To map or not?

[Hereandnow]

I'm a map fan.
When I first read The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings their maps actually gave me a ticket fro the ride I took reading.
And I'm a good hand as well in making maps.

But somehow, on the point of sketching places, drawing mountains, woods, hills, plains, choosing corners for cities and villages, I feel stuck: something "suffocates" my sense of wonder.

When I look at maps of others my imagination seems to wander over the borders and my curiosity warms up my excitement.
Mine just bore me as if nothing could surprise me, call it the "creator syndrome": as an omnipotent god I yawn looking at my universe.

And here comes the DCC RPG!
And with it the pleasure of pure episodic, Sword & Sorcery short-tale like, kind of gaming, with modules and places different each session which suggests me not to map any campaign world.

Then, why I feel like I'm in need of?
And how to feel like a mouth-open visiting host when I'm the creator himself?
Does anybody here feel like me about maps and mapping?

[Raven_Crowking]

http://ravencrowking.blogspot.ca/2012/0 ... -maps.html

You might feel some kinship with that post.

Also, you might want to steal the maps!

[finarvyn]

I feel the same way. I love maps, and am particularly happy when a book has a map in it.

And here comes the DCC RPG!
And with it the pleasure of pure episodic, Sword & Sorcery short-tale like, kind of gaming, with modules and places different each session which suggests me not to map any campaign world.

On the other hand, as you said, many of the early stories were written without a "big picture" view of where things are. I think later maps were put together just to try to keep things consistent.

I'm tempted to start out with essentially a blank map, then add stuff as the adventures happen. Drop the characters into a new corner of the world for each module or adventure and let the world slowly develop.

[TheNobleDrake]

I feel that same lack of wonder in my own maps... whether they be overland maps or dungeon maps - I just don't get any joy out of seeing all the detail that I put into things... so I pretty much skip the whole process, except for doing just enough to give me a reference where everything is and then drawing out the encounter areas that need it on the battlemap for the players.

...I've got an idea to try going grand scale and low detail - a poster-sized map with barely any information on it at all, just the names of geographic features and maybe a solid dozen "markers" for places of interest across the whole of the world... maybe then I might have some sense of wonder. I know the players would probably get a kick out of it for at least a while once it is framed and hung on the wall behind me.

...possibly with appropriately erasable marker drawing in notes on the plastic cover as the campaign progresses.

[Hereandnow]

I'm tempted to start out with essentially a blank map, then add stuff as the adventures happen. Drop the characters into a new corner of the world for each module or adventure and let the world slowly develop.

Yes, that's it!
It's the same thing I thought times and times.
It gives me the feeling of consistency I search for.
The purpose of a map is also to keep together each ring of the chain that is the campaign and it would be achieved this way.

[Hereandnow]

The thing is that as gamer I live both the lives of player and Judge.
Thus I expect both the feelings of each role.

I feel that watching the map of the setting my players would previously live that sense of mystery and curiosity I feel when I look at fantasy worlds maps myself, and it motivates me a lot in making one.

[Galadrin]

My recent thoughts on this:

Going Mapless

What Is A Setting?

[Hereandnow]

Thanks Galadrin you explain very well my feelings in "Going Mapless".

Right now I was playing "Legend of Grimrock" which I suggest to anyone here and after reading your article I thought "Yeah, indeed! Isn't the map of the dungeon of Grimrock itself unveiling right in front of me at each step I take?!".
And that's the thing.
It could even be that it doesn't exist any map before I draw it myself with my walk!
And that's the sense of mystery: being convinced that there is a place unknown, and take actions to explore it!
But it's not necessarily a map that gives consistency at that feeling as much as the scenes that take place as the player interacts with the setting.
So geography turns useless while concepts and creativity increase in potential.

It reminds me Finarvyn statement:

I'm tempted to start out with essentially a blank map, then add stuff as the adventures happen. Drop the characters into a new corner of the world for each module or adventure and let the world slowly develop.