I am a new DM that has probably played lifetime 4 sessions as a player, and I have DM'd cragmaw hideout in LMoP twice for two different groups.
When making a map on a dry erase battle map, do you find it necessary to hide/not put in the secret doors, traps, and other map indicators? Like have something indicating a trap in a hallway, the players all know it's there, they roll for their characters to see it, else they trigger the trap/fail to find the secret door/ etc.
My thinking is, they are new, I want them to get used to looking for traps/secrets in rooms. Also I am new, I don't want to forget about traps/secrets in rooms. Sometimes it can be overwhelming making sure I remember to trigger everything.
This would make it easier for the players, and myself... but how much does it detract from the gameplay/suspense, etc?
I am a new DM that has probably played lifetime 4 sessions as a player, and I have DM'd cragmaw hideout in LMoP twice for two different groups.
When making a map on a dry erase battle map, do you find it necessary to hide/not put in the secret doors, traps, and other map indicators? Like have something indicating a trap in a hallway, the players all know it's there, they roll for their characters to see it, else they trigger the trap/fail to find the secret door/ etc.
My thinking is, they are new, I want them to get used to looking for traps/secrets in rooms. Also I am new, I don't want to forget about traps/secrets in rooms. Sometimes it can be overwhelming making sure I remember to trigger everything.
This would make it easier for the players, and myself... but how much does it detract from the gameplay/suspense, etc?
It detracts a lot. And causes bad habits of “metagaming”.
if they know the trap is there and that’s why they search, and that is “acceptable” then it’s not far off to be acceptable to know all enemies strengths and weaknesses and etc before fighting them, or if a NPC is plot relevant or not before talking to/pissing off/killing/whatever.
To your point of it can be overwhelming for you yourself.
set up the bird ahead of time and mark all the traps and such on it. Take a picture that you yourself see/have that is behind your screen and not accessible to your players. Then erase the board and set it up as how your players would see it. Then reveal things as necessary/needed based on what they find/see
Since it's dry-erase, you can add the -S- or -T- or -X- after the characters discover the thing, you don't have to put it on the map in advance.
Also, you can put sheets of paper over your map to create a (fog of war). Alternatively, you can use dry-erase transparency sheets which you have pre-rendered to then put down as the party explores.
As Robaz said, make your own map, then add details to the map the players see, as their characters uncover them..
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"An' things ha' come to a pretty pass, ye ken, if people are going to leave stuff like that aroound where innocent people could accidentally smash the door doon and lever the bars aside and take the big chain off'f the cupboard and pick the lock and drink it!"
I have a map behind me DM screen with all of that info. I don’t use minis or battle maps, my group does theater of the mind. But if I were to use a battle map I would leave those details off until they are discovered and just refer to my copy with those extra pieces of info to make sure I don’t forget them.
I am a new DM that has probably played lifetime 4 sessions as a player, and I have DM'd cragmaw hideout in LMoP twice for two different groups.
When making a map on a dry erase battle map, do you find it necessary to hide/not put in the secret doors, traps, and other map indicators? Like have something indicating a trap in a hallway, the players all know it's there, they roll for their characters to see it, else they trigger the trap/fail to find the secret door/ etc.
My thinking is, they are new, I want them to get used to looking for traps/secrets in rooms. Also I am new, I don't want to forget about traps/secrets in rooms. Sometimes it can be overwhelming making sure I remember to trigger everything.
This would make it easier for the players, and myself... but how much does it detract from the gameplay/suspense, etc?
It detracts a lot. And causes bad habits of “metagaming”.
if they know the trap is there and that’s why they search, and that is “acceptable” then it’s not far off to be acceptable to know all enemies strengths and weaknesses and etc before fighting them, or if a NPC is plot relevant or not before talking to/pissing off/killing/whatever.
To your point of it can be overwhelming for you yourself.
set up the bird ahead of time and mark all the traps and such on it. Take a picture that you yourself see/have that is behind your screen and not accessible to your players. Then erase the board and set it up as how your players would see it. Then reveal things as necessary/needed based on what they find/see
Since it's dry-erase, you can add the -S- or -T- or -X- after the characters discover the thing, you don't have to put it on the map in advance.
Also, you can put sheets of paper over your map to create a (fog of war). Alternatively, you can use dry-erase transparency sheets which you have pre-rendered to then put down as the party explores.
As Robaz said, make your own map, then add details to the map the players see, as their characters uncover them..
"An' things ha' come to a pretty pass, ye ken, if people are going to leave stuff like that aroound where innocent people could accidentally smash the door doon and lever the bars aside and take the big chain off'f the cupboard and pick the lock and drink it!"
I have a map behind me DM screen with all of that info. I don’t use minis or battle maps, my group does theater of the mind. But if I were to use a battle map I would leave those details off until they are discovered and just refer to my copy with those extra pieces of info to make sure I don’t forget them.
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I pretty much was going to write exactly what IamSposta wrote. Same for me.
WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.