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3 years ago ::
Mar 18, 2010 - 9:42AM
#11
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Date Joined:
Aug 24, 2007
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Maps can have a substantial impact on play. I've seen some big tactical differences between play in adventures with a different map and with the actual map. For example:
While that is certainly true, it is not automatically true that the adventure writer has taken all that into account when designing a map. While I'm sure that several of them do precisely that, it also seems in my experience that certain writers just put an arbitrary map together.
For instance, the exact length of a staircase or bridge wouldn't matter in practice in most gaming groups, regardless of what the author was trying to do.
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3 years ago ::
Mar 18, 2010 - 10:55AM
#12
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Date Joined:
Jun 15, 2004
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- In the majority of games I've been a player in, the DM modified the map (usually to accommodate the tiles he had available).
- In the cases where the terrain was unaltered, it was usually drawn by hand without embellishment
- In cases where a folded map was used, the terrain looked wonderful and set up quickly, but was often dissimilar to the original map. However, even this didn't seem to hinder fun, and balance didn't seem to be affected as much as by say, confusion on what the terrain actually was (in the above cases).
Overall, I personally prefer visual appeal and quick setup both as a player and DM... it's actually the main reason I play. To this end I've accumulated a lot of different maps (WotC Fantastic locations, WotC tiles, Paizo map packs, Paizo flip-mats, etc.) to come as close to the original as possible. I acknowledge that encounter terrain is sometimes closely measured by the author. Still, if altering the map were not an option, then most DM's I know are doing it wrong (and I am probably in the wrong hobby).
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3 years ago ::
Mar 18, 2010 - 11:27AM
#13
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I don't personally use dungeon tiles since I prefer to use a gaming mat. When I draw a map I try to get close to the original tiles but don't worry about getting exact details correct. I worry about approximate size, terrain features, possible chokepoints and general layout and feel.
Allen.
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3 years ago ::
Mar 18, 2010 - 6:23PM
#14
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Date Joined:
Oct 19, 2008
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I was just drawing maps for this weekend's COSCON where i'm running 5 mods over 7 slots, I drew 12 maps yesterday, will use tiles for a few that are easily transportable as tiles and my battlemat for one that is too large for the 30x27 paper I was using. All of them are spot on except one, where I made some shrubs a bit larger than they were supposed to be, I had no desire to redo the map just because I added 3 extra accidental squares of shrubbery and it added a nice two level effect... I mean it just wasn't worth redoing it to fix 3 squares that in all likelyhood won't matter, but if they do, so be it. maybe if I had some whiteout nearby i'd have fixed it but I think it honestly made it look more natural I mean what's with all the shrubbery in LFR being 2x4 landing strips, it's like the 90's porn world invaded the shrubbery industry. (as a point of reference, in the modern porn world, there just wouldn't be shrubberies)
Blah blah blah
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3 years ago ::
Mar 18, 2010 - 8:37PM
#15
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- Dragon Slayer
- If only he would apply himself
- Dammit Jim, this is Star Trek, not D&D!
Date Joined:
Jan 31, 2006
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I mean what's with all the shrubbery in LFR being 2x4 landing strips, it's like the 90's porn world invaded the shrubbery industry. (as a point of reference, in the modern porn world, there just wouldn't be shrubberies)
I trust you expertise in the matter... 
Master shrubber... in the middle, a path...
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