Greetings, I've been a DM for two years in a table of players who started their D&D experiences with me. One of the most tiring and frustrating moments of the sessions is to explain the format of corridors, rooms etc; and know the exact moment of inserting creatures that fill some rooms that the characters could not had seen yet.
It's a beginner question, but how do you reveal to the players the grid without revealing information that the characters have not yet had? One of my solutions to this type of situation is test the "Theater of the Mind", and if I really end up deciding to follow this path, are there good softwares for me to control my personal "grid"?
The Matthew Mercer way in Critical Role is quite good i think :
Keep the map for yourself (maybe even don't really need one to begin with).
Use the "theater of the mind" to describe to the players what they can see and where they can go outside of combat.
Prepare the "physical" maps just for the parts of the actual fights.
Hide what they can't see on the battle map with a piece of paper / carton (like if the battle map is comprised of two rooms, hide the room the players are not in).
It should let you spend more time on the details of important places while loosing less on useless corridors with nothing to do (or just a random trap to disarm).
The Matthew Mercer way in Critical Role is quite good i think :
Keep the map for yourself (maybe even don't really need one to begin with).
Use the "theater of the mind" to describe to the players what they can see and where they can go outside of combat.
Prepare the "physical" maps just for the parts of the actual fights.
Hide what they can't see on the battle map with a piece of paper / carton (like if the battle map is comprised of two rooms, hide the room the players are not in).
It should let you spend more time on the details of important places while loosing less on useless corridors with nothing to do (or just a random trap to disarm).
Thank you, i'll try to setting my grid like this to my next session!
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"Of twenty yeer of age he was, I gesse. Of his stature he was of evene lengthe. And wonderly delyvere, and of greete strengthe."
I randomly draw out rooms and ask players to place their characters, so they don't get used to the "Ooooooh GM is drawing a map so there is going to be an encounter." mindset. I also get players to roll dice at random intervals or roll it behind my screen for the same reason and ask some one at random their perception modifier.
GM: "Roll a perception check."
Player: "Natural 20."
GM: "You notice it is very quiet."
Player: "Guys I have a bad feeling about this, I ready my weapons."
GM: "Ok, you ready your weapons and wait awhile, it is still............ very quiet, and you think the Wizard just farted." or "It is still very quiet and notice that the Half-orc really does smell bad."
Do that a few time and your players will relax, so when something does happen you get to laugh and laugh and laugh.
When I draw out the map, I do it in stages and draw corners of the corridor or a small section of wall of the corridor, what characters could realistically see, then describe the room and place or not place creatures if there is an encounter.
I drew out a room with a chest in the middle, the time wasted by the players trying to open it and see what's inside only for it to be empty was hilarious (to me). Since then they have relaxed somewhat and don't use player knowledge to influence their characters actions too much.
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"Of twenty yeer of age he was, I gesse. Of his stature he was of evene lengthe. And wonderly delyvere, and of greete strengthe."
— Geoffrey Chaucer
The Matthew Mercer way in Critical Role is quite good i think :
It should let you spend more time on the details of important places while loosing less on useless corridors with nothing to do (or just a random trap to disarm).
Thank you, i'll try to setting my grid like this to my next session!
"Of twenty yeer of age he was, I gesse. Of his stature he was of evene lengthe. And wonderly delyvere, and of greete strengthe."
— Geoffrey Chaucer
Play the bluff game.
I randomly draw out rooms and ask players to place their characters, so they don't get used to the "Ooooooh GM is drawing a map so there is going to be an encounter." mindset. I also get players to roll dice at random intervals or roll it behind my screen for the same reason and ask some one at random their perception modifier.
GM: "Roll a perception check."
Player: "Natural 20."
GM: "You notice it is very quiet."
Player: "Guys I have a bad feeling about this, I ready my weapons."
GM: "Ok, you ready your weapons and wait awhile, it is still............ very quiet, and you think the Wizard just farted." or "It is still very quiet and notice that the Half-orc really does smell bad."
Do that a few time and your players will relax, so when something does happen you get to laugh and laugh and laugh.
When I draw out the map, I do it in stages and draw corners of the corridor or a small section of wall of the corridor, what characters could realistically see, then describe the room and place or not place creatures if there is an encounter.
I drew out a room with a chest in the middle, the time wasted by the players trying to open it and see what's inside only for it to be empty was hilarious (to me). Since then they have relaxed somewhat and don't use player knowledge to influence their characters actions too much.