|
Post by zippy on Jun 5, 2013 18:30:03 GMT -8
I've gone back and forth on this one. I play with a group of 5-8 people and we rotate 3 different campaigns weekly. We all seem to be into the miniatures portion of it and use a Chessex Battle-Mat for each session and the GM draws out the map as we go, be it an encounter, a dungeon, etc.
The other day I brought up the possibility of doing the map differently. Having the players keep their own map based on the GM's narration. A few things came to mind, one, making sure that the terminology we use is understood by everybody. Does "the hallway goes down 30 feet then turns right" mean 30 feet then last ten feet is used for the turn, or is it 30 feet then another 10 feet that is used for the turn. The other thing being that some of our battles tend to be run and shoot. Either we are getting our butts kicked and have a fighting retreat or we are kicking butt and the monsters are fleeing with us chasing. How do you translate that to the board? For simplicitys sake, just drawing the map on the board works best, but I wonder if anybody has done it differently, relying more on the PC's map making ability and if it added anything to the game.
Great podcasts guys
|
|
|
Post by CreativeCowboy on Jun 6, 2013 3:39:22 GMT -8
I wonder if anybody has done it differently, relying more on the PC's map making ability and if it added anything to the game. Great podcasts guys I wrote a nice reply. I shared how we do it and why, adding a few tips in dealing with language decribing directions like north 30 feet by west 50 feet, a concern you pointed out. It got eaten by this downgrade of a forum. Now I have no time to regurgitate. This would make a great topic not only from the POV of PCs but also from the consideration of player engrossment, buy-in and immersion.
|
|
|
Post by jazzisblues on Jun 6, 2013 4:52:47 GMT -8
Back in the dim and distant antiquity before there were such things as battle mats and such that's what everyone did, the gm (dm back then) described the route you had taken and someone in the group mapped on graph paper as you went along.
A couple of things ultimately happened. At some point there would almost always be a disagreement about something and there would be a debate about how the map got off and blah blah blah. The other thing was that I basically reached a point where I gave them the benefit of the doubt. You want to leave no problem you know the way out. The only time I would vary from giving them the benefit of the doubt was if there was some reason why they would have lost track such as being panicked or something like that.
Mostly now we just sort of roll with it and work together to make the game happen. I have a map of what's going on, but they don't worry too much about it.
JiB
|
|
SirGuido
Supporter
Drizztmas Santa
Ask me about the Drizztmas Exchange!
Posts: 2,127
Preferred Game Systems: L5R, Traveller, Fate Accelerated, Masks
Currently Playing: Nothing.
Currently Running: Nothing.
Favorite Species of Monkey: Anything in a Cage.
|
Post by SirGuido on Jun 6, 2013 5:33:04 GMT -8
Personally in a grid requiring style of game, like Pathfinder, I like to use maps ONLY for encounters. I do no map at all for most of the roleplay, then when things heat up I toss down a map. If the baddies flee, map goes away as they run through twists and turns trying to start up the fight again. Then, that way, if they get lost... they truly get lost. And not "yeah I'm going back to there(points to map)".
|
|
|
Post by jazzisblues on Jun 6, 2013 11:23:53 GMT -8
Personally in a grid requiring style of game, like Pathfinder, I like to use maps ONLY for encounters. I do no map at all for most of the roleplay, then when things heat up I toss down a map. If the baddies flee, map goes away as they run through twists and turns trying to start up the fight again. Then, that way, if they get lost... they truly get lost. And not "yeah I'm going back to there(points to map)". Concur. Though I should probably disclose that I haven't used maps for either of the last two convention games that I ran. JiB
|
|
maxinstuff
Supporter
Posts: 1,939
Preferred Game Systems: DCC RPG, Shadowrun 5e, Savage Worlds, GURPS 4e, HERO 6e, Mongoose Traveller
Favorite Species of Monkey: Proboscis
|
Post by maxinstuff on Jun 6, 2013 21:58:16 GMT -8
For me it varies by game. If it is a modern-day thing just hand the players a street directory (or copies of the relevant maps) as good, accurate maps are readily available. Specifically in fantasy (what I mostly play) I don't supply maps unless the characters (in-game) have aquired a map of that area. It might sometimes be handed to them as part of the setup for the adventure but not always. Also, maps aquired in this way, and especially those aquired from dubious sources or shady individuals can be.... somewhat unreliable Good maps drawn by a master cartographer are expensive, sought after items. So much so that they can change the course of wars. Really. I also do not map areas 'as we go' as I will already have my own complete area map. Continent map is a completely different story but fairly easy to deal with (these things take time for the guy to draw you know). The players are only allowed to map themselves if they are equipped to do so. That is - they have parchment and charcoal in their inventory. And then they have to map based on my descriptions. In my experience, players almost never do this, due to it's inherent unreliability. It is much more common for them to leave marks on walls and doors. Then I record on MY map where their marks are and describe it if they go back that way.
|
|
SirGuido
Supporter
Drizztmas Santa
Ask me about the Drizztmas Exchange!
Posts: 2,127
Preferred Game Systems: L5R, Traveller, Fate Accelerated, Masks
Currently Playing: Nothing.
Currently Running: Nothing.
Favorite Species of Monkey: Anything in a Cage.
|
Post by SirGuido on Jun 7, 2013 5:30:03 GMT -8
I don't tend to use maps if I can get away with it. In my L5R game I don't really use maps I just plop some symbols down on the Google + thing to let people have an idea of layout.
|
|
|
Post by The Northman on Jun 10, 2013 13:57:42 GMT -8
We don't even use them for things like Pathfinder - one of the great turn-offs from 4E for our group was that it went from optional to required. It's 100% that old 'figures out, rp stops,' issue, and instead of trying to change that we just don't use the damn things.
There are a fair amount of sketched maps per session to avoid confusion, but never really to scale or anything.
|
|