, in effect, blueprints. Simple, function-first blueprints.

There's nothing wrong with DCC maps, they are perfectly readable and convey more than a typical rpg map does with a lot of character and atmosphere.

You picked one of their better and clearer ones for your example, I'll concede that. (I own the module this map comes from) But even there, instead of all that background crap, why not use the space for explanatory text, and failing that just leave it blank?

As it is, it looks like nothing more than an attempt to jazz up what is in fact just a 9-room dungeon.

Took me quite a while to find the note on how big the squares are.

EDIT TO ADD: That Temple of the Moon Priests map is even worse. Where's the scale? Where's the compass? It's clear what is above/below what but what's the elevation difference? Etc.

 

[The Green Hermit]

Make your maps as bland as possible to cater to an audience that wants uniform and drearily functional art in their rpgs.
There's nothing wrong with DCC maps, they are perfectly readable and convey more than a typical rpg map does with a lot of character and atmosphere.

That is way too busy for me.

 

[The Green Hermit]

I see no reason why a modern map can not be full color, be detailed, and be clear. Sure, it might depend upon a room description to add comprehension to somethings, but for the most part it stands alone while still being interesting and useful.

Take this map for an example;
View attachment 120753
It's not monochrome. It's clear where the walls are, which way the doors open and even what most of the 'stuff' is. The only thing that comes to me as needing a room description are the hanging curtains. But once you understand this map shows shadows it seems pretty clear.

Thoughts?

I like that. However, color maps can be impossible to see if any of your players are color blind.

 

[The Green Hermit]

Thumbs down, it communicates nothing of what the space is used for, why the rooms are arranged as they are, or who might use it. Purely from the image it makes no sense at all, and it's impossible to infer anything about the place, it's full of repeated objects that seem to form a maze, that's it.

Lots of the One Page Dungeons seem to have lots of good ideas.
I like this one, by Will Doyle (One-Page Dungeon 2017: Temple of the Moon Priests)

My son would be able to see none of this map except for the text boxes.

 

[dragoner]

For D&D style maps, I prefer Dyson Logos - https://dysonlogos.blog/maps/ for just about everything, a good plan view, and if anything secondary, and elevation, very plain (note that I use plans at work all the time); spacecraft can have a artistic drawing, that's cool. I don't like the sort of isometric projection maps.

 

[Theo R Cwithin]

I see no reason why a modern map can not be full color, be detailed, and be clear. Sure, it might depend upon a room description to add comprehension to somethings, but for the most part it stands alone while still being interesting and useful.

Take this map for an example;
View attachment 120753
It's not monochrome. It's clear where the walls are, which way the doors open and even what most of the 'stuff' is. The only thing that comes to me as needing a room description are the hanging curtains. But once you understand this map shows shadows it seems pretty clear.

Thoughts?

I think the color is fine. It's subtle enough that if someone can't see it-- or prints it out in b/w-- the map is still useful. I would definitely need a symbol reference, though. I instantly recognized the "soft" bits as shadow, but I was interpreting them as pickets sticking up from the floor rather than curtains hanging down, heh! And still not sure about the fuzzy peach things: sleeping pallets, graves, or piles of sand?

Note to self: use a legend!

 

[Theo R Cwithin]

Make your maps as bland as possible to cater to an audience that wants uniform and drearily functional art in their rpgs.
There's nothing wrong with DCC maps, they are perfectly readable and convey more than a typical rpg map does with a lot of character and atmosphere.

I think one's certainly usable, though it requires some close study. Aside from the busy background (which I assume wouldn't be quite so contrasty in print?), the two things that stand out for me are

• the compass rose is styled & positioned such that it looks like it's part of the map, a round room. I almost did a double-take: does it show the map's orientation... or is it a trapped room that involves a compass rose carved the floor. (I suppose it could be both, hmmm...)
• the cross-section for rooms 7 & 8 is in the opposite corner from rooms 7 & 8 on the map. The label for it is also lost in the art, at least in this repro.

I'd be tempted to just draw this one out myself for reference, since it's not very complex.