Anyone have some good tips for a newish DM doing Dungeon of the Mad Mage? Specifically when and how to draw out the map as players explore. Im trying not to use roll20 or something similar and do all figures and live at a table.
Offload as much stuff onto players as possible, it lets you spend more time doing what you should (describing things evocatively) and less time what you shouldn't (making everyone sit around in silence while you mutter to yourself and check notes). Drawing maps is bound to catch at least one player's attention and feel fun to them. If you're nice, keep an eye pealed to their map and if you notice them making a mistake, point it out... or don't.... or require a secret perception/cartography check before you make that call?
Do you have a dry erase grid mat? If so, I would recommend having a player draw out the map on graph/regular paper, then when you get to an area that the minis are needed draw that part on the grid mat. That way they have a map of where they've been, and you're not burning through multiple grid mats. (Drawn ones being kept for reference)
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Anyone have some good tips for a newish DM doing Dungeon of the Mad Mage? Specifically when and how to draw out the map as players explore. Im trying not to use roll20 or something similar and do all figures and live at a table.
Blank sheets of paper you can move to reveal to map. That's the best idea I've got, I use roll20.
Yeah, just draw it out as the party reveals things. Or....
http://gamingpaper.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4g1KAE0sI-M
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale
Describe it and let them map it.
Offload as much stuff onto players as possible, it lets you spend more time doing what you should (describing things evocatively) and less time what you shouldn't (making everyone sit around in silence while you mutter to yourself and check notes). Drawing maps is bound to catch at least one player's attention and feel fun to them. If you're nice, keep an eye pealed to their map and if you notice them making a mistake, point it out... or don't.... or require a secret perception/cartography check before you make that call?
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I'm going to make this way harder than it needs to be.
Do you have a dry erase grid mat? If so, I would recommend having a player draw out the map on graph/regular paper, then when you get to an area that the minis are needed draw that part on the grid mat. That way they have a map of where they've been, and you're not burning through multiple grid mats. (Drawn ones being kept for reference)