As a player Region. I like having an idea of where I'll be without having to also revise the land around me unless it's relevant to the story. If a new area opens up over the course of a campaign, sure enough I'll learn more about it when I get there.
As a GM Whole world. When you get that creative mood it's pretty hard not to go all out and add loads of detail in to a game that is yours. Last game I did I only created a city-wide map for a Warhammer game but due to the story of it the players weren't going to be allowed to stick around long enough to learn more about the rest of the planet.
I prefer a region because you can get the most detail out of a region size area like the Sword Coast (or one of the domains of Ravenloft). I have the rest of the continent and even the whole world developed in some detail, but the region where the campaign is set is definitely the most fully developed. A city like Ravnica just isn’t big enough. This applies to those campaigns where I’m a player (which is the majority of my D&D experience) as well as to those where I’m the DM.
Depends on what point in the campaign, and how long it’s been going on. My current group is in our 3rd campaign in the same world, and the DM runs a second group which is on campaign 2 in that same world. What started as a mid-sized city on the coast has gotten really, really big. At this point, it’s not just a world, it’s a solar system.
I love that, as a player, you can become renowned and well known in a city. Big enough cities, like Waterdeep or Ravnica, allow for months of exploration and adventure while still having the feeling that you as a player are influencing things. You get to interact with the same NPCs, build relationships with the government and police force, and feel the impact of your actions. There are advantages to playing in a more open world, but personally, I prefer the closeness of a city campaign.
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I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past, I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone, there will be nothing. Only I will remain.
If I'm in the middle of a battle, a map of an area of about 500ft across is about as large as I want. If I'm playing an open world style game, then I need a map the size of whatever area I can visit.
The map needs to be as small as possible while still being large enough to present all the relevant information for the decision I'm making. How big that is depends on the decision that I'm using the map for.
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If you're not willing or able to to discuss in good faith, then don't be surprised if I don't respond, there are better things in life for me to do than humour you. This signature is that response.
I prefer region map to see the area with considerable size yet not needing the see the entire continent or world. For city map, it doesn't matter to me to know exactly where location of interests are specifically located but i don't mind too if city blocks are detailed.
Not often I need to see the whole world or even a continent at once in a game. If I was making a map, I usually focus on a region so I can get a lay of the natural features, then I can add town and city maps as they make sense.
A region gives both the players and DM enough to spark their imagination and talk about the world as a living place. A kingdom or three is usually about right. Even if they never leave a city, it's nice to know where the food comes from, and the metals, and what the local climate is like. That's the minimum I feel is needed for most games. It doesn't have to be fully detailed, but have just enough to have something to say.
Depending on the game though, you could spend a whole adventuring career in one large city, or travel to other planes in your first quest.
Based on the modes of travel commonly available to PCs at different Tiers of play, I would say you need to be prepared for:
First of all, D&D may have changed this when they adapted the setting, but isn't Ravnica the size of a whole world? IMHO using it as an example under "city" may have be a bit confusing.
Secondly, what size map i prefer is going to depend on the circumstances and situation. Am I the DM? Or am I a player? Does my campaign involve exploring the broader world? Or is it confined to a specific city, continent, or region? All of these factors change and determine what type of map I might want.
Overall, I would have to say that I prefer region maps the most, because they are able to show terrain and locations with a decent amount of depth and detail. However, my preferences depend on the situation and a bunch of other factors (as explained above)
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If by campaign you are referring to a series of linked adventures, it depends on the camping and group.
Personally I like maps (good ones with valid info) but when younger I did not apricate them as much as I do now.
My old maps from Forgotten Realms that I had up on a wall in an apartment, had quite a few penciled notes on it because at that time xeroxing them was expensive. Now if I make my own I can just run off a copy of a hand drawn map at different points of creation for players.
One thing that we often forget to day is just how poor maps were in the past and have valuable good maps were to governments and various org's.
I have a whole world plotted in the background as far as what i want it to look like and key structures/cities/etc mapped across the entire continent. I then pick a reasonably strong 'action square' that's about 2-3 days by 2-3 days travel time wide/long and i don't give the party the rest of the map. I have about 25-30 'plots' and i pick the 7-8 most reasonable and connect them or intertwine them amongst the cities or areas available in this plot of land. I then open up in 2 directions by a full 2-3 day section, so i have a 2x2 grid instead of a single tile, and do it again. The further the group in question wants to continue playing, the more i can add to it, and i can in theory decide to never end the continent growth though eventually i think it's best to bring the story to an end. But this gives me a chance to focus development on a smaller section that also allows me to keep my homebrew going with lots of activity in that square and serves to not overwhelm the group either.
As far as what i prefer to develop as a DM, i prefer a continent. As a player, i like a region.
And why?
all 4 would be useful at different points in a campaign. i guess it also depends on the locations a campaign covers.
As a player
Region. I like having an idea of where I'll be without having to also revise the land around me unless it's relevant to the story. If a new area opens up over the course of a campaign, sure enough I'll learn more about it when I get there.
As a GM
Whole world. When you get that creative mood it's pretty hard not to go all out and add loads of detail in to a game that is yours. Last game I did I only created a city-wide map for a Warhammer game but due to the story of it the players weren't going to be allowed to stick around long enough to learn more about the rest of the planet.
I prefer a region because you can get the most detail out of a region size area like the Sword Coast (or one of the domains of Ravenloft). I have the rest of the continent and even the whole world developed in some detail, but the region where the campaign is set is definitely the most fully developed. A city like Ravnica just isn’t big enough. This applies to those campaigns where I’m a player (which is the majority of my D&D experience) as well as to those where I’m the DM.
I really like D&D, especially Ravenloft, Exandria and the Upside Down from Stranger Things. My pronouns are she/they (genderfae).
Depends on what point in the campaign, and how long it’s been going on. My current group is in our 3rd campaign in the same world, and the DM runs a second group which is on campaign 2 in that same world. What started as a mid-sized city on the coast has gotten really, really big. At this point, it’s not just a world, it’s a solar system.
I love that, as a player, you can become renowned and well known in a city. Big enough cities, like Waterdeep or Ravnica, allow for months of exploration and adventure while still having the feeling that you as a player are influencing things. You get to interact with the same NPCs, build relationships with the government and police force, and feel the impact of your actions. There are advantages to playing in a more open world, but personally, I prefer the closeness of a city campaign.
I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past, I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone, there will be nothing. Only I will remain.
- Litany Against Fear, Frank Herbert
Not enough information.
If I'm in the middle of a battle, a map of an area of about 500ft across is about as large as I want. If I'm playing an open world style game, then I need a map the size of whatever area I can visit.
The map needs to be as small as possible while still being large enough to present all the relevant information for the decision I'm making. How big that is depends on the decision that I'm using the map for.
If you're not willing or able to to discuss in good faith, then don't be surprised if I don't respond, there are better things in life for me to do than humour you. This signature is that response.
I prefer region map to see the area with considerable size yet not needing the see the entire continent or world. For city map, it doesn't matter to me to know exactly where location of interests are specifically located but i don't mind too if city blocks are detailed.
Not often I need to see the whole world or even a continent at once in a game.
If I was making a map, I usually focus on a region so I can get a lay of the natural features, then I can add town and city maps as they make sense.
A region gives both the players and DM enough to spark their imagination and talk about the world as a living place. A kingdom or three is usually about right. Even if they never leave a city, it's nice to know where the food comes from, and the metals, and what the local climate is like. That's the minimum I feel is needed for most games. It doesn't have to be fully detailed, but have just enough to have something to say.
Depending on the game though, you could spend a whole adventuring career in one large city, or travel to other planes in your first quest.
Based on the modes of travel commonly available to PCs at different Tiers of play, I would say you need to be prepared for:
Tier 1 - City
Tier 2 - Region
Tier 3 - Continent
Tier 4 - World.
First of all, D&D may have changed this when they adapted the setting, but isn't Ravnica the size of a whole world? IMHO using it as an example under "city" may have be a bit confusing.
Secondly, what size map i prefer is going to depend on the circumstances and situation. Am I the DM? Or am I a player? Does my campaign involve exploring the broader world? Or is it confined to a specific city, continent, or region? All of these factors change and determine what type of map I might want.
Overall, I would have to say that I prefer region maps the most, because they are able to show terrain and locations with a decent amount of depth and detail. However, my preferences depend on the situation and a bunch of other factors (as explained above)
BoringBard's long and tedious posts somehow manage to enrapture audiences. How? Because he used Charm Person, the #1 bard spell!
He/him pronouns. Call me Bard. PROUD NERD!
Ever wanted to talk about your parties' worst mistakes? Do so HERE. What's your favorite class, why? Share & explain
HERE.If by campaign you are referring to a series of linked adventures, it depends on the camping and group.
Personally I like maps (good ones with valid info) but when younger I did not apricate them as much as I do now.
My old maps from Forgotten Realms that I had up on a wall in an apartment, had quite a few penciled notes on it because at that time xeroxing them was expensive. Now if I make my own I can just run off a copy of a hand drawn map at different points of creation for players.
One thing that we often forget to day is just how poor maps were in the past and have valuable good maps were to governments and various org's.
I would like to note that Ravnica (the city) is canonically the Entire World.
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I have a whole world plotted in the background as far as what i want it to look like and key structures/cities/etc mapped across the entire continent. I then pick a reasonably strong 'action square' that's about 2-3 days by 2-3 days travel time wide/long and i don't give the party the rest of the map. I have about 25-30 'plots' and i pick the 7-8 most reasonable and connect them or intertwine them amongst the cities or areas available in this plot of land. I then open up in 2 directions by a full 2-3 day section, so i have a 2x2 grid instead of a single tile, and do it again. The further the group in question wants to continue playing, the more i can add to it, and i can in theory decide to never end the continent growth though eventually i think it's best to bring the story to an end. But this gives me a chance to focus development on a smaller section that also allows me to keep my homebrew going with lots of activity in that square and serves to not overwhelm the group either.
As far as what i prefer to develop as a DM, i prefer a continent. As a player, i like a region.
Yes, but the map provided in the Ravnica book is only the Tenth District, which is roughly the size of an ordinary city.