So I've had this idea brewing for a while of having a mini campaign of sorts where PC's wake up in the entrance to a maze and have to find the way out. Not necessarily maze runner style but more like a labyrinth of Daedalus type thing. Anyway the only thing I can't figure out to do is how to guide my players through, track their progress andshow them where they are without revealing the other trails. Traditional maps are pretty easy to show with grid maps and expo markers, but without having to erase every 40ft and redraw, I don't know what else to do, maybe yall could help .
I have used the three options when running a maze, each with their own benefits and detriments:
1. I draw the maze as the party moves. Every time they enter a new hallway or turn a corner, I draw to the end of their line of sight, showing gaps in the walls where there are other paths they can take. This leaves the old paths up, so they can remember where they have been and backtrack, which can be both a boon or a detriment, depending on how lost you want the party to get.
2. I draw the entire maze ahead of time, then I cover it up with some sort of physical barrier like construction paper that can easily be removed as they travel. You then move the pieces of construction paper about so they can only see their immediate surroundings, using the paper you move to cover up the places they previously have travelled. This gives you the advantage of obstructing where they are and getting them well and truly lost--at the cost of being a bit of a pain in the neck to manage.
3. Do the entire maze in mental D&D. Plot their position on a map that you the DM can see, but the players cannot, then describe what they see without having their tokens on the board. This way, you would only have to draw and erase maps when there is a combat encounter or a puzzle where positioning is important. This, however, can be difficult if you have party members who do not process auditory information and prefer the visual.
Roll20 has a Fog of War feature which will let you cover and uncover the map as the players progress, thouh it can be a bit clunky at times (I think there's a dynamic lighting type one if you pay for it which may do the job for you but I don't know for sure!).
In real life, you can pre-draw the labyrinth on squares of paper and put them down/pick them up as the party progresses. I have a maze I intend to run at some point nd was considering this method for it, before I was forced by the lurgy to adopt digital dnd!
So I've had this idea brewing for a while of having a mini campaign of sorts where PC's wake up in the entrance to a maze and have to find the way out. Not necessarily maze runner style but more like a labyrinth of Daedalus type thing. Anyway the only thing I can't figure out to do is how to guide my players through, track their progress andshow them where they are without revealing the other trails. Traditional maps are pretty easy to show with grid maps and expo markers, but without having to erase every 40ft and redraw, I don't know what else to do, maybe yall could help .
I have used the three options when running a maze, each with their own benefits and detriments:
1. I draw the maze as the party moves. Every time they enter a new hallway or turn a corner, I draw to the end of their line of sight, showing gaps in the walls where there are other paths they can take. This leaves the old paths up, so they can remember where they have been and backtrack, which can be both a boon or a detriment, depending on how lost you want the party to get.
2. I draw the entire maze ahead of time, then I cover it up with some sort of physical barrier like construction paper that can easily be removed as they travel. You then move the pieces of construction paper about so they can only see their immediate surroundings, using the paper you move to cover up the places they previously have travelled. This gives you the advantage of obstructing where they are and getting them well and truly lost--at the cost of being a bit of a pain in the neck to manage.
3. Do the entire maze in mental D&D. Plot their position on a map that you the DM can see, but the players cannot, then describe what they see without having their tokens on the board. This way, you would only have to draw and erase maps when there is a combat encounter or a puzzle where positioning is important. This, however, can be difficult if you have party members who do not process auditory information and prefer the visual.
Are you playing physically (in person) or online?
Roll20 has a Fog of War feature which will let you cover and uncover the map as the players progress, thouh it can be a bit clunky at times (I think there's a dynamic lighting type one if you pay for it which may do the job for you but I don't know for sure!).
In real life, you can pre-draw the labyrinth on squares of paper and put them down/pick them up as the party progresses. I have a maze I intend to run at some point nd was considering this method for it, before I was forced by the lurgy to adopt digital dnd!
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Don't draw the map.
Tell the players what they see and let them draw the map. It will get confusing for them a bit, but mazes are like that.
Just you make sure that you know where they are.