Why the focus on *geography* in RPGing?

[Charlaquin]

4e REQUIRES a mapped out encounter space for there to be a fight, though not really so much for any other reason.

You can run 4e without an encounter map, but it’s pretty difficult.

 

[Bedrockgames]

Draw maps, leave blank spots?

Just to add to this: every map has blank spots. I've done some pretty extensive and detailed maps but I always assume they aren't exhaustive. If you look at a random historical map of a given place, and it has settlements on it, usually those aren't every single settlement for example (because maps that include all the settlements pretty much only have space for settlements). So when I see a game world map, I always assume more settlements are there, more geographic features, interesting locations, etc. Unless one is filling in a map at excruciating details, there are things on the map between the things on the map

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

The version of Braunstein I played under Wesely didn't have a map. Sure it used in-fiction locations, but as it was being run as a quasi-LARP those locations were arbitrarily set as being specific places in the condo we were playing in e.g. the University was the kitchen, City Hall was the sofa, etc.; and to talk to another character we had to physically go to that character's location, or send a messenger. There was no sense of actual distance or travel time, both of which a map would usually both show and enforce.

No yelling across the room allowed!

I think Arneson brought back the mapping aspect.

Yeah, I think the ORIGINAL 'Braunstein Scenario' was a siege of the mythical town of Braunstein, and because there were so many players available some were assigned these roles like "Mayor" and whatnot that were only tangentially related to the wargame part. Apparently those players basically just went 'off the rails' and started directly RPing with each other. Wesely actually considered it a huge fiasco, but it was so popular with the players that he and Dave and a couple others reran that scenario a number of times. After that was when they invented 'Banania' and the whole coup scenario, etc. which entirely eschewed maps and such.

So, yes, there were 'Braunsteins' that lacked maps, but I'm pretty sure the Brownstone Campaign had some mapping and was more extensively involved with combat stuff. I suspect it was the inspiration for the game Boot Hill, though I don't really KNOW that. Boot Hill certainly appeared quite early in TSR's history.

Obviously Blackmoor had some kind of map from pretty early on, though it and Brownstone might not have used them from day one, there's sadly not a lot of info online at that level of detail. Heck, maybe you know something about it if you were gaming with those guys back then. I was a few 100 miles away in Ohio back in those days playing around with 15mm minis.

 

[aramis erak]

Well Traveller does allow you to whip up a planet on the fly, and that doesn't require being a god. In D&D or most other game systems, there aren't rules to whip up geography on the fly, in cases where it occurs, sure players can get involved with the geography. But in most every other instance, the GM has to make it possible, whereas on-the-fly-geography is not a thing for most games. Again, I've published rules allowing you to create entire star systems and all it's planets - but most games don't have such facility.

Certain forms of geography were in fact able to be randomly generated, even during play... specifically, dungeons.

Rolemaster has Campaign Law, which is guidance on world building... in typical RM style, lots of options.

 

[Lanefan]

Heck, maybe you know something about it if you were gaming with those guys back then.

I wasn't. I played Braunstein much later.

 

[FrogReaver]

Maps are a tool for more gamist/simulation oriented gaming. They help provide location information, terrain information, distances, potential complications, etc. Typically the rules of the game interact with this information. For example, 5e D&D travel pace and difficult terrain rules. Simulation because there is an attempt to simulate geography and travel times based on geography, etc. Gamist because skilled play decisions can be made based on map and other information. Ex: there's a 5ft wide passage way over there so let's go there and lure the enemies to us so our fighter can stand in front of us.

 

[bloodtide]

Well, Geography, has a special place in Linear Adventures/Storytelling/ Fiction: Changing scenes moves the plot forward. And more so does it in a way all watchers can "get".

The vast majority of Action/Adventure movies do this. The Star Wars movies are a great example. Some Tv shows even do the "trick" of having characters walk along and talk as it gives the impression of the plot story moving forward. (A crazy example was the show HOUSE that had the "doctors walk down the hallways and talk" in every episode.)

Of course, Geography, also is used in action adventures for...cool fight scenes. But you can't just "go to a mine in a volcano " that is right next to the main characters house. Again, The Star Wars movies do this. Vader and Luke can't have an awesome light saber fight unless they both "somehow" end up in the Cloud City and Death Star.

 

[gamerprinter]

Another reason for maps. How else could you describe a crazy cavern system for an adventure path for Legendary Games, I did last year? Only a map like this can pull this off. I made the crevasses in the top down in O6 more obvious, so you understand the ridges and the crevasses.

 

[Bedrockgames]

Another reason for maps. How else could you describe a crazy cavern system for an adventure path for Legendary Games, I did last year? Only a map like this can pull this off. I made the crevasses in the top down in O6 more obvious, so you understand the ridges and the crevasses.

View attachment 250972

I always liked the challenge of describing crazy caverns. I found when they shifted to heavy use of tiles in 3E, that really put me off for some reason. I don't mind having a GM map of a complex that I use to explain what players see, or the GM sketching something down that is tough to grasp, but something about centering the game around tactical tile maps pops me out of the game a bit