I am fairly new to DM'ing and have started out by forcing everyone who lives under my roof to play and be my guinea pigs. I have three children 11, 13, and 16 and they are having a hard time with combat. We started out with the hoard of the Dragon Queen and they almost wiped on several occasions. I have spent a stupid amount of time drawing maps so they can have a visual representative of where combat takes place and it really seems to help. (I also have 2-20yr veterans that grumble like grumpy dwarves when combat doesn't follow the original dnd formatting and give the kids a hard time)
Here's my questions: how do y'all make maps for encounters, be it from pre-done campaigns, digital content, ect? How can I make combat easier and still follow all the rules so the players aren't frustrated and it's not too easy?
In my experience, I've also found that maps are the biggest time sink of any Dungeon Master prep. I did the same as you, drawing nice and detailed maps for my group to look at for combat, but eventually the time it took to do that became too much of a burden. So I asked my group if they'd be willing to try playing a slightly less tactical game--no square grid.
I stole this idea from Chris Perkins who basically made dungeons by placing a sheet of paper down that only had the room name, a brief description from the adventure's box text, and its dimensions written on it. For example, [Barracks - This appears to be a storeroom pressed into service as living quarters. Two double bunks stand against the wall near the door, while barrels and crates fill the southern half of the chamber. Dimensions: 20ftx25ftx10ft.]
Now, since you posted this in the Dungeon Master's Guild forum--here's some DM's Guild content that could help make combat easier as well, hope this all helps!
Hello Y'all!
I am fairly new to DM'ing and have started out by forcing everyone who lives under my roof to play and be my guinea pigs. I have three children 11, 13, and 16 and they are having a hard time with combat. We started out with the hoard of the Dragon Queen and they almost wiped on several occasions. I have spent a stupid amount of time drawing maps so they can have a visual representative of where combat takes place and it really seems to help. (I also have 2-20yr veterans that grumble like grumpy dwarves when combat doesn't follow the original dnd formatting and give the kids a hard time)
Here's my questions: how do y'all make maps for encounters, be it from pre-done campaigns, digital content, ect? How can I make combat easier and still follow all the rules so the players aren't frustrated and it's not too easy?
Thanks!
In my experience, I've also found that maps are the biggest time sink of any Dungeon Master prep. I did the same as you, drawing nice and detailed maps for my group to look at for combat, but eventually the time it took to do that became too much of a burden. So I asked my group if they'd be willing to try playing a slightly less tactical game--no square grid.
I stole this idea from Chris Perkins who basically made dungeons by placing a sheet of paper down that only had the room name, a brief description from the adventure's box text, and its dimensions written on it. For example, [Barracks - This appears to be a storeroom pressed into service as living quarters. Two double bunks stand against the wall near the door, while barrels and crates fill the southern half of the chamber. Dimensions: 20ftx25ftx10ft.]
Now, since you posted this in the Dungeon Master's Guild forum--here's some DM's Guild content that could help make combat easier as well, hope this all helps!
5E Combat Tracker
Player Initiative Tents
Combat Quick Reference Guide