I recently saw Mapping the Dungeon on the Aeons & Auguries blog, where the author argues that mapping is a great annoyance to players, which makes it a drag to run megadungeons, and one of the solutions is the referee showing sketches to the players. The point is illustrated by accurately describing a non-trivial room in words.
In my mind, showing sketches is tantamount to the referee mapping for players. As a player, however, I love mapping, and I love inaccurate mapping. Mistakes made and their dire consequences are part of what make the game exciting. When my characters are lost, I like it when we as players feel lost, too. “The map is wroooong!”
At the same time, I think that describing rooms doesn’t have to be such a problem.
1. Don’t use non-trivial layouts.
2. If the map shows a non-trivial room, describe it in terms of decisions to make. To take the room from the Aeons & Auguries blog: Three doors, a fountain and a statue. That’s it.
1. You came in through a door on the west.
2. There’s a door to your right, going south. (Notice how I’m providing some redundancy, here.)
3. There’s “an overflowing gurgling fountain filling most of the area with a puddle of water”, also to your left, next to the door. (Link new info to info you just gave.)
4. There’s a door straight on, going further east.
5. There’s “a short run of stairs across from you” leading to “a nook which seems to hold a statue”, in the eastern wall.
3. Wave your hands while you describe things. Ahead. To your left. Up some stairs. A puddle of water. Hands in motion, head turning, eyes tracking your hands, that’s how I do it.
4. Who cares about the *exact* layout? Your players will only care if past experience has taught them to care. Don’t train your players to care about the boring stuff. That’s how I see it.
What do you think?
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I think a lot of players/DMs worry too much about the exact layout. A brief shorthand description works fine if the players get it and it doesn’t cause them to blunder into situations or tactics more vivid description would eliminate. The “you are here” flashcard sketch saves a lot of time and clears up ambiguity, I wouldn’t draw them on a grid or include any measurements as that is detailed information players should only get when taking the time to have their characters actually measure things. such sketches are also completely unneeded for every room/encounter area. I’m always in favor of keeping things moving, keep it compelling, keep it clear.
– JDJarvis 2014-06-30 14:08 UTC