My friends picked up a TV for cheap on Black Friday and I am playing around with making the best use of it. So far, i have been very excited to punch up YouTube's living maps, as the grid shows up just a bit bigger than 1" on the 55" screen, so that looks wonderful. I also like the idea of displaying static maps on it, although I don't want to get too bogged down in the technical aspect of things during games. I think I can get everything running smoothly with a little bit of practice. One of my players is a Patreon backer for Dynamic Dungeons and I am looking forward to playing with that--especially the fog of war stuff. Until them, I can keep using the traditional methods of obscuring parts of the map. Even with static maps, I have so many of them and up to this point, i have just been printing them and putting them on the table, but this opens the door for really big maps that i can scroll and move around on.
I have also been working with some mixed media and laying physical tokens, terrain, etc over a displayed map. Here's an attempt I did just yesterday. Please excuse the mess, as I have not put any effort into presentation.
I wanted to show off something that seems pretty cool with a lot of potential and also I want to hear from others who have done this or something similar. What did you find works well and what challenges have you faced? If you have any resources to share, that would be very useful to me as well.
So far, so good. One of the things we were careful about was to find a TV that did not have HDMI ports that stuck straight out the back. Luckily, since so many TVs these days are designed with wall mounting in mind, airflow vents and cable interfaces are designed in a way that works with the back of the TV being placed flat against a surface. As for the TV sitting in a horizontal position versus a vertical position, I can't think of any problems with that but I suppose time will tell :)
I use a TV, although not a 55 inch (maybe someday haha).
I recommend MapTool if you're wanting a Fog of War effect for static maps. I used to use Roll20, but MapTool runs so much smoother and faster. Very little technical know-how required if you're using it for TV projection (although it looks like there's a bit of a learning curve when it comes to using it to play online).
I got Roll20 to work somewhat by using my laptop screen as the DM's interface and opening an incognito window on the TV as the player interface. I'm still kind of clumsy with the controls and I'm undecided on whether or not it would be too distracting to fiddle with while running a game. I'll check out MapTool and play with it some more. I appreciate the advice.
Simply from the standpoint of displaying static maps instead of having to print them out and tape them together makes me so happy.
There's a lot of youtube content that can help you more.
The one main tip that helps me with MapTool is to number your maps with double digit numbers when naming them (i.e. 01 - Town, 02 - Inn, 03 - Wilderness, 04 - Temple). The way the list is sorted isn't something you can edit, so numbering them is the only way to get them listed in the order you want.
For fog of war I have seen a person uses very large dry erase marker and cover what you don't want players to see then use eraser to erase areas when they enter them.
Wow, there's a take I had not even considered before. I have thought about possibly using pre-cut pieces of cardboard. What I did for one relatively simple map was to just make two versions of it--one that just showed the entrance to a cave, and one that showed the rest of the cave. Then I swapped between the two at appropriate times. Low-tech, but it got the job done.
The problem with precut cardboard is that the players generally see shapes with the dry erase no shapes just marker. I will also mention like someone above suggested RPTools is great and has fog of war with a small adjustment which is not a real big deal. I have set a map up that I have in 20 minutes even with the fog of war. Fog of war is just drawing boxes and lines along walls with a special fog of war tool that RPTools has in it. It makes everything so much easier. You can actually download mod and open them in RPTools for the different versions of D&D. I don't know if they have 5th edition yet but they have a forum to download maps and but to create maps from scratch and different rpg games.
I love all of this info. Thanks for sharing everyone.
I have a similar setup with the TV but have been using PowerPoint in presenter mode to be able to read through the module text and display maps externally. One of the advantages of this is that you can embed YouTube videos and have cut scenes and animated maps, or just use static maps.
For the static maps I use "insert" / "shape" / (choose box or triangle etc..) and then fill the shape with grey for fog of war. Make sure to have "no boarders" selected and the shapes look seamless on display, but you can click on presenter side to see their locations. I then live edit the power point to make the shapes transparent to reveal areas as they progress. You can also "edit points" on the shape to make triangles have curves during the setup, it's not perfect, but it's free and effective. Once you get into a rhythm with "control c" it goes pretty quickly.
also.. In case this gives someone else an idea.... my setup:
I have to transport this every week to the host players house. So, keeping it light weight and simple was as important as being inexpensive.
Have whole setup laying on top of a heavy duty cardboard box (bread box from a restaurant) wrapped in a table cloth and have it lined with led's that I control from my phone and Alexa in it so it has back lighting and music.There is a multi outlet connected to plug everything into and run a single cord to power.
I run Spotify (paid service) through Alexa to be able to have music, and Sryinscape (free version) for some ambient sounds runs through the HDMI to the TV.
Those are great tips. I love the idea of being able to just reveal areas of the map on the fly as you need to. I will play with that feature of PowerPoint.
Not sure if someone already mentioned this, but if you're planning to set the TV directly on the table, make sure to give it some "breathing space" underneath. I use like 2" PVC couplers to sit it on so the TV can vent out the back. I learned the hard way when it kept shutting off from overheating before I did that.
I also just use the TV like an extra monitor plugged into my laptop when I DM. I'll just throw up some animated or static map files and you can still zoom in/out. Nothing fancy like using a VTT program, but it definitely adds a lot to maps!
This way I can also throw up other interesting/noteworthy images, like NPC portraits, menus/vendor lists, module art, etc.
Not sure if someone already mentioned this, but if you're planning to set the TV directly on the table, make sure to give it some "breathing space" underneath. I use like 2" PVC couplers to sit it on so the TV can vent out the back. I learned the hard way when it kept shutting off from overheating before I did that.
This is a very good point. A lot of TVs these days are designed to be flush-mounted on a wall, so they will have vents in places that can breathe when the back is against a wall, or in this case, a table. Nonetheless, if things are getting warm, be careful!
Not sure if someone already mentioned this, but if you're planning to set the TV directly on the table, make sure to give it some "breathing space" underneath. I use like 2" PVC couplers to sit it on so the TV can vent out the back. I learned the hard way when it kept shutting off from overheating before I did that.
This is a very good point. A lot of TVs these days are designed to be flush-mounted on a wall, so they will have vents in places that can breathe when the back is against a wall, or in this case, a table. Nonetheless, if things are getting warm, be careful!
Get yourself some ottoman legs on Amazon and screw them into the mounting bracket holes on the back of the TV. Works a peach.
I also like that this solution would lift the screen off the table a few inches, allowing a bit of space under it for those people sitting at the table to store their character sheets and gaming accessories.
My friends picked up a TV for cheap on Black Friday and I am playing around with making the best use of it. So far, i have been very excited to punch up YouTube's living maps, as the grid shows up just a bit bigger than 1" on the 55" screen, so that looks wonderful. I also like the idea of displaying static maps on it, although I don't want to get too bogged down in the technical aspect of things during games. I think I can get everything running smoothly with a little bit of practice. One of my players is a Patreon backer for Dynamic Dungeons and I am looking forward to playing with that--especially the fog of war stuff. Until them, I can keep using the traditional methods of obscuring parts of the map. Even with static maps, I have so many of them and up to this point, i have just been printing them and putting them on the table, but this opens the door for really big maps that i can scroll and move around on.
I have also been working with some mixed media and laying physical tokens, terrain, etc over a displayed map. Here's an attempt I did just yesterday. Please excuse the mess, as I have not put any effort into presentation.
I wanted to show off something that seems pretty cool with a lot of potential and also I want to hear from others who have done this or something similar. What did you find works well and what challenges have you faced? If you have any resources to share, that would be very useful to me as well.
"Not all those who wander are lost"
That looks awesome! Is the TV behaving as it should even when flat on its back?
I am one with the Force. The Force is with me.
So far, so good. One of the things we were careful about was to find a TV that did not have HDMI ports that stuck straight out the back. Luckily, since so many TVs these days are designed with wall mounting in mind, airflow vents and cable interfaces are designed in a way that works with the back of the TV being placed flat against a surface. As for the TV sitting in a horizontal position versus a vertical position, I can't think of any problems with that but I suppose time will tell :)
Here's a rough video I shot that does a better job of illustrating the dynamic map. The miniatures on the TV look much darker on the video than they do in real life because of the background light from the TV. Here is the YouTube link to the map I used in the video.
"Not all those who wander are lost"
I use a TV, although not a 55 inch (maybe someday haha).
I recommend MapTool if you're wanting a Fog of War effect for static maps. I used to use Roll20, but MapTool runs so much smoother and faster. Very little technical know-how required if you're using it for TV projection (although it looks like there's a bit of a learning curve when it comes to using it to play online).
I got Roll20 to work somewhat by using my laptop screen as the DM's interface and opening an incognito window on the TV as the player interface. I'm still kind of clumsy with the controls and I'm undecided on whether or not it would be too distracting to fiddle with while running a game. I'll check out MapTool and play with it some more. I appreciate the advice.
Simply from the standpoint of displaying static maps instead of having to print them out and tape them together makes me so happy.
"Not all those who wander are lost"
There's a lot of youtube content that can help you more.
The one main tip that helps me with MapTool is to number your maps with double digit numbers when naming them (i.e. 01 - Town, 02 - Inn, 03 - Wilderness, 04 - Temple). The way the list is sorted isn't something you can edit, so numbering them is the only way to get them listed in the order you want.
For fog of war I have seen a person uses very large dry erase marker and cover what you don't want players to see then use eraser to erase areas when they enter them.
Wow, there's a take I had not even considered before. I have thought about possibly using pre-cut pieces of cardboard. What I did for one relatively simple map was to just make two versions of it--one that just showed the entrance to a cave, and one that showed the rest of the cave. Then I swapped between the two at appropriate times. Low-tech, but it got the job done.
"Not all those who wander are lost"
The problem with precut cardboard is that the players generally see shapes with the dry erase no shapes just marker. I will also mention like someone above suggested RPTools is great and has fog of war with a small adjustment which is not a real big deal. I have set a map up that I have in 20 minutes even with the fog of war. Fog of war is just drawing boxes and lines along walls with a special fog of war tool that RPTools has in it. It makes everything so much easier. You can actually download mod and open them in RPTools for the different versions of D&D. I don't know if they have 5th edition yet but they have a forum to download maps and but to create maps from scratch and different rpg games.
Dungeonfog.com
I love all of this info. Thanks for sharing everyone.
I have a similar setup with the TV but have been using PowerPoint in presenter mode to be able to read through the module text and display maps externally. One of the advantages of this is that you can embed YouTube videos and have cut scenes and animated maps, or just use static maps.
For the static maps I use "insert" / "shape" / (choose box or triangle etc..) and then fill the shape with grey for fog of war. Make sure to have "no boarders" selected and the shapes look seamless on display, but you can click on presenter side to see their locations. I then live edit the power point to make the shapes transparent to reveal areas as they progress. You can also "edit points" on the shape to make triangles have curves during the setup, it's not perfect, but it's free and effective. Once you get into a rhythm with "control c" it goes pretty quickly.
also.. In case this gives someone else an idea.... my setup:
I have to transport this every week to the host players house. So, keeping it light weight and simple was as important as being inexpensive.
Have whole setup laying on top of a heavy duty cardboard box (bread box from a restaurant) wrapped in a table cloth and have it lined with led's that I control from my phone and Alexa in it so it has back lighting and music.There is a multi outlet connected to plug everything into and run a single cord to power.
I run Spotify (paid service) through Alexa to be able to have music, and Sryinscape (free version) for some ambient sounds runs through the HDMI to the TV.
Those are great tips. I love the idea of being able to just reveal areas of the map on the fly as you need to. I will play with that feature of PowerPoint.
"Not all those who wander are lost"
willowworker, could you show us a picture of your setup?
Not sure if someone already mentioned this, but if you're planning to set the TV directly on the table, make sure to give it some "breathing space" underneath. I use like 2" PVC couplers to sit it on so the TV can vent out the back. I learned the hard way when it kept shutting off from overheating before I did that.
I also just use the TV like an extra monitor plugged into my laptop when I DM. I'll just throw up some animated or static map files and you can still zoom in/out. Nothing fancy like using a VTT program, but it definitely adds a lot to maps!
This way I can also throw up other interesting/noteworthy images, like NPC portraits, menus/vendor lists, module art, etc.
This is a very good point. A lot of TVs these days are designed to be flush-mounted on a wall, so they will have vents in places that can breathe when the back is against a wall, or in this case, a table. Nonetheless, if things are getting warm, be careful!
"Not all those who wander are lost"
Get yourself some ottoman legs on Amazon and screw them into the mounting bracket holes on the back of the TV. Works a peach.
I also like that this solution would lift the screen off the table a few inches, allowing a bit of space under it for those people sitting at the table to store their character sheets and gaming accessories.
"Not all those who wander are lost"
Definitely look into Arkenforge! It's built specifically for that kind of TV table: https://arkenforge.com/play-in-person