When you're running an adventure that comes with a map, whether it's one you made yourself or one included in a commercial module, what do you do with it?

Do you just describe areas to the players and let them sketch their own maps? Do you draw a new map for them bit by bit as they explore? Do you lay out 3D terrain pieces on the table to correspond to the GM's map? Do you just hand the players a sanitised version of the map that doesn't have any traps or secret doors out such things marked on it? Something else?

The first time I ever saw D&D being played, in 1978, they used a piece of cardboard with the map drawn on it, covered in newspaper. An exacto slices off the newspaper as you explore. That's a fun way to do it.

If you are vulnerable farmers exploring the dark, then you need to describe things for the party to map. The fear of the unknown is a big part of that genre. I remember playing with Rients one time and being terrified of where the corridors we passed went, what was down them, and so on.

I've used a variety of methods from drawing it as they go, to just describing it in generalities and specifics as needed, to detailed mappable descriptions, to using tiles, etc.

Quote from: bryce0lynch;846946The first time I ever saw D&D being played, in 1978, they used a piece of cardboard with the map drawn on it, covered in newspaper. An exacto slices off the newspaper as you explore. That's a fun way to do it.

Ooh. That's a neat trick. I'll have to remember that one.

Lately my maps have been more abstract. I don't care to measure hexes or distances. I want to impart information to the players so they can make choices.



For my cursed forest, I wanted to provide the players with a visual representation of all the location encounters. I wanted to give them the choice of which parts to explore in what order. Each has a teaser bit of information on what kind of encounter they're likely to have. I think this is more appealing and interesting than rattling off a list of places.

For specific places, either I just describe it (easiest way) or draw the map out as they explore. Depends on how important the details are.

For indoor maps, I just map for the party; it is less confusing that way- especially for caverns and other irregular spaces.  For outdoor stuff. I prefer abstract and I use a ruler to measure distance.

I try to keep it entirely description based and the players can make whatever kind of map they want.

In the wargaming campaign tradition a larger map might show the disposition of forces and when the belligerents meet you would zoom in and play out a battle.  In an RPG, I tend to always stay zoomed in in terms of only describing what the characters can see and the types of things they might encounter go well beyond just the forces of an enemy.  Behind the screen, I use the map like a campaign map with appropriate "turns" of time when needed.

Quote from: Ratman_tf;846990Ooh. That's a neat trick. I'll have to remember that one.

Lately my maps have been more abstract. I don't care to measure hexes or distances. I want to impart information to the players so they can make choices.



For my cursed forest, I wanted to provide the players with a visual representation of all the location encounters. I wanted to give them the choice of which parts to explore in what order. Each has a teaser bit of information on what kind of encounter they're likely to have. I think this is more appealing and interesting than rattling off a list of places.

For specific places, either I just describe it (easiest way) or draw the map out as they explore. Depends on how important the details are.

This is close to what I do. My maps aren't specific nor reliable, they just give a general feel for things and I tend to go by how many days it should take to get to any given spot.

Depends on the game. For our fantasy settings, usually detailed accurate maps are rare commodities. The game world is mapped out in detail by the GM, but players never get to see those maps. They get maps that represent actual maps in the game world, and which are generally incomplete in some ways and have some mistakes, etc., and never try to show the whole world at once, or if they do, don't look much like what the actual GM world maps look like. Collecting maps and exploring and figuring out what is where and what's not shown, has been one of the most interesting aspects of our fantasy campaigns.

In modern games, maps are much more available, but still tend to leave some information out. Many modern maps leave out lots of things that adventurers might want, such as terrain, or industry, or how to get places on foot...

Players can try to make their own maps, but it's based on what they can observe and get descriptions for via the GM through the filter of their character abilities.  Illiterate characters have a very hard time using maps. People without cartography skill have a hard time making them, and without surveying or at least not getting lost, may get inaccurate information in the GM descriptions. A real world tends to have a lot more detail and much more limited perspectives than relates to a useful travel map directly.

Like real medieval maps, what may be more available are travel charts, which show most features along one road at a time, with some indication of travel distances between, but little or no indication of the 2D shape of the road on the terrain.

For combat, locations are laid out on a hex grid. What I often do is draw them on a battle mat, or on paper and then overlay a transparent hex grid. Only what's easily visible is shown at first, either by covering sections, or not laying them out until seen.

I also enjoy laying out maps for most locations and having the players put their counters where they go, even when nothing is happening. This can also lead to things happening, because the players start to engage the location and do things based on the layout of a place, just because it's there and seeing the layout has them think of things to do.

Quote from: Aos;847015For indoor maps, I just map for the party; it is less confusing that way- especially for caverns and other irregular spaces.  For outdoor stuff. I prefer abstract and I use a ruler to measure distance.

Aos- your maps are fantastic:)

Awesome.  Everything he does map-wise is like stuff that could totally fit right into my DCC campaign.

When I get around to making a book for the setting, if I get to have any say in it and you have any interest in it, Aos, there could be an opportunity for you there...

I use maps quite a bit. I like them and they help people to see a similar scene. They also do a good job of mitigating confusion or disagreement about who is standing next to whom. In a face-to-face game I may quickly sketch a map on a piece of scratch paper, roll out a gridded battlemat and draw a floor plan, or I may even have a large map drawn ahead of time and ready to roll out.

Because I now game via video or audio conference I can't easily sketch a quick map for the players. This leads to more work on my part and occasionally to modular player maps. Here's one example of an underground, illegal fighting pit in Paris.

Upper Level

Lower Level (Players)

I did a recent post about this on my blog for the lair of a loup garou. For the players I created 24 mini-maps of the cave for the players to use.

Quote from: Xúc xắc;846945When you're running an adventure that comes with a map, whether it's one you made yourself or one included in a commercial module, what do you do with it?

Do you just describe areas to the players and let them sketch their own maps? Do you draw a new map for them bit by bit as they explore? Do you lay out 3D terrain pieces on the table to correspond to the GM's map? Do you just hand the players a sanitised version of the map that doesn't have any traps or secret doors out such things marked on it? Something else?

I print out any maps (or partials of them) and let the players use them when there is a map found in the game.

Unless its some kind of special player-map included with a module, the only time I'll show them or draw them a map is if the PCs themselves acquire a map in some way.

But otherwise, it's up to them to handle the mapping.

Quote from: bryce0lynch;846946The first time I ever saw D&D being played, in 1978, they used a piece of cardboard with the map drawn on it, covered in newspaper. An exacto slices off the newspaper as you explore. That's a fun way to do it.

That's actually a very cool idea. I've only done the reverse, where I laid out individual rooms as they become visible, which doesn't work well for odd shaped rooms or caves since there may be no good dividing points, and the pieces have to be lined up and kept in place. But when slicing away the newspaper, how did the DM know how far to cut? Or was it cut away in narrow strips until a wall was revealed?

OD&D is based on the idea of the players not having a map.

"Ten feet, twenty feet, thirty feet.  Passage east ends, door north, door south."

That's how I do it.