Mapping

[bblackmoor]

This will ramble a bit. Please forgive me, I'm still recovering from a cold (or maybe flu), and my thinking is even more muddled than normal.

I have used a variety of mapping software for fantasy games: AutoRealm, Campaign cartographer, HexMapper, MapX, even Illustrator. I also have drawn a fair number of maps with colored pencils. Some of my efforts have been useful. Some have been very pretty. They have all seemed to require more work than I would prefer (I do not pretend that this preference is realistic or reasonable).

I recently ordered Campaign Cartographer 2 Pro (around $38, with shipping), and it occurred to me that I have never drawn any maps for superhero games. For combat, I draw on hex maps with vis-a-vis pens (sometimes using a floorplan of a particular building or edifice as inspiration). For larger scale maps, I use standard city maps from any number of sources (I have a fondness for the isometric projection ones).

What I am curious about is twofold:

1) Do you draw maps for some genres more so than others?

2) If so, what do you use?

[Old Man]

I only draw maps for Fantasy. If I ever chose to GM a Champions game I would just use the real world. The same applies to Shadowrun where either the maps were already provided or were close enough to real world that you didn't need to make one.

[Sketchpad]

I draw maps for important places in my games ... I'm currently working on my group's superhero base ... 1st floor's almost done ;)

[bblackmoor]

I draw maps for important places in my games ... I'm currently working on my group's superhero base ... 1st floor's almost done ;)

What do you use? pen and paper? Illustrator? Both?

[Rapier]

I don't think I draw more maps for any genre over another.

FH maps tend to be rather all-encompassing for that session. You are in a dungeon, tomb, castle and here's the map. You are going to spend the next 4 sessions in this place.

Champions maps tend be more for the battle scenes. While I sometimes draw other things, its not really to scale or anything just as an aide to understanding.

My hero maps kind of run in between the Champions and FH.

We mostly game in IRC so all maps are done either as ASCII art, scanned images or I draw them out on my hexmap (which is in view of the webcam).

When we game FtF I draw them all on my hexmap. Actually I redraw them from a map I have prepared.

For the most part I use graph paper. I'm old skool like that. I would love to get a nice computer program to do it, but I haven't really found any that grab my attention. I've played with a few but never got a THIS IS SO COOL vibe from any of them. Of course, I'm not sure how much time I put forward into the effort either.

[Sketchpad]

At the moment I'm using Illustrator. I've found having a grid active helps in sizing, though there are still a few proportion problems I have to play with later ;)

[zornwil]

I find maps or drawings online and superimpose grids, generally, once sizing as needed.

[Fitz]

I'm mapping less and less as I get older, fatter and lazier, but when I do, the tools I use depend on the end-use I have in mind. I use CorelDraw for precision, Photoshop and/or Painter for ye olde pseudo-parchmenty maps, and pencils and any old scaps of paper for maps that nobody but me will ever see.

I've tried various other apps over the years, both dedicated mapping tools like Dundjinni, AutoRealm and Campaign Cartographer (all fairly underwhelming), and generic illustration software like Illustrator and Freehand (hate them both, incidentally), but I've never found anything good enough or intuitive enough to be worth changing from the software I know inside and out.

There seems to be a lot of emphasis these days put on making maps that will stand alone as gorgeous works of art, and 99% of the time that's just wasted effort. If you're publishing, then sure -- make the maps beautiful. If not, then it's probably mostly wasted effort. As long as the map allows you to keep track of the action consistently, then it's served its purpose, and most of the time any old scribbled piece of crap will do that job.

[RDU Neil]

I never liked maps, unless they were artistic and used to inspire "feel" or were important to the plot (Like you have a rough map of the tomb, and don't know if it is correct or complete...)

Since I more or less despise fantasy RPGs, I only run supers or modern Hero games... I only map "battle scenes" as Rapier indicate. I'll sketch out the basic floor plan of the video archive where the hero is ambushed (to take an example from last week) but that takes thirty seconds, and wasn't planned ahead of time... it was just the point in the story where the ambush was possible. Very rough sketch, not to scale or detailed.

If THE Storn Cook is at the game, he'll often sketch for me. YEAH! I'll give a basic verbal description, and he can rip out a cool sketch in 1 minute that might even have perspective when possible. Unless something is radically off (like forgetting the sheer cliff I mentioned) I'll even let him flesh out details I never thought of... adding to the story. Heck, other players will say things like, "Wait... a church? So where is the big stained glass window... 'cause you know that has to be broken!" and we'll add it in.

Maps, to me, are for flavor, and avoiding confusion like "What do you mean I can't go that way? What cliff are you talking about?" in a tense combat situation.

[bblackmoor]

Lately I have been using Illustrator to try and draw a city map. I am about half done, but I do not think that I will finish. I like Illustrator, but using it to draw a non-grid network of streets and roads seems to be much more work than it ought to be. That's why I broke down and ordered Campaign Cartographer 2 Pro the other day. In theory, it's made for specifically that sort of drawing, and supposedly it has been much improved since the first version I tried several years ago (which was about as much fun as stabbing yourself repeatedly in the eye). And at ~$40, I won't feel too badly if it turns out to be a waste of time. I can always sell it on eBay or something.

[Steve Long]

I typically use Campaign Cartographer (at this stage, the 2 Pro edition, though I started with v. 1.1 for DOS). I used to create whatever maps I needed for a campaign setting or world, usually Fantasy or Dark Champions.

These days, of course, I mostly map things for publication. For example, I did all of my mapping for The Turakian Age (i.e., the entire world of Ambrethel) and Hudson City (i.e., the entire city, in two square mile pieces) in CC2 Pro. I then turn my comparatively crude maps over to Keith Curtis, who creates really cool-looking ones using (IIRC) Illustrator.

Much like the HERO System, CC (in any iteration) has a bit of a learning curve -- but once you learn it, you can do virtually anything with it. When I first got it, I sat down with the manual one afternoon, and over the course of three or four hours worked through the program's tutorial. By the end of that time, I knew all I really needed to know to draw maps. Everything I've learned since then has basically just been icing on the cake -- shortcuts, cleverer or easier ways to do things, and so on. I hope you'll find it works as well for you. ;)

[zornwil]

There's also a tile-based system which is pretty good, DungeonCrafter or such, I only used it a little bit as there's not so many modern pieces, but it is a neat tool.

[badger3k]

This will ramble a bit. Please forgive me, I'm still recovering from a cold (or maybe flu), and my thinking is even more muddled than normal.

I have used a variety of mapping software for fantasy games: AutoRealm, Campaign cartographer, HexMapper, MapX, even Illustrator. I also have drawn a fair number of maps with colored pencils. Some of my efforts have been useful. Some have been very pretty. They have all seemed to require more work than I would prefer (I do not pretend that this preference is realistic or reasonable).

I recently ordered Campaign Cartographer 2 Pro (around $38, with shipping), and it occurred to me that I have never drawn any maps for superhero games. For combat, I draw on hex maps with vis-a-vis pens (sometimes using a floorplan of a particular building or edifice as inspiration). For larger scale maps, I use standard city maps from any number of sources (I have a fondness for the isometric projection ones).

What I am curious about is twofold:

1) Do you draw maps for some genres more so than others?

2) If so, what do you use?

I have an older version of campaign cartographer, but while it's capabilites are extensive, the fact that I have to use my windows laptop or virtual pc to run it (and many parts of it are not intuitive or easy for me), I rarely use it.

I hadn't read beyond the first one, but I'll mention my current choice:

I have recently (over Christmas) picked up the Dundjinni program (http://www.dundjinni.com), and that runs on Windows, OS X and Linux (IIRC). It's also easy to use and makes pretty decent maps. There's also a good forum and support, with a lot of user designed items, textures, etc. If my printer worked I'd use it more, but I've made some simple maps so far. The fact that they can be saved and sent through email also helps, as does the fact that I can use it for hexes or squares (or nothing at all).

Edit: most maps are done for fantasy, especially since that's what we mostly play. I have played a bit with sci fi maps, and hope to get into modern-style maps (cities, etc) just becuase I like the variety. I think fantasy gets the most maps because (a) modern world is easy to visualize and (b) sci fi seems to require less maps (except star maps) - the action tends to move over larger areas and maps have less importance in the games I've played.

[Trencher]

I use map that I find on the net and then I think about what the bad guys would do to the place.
It saves time and help me define the characters.
Also I draw up crude "note-maps" if a player insist on knowing exactly where everybody is.
Sometimes a good looking map can be a hindrance because it takes away attention from the story, just like miniatures.

[MisterBaldy]

The only mapping software that I have really played with right now has been Dungeon Crafter...so I haven't had much experience with a lot of the new software that's out there. Campaign Cartographer looks interesting though :think:

I am only just returning to the world of "HERO SYSTEM"...I've been away for a few years, but it's nice to be back!!!

[RDU Neil]

The only mapping software that I have really played with right now has been Dungeon Crafter...so I haven't had much experience with a lot of the new software that's out there. Campaign Cartographer looks interesting though :think:

I am only just returning to the world of "HERO SYSTEM"...I've been away for a few years, but it's nice to be back!!!

Welcome back! Take your time... look around! Make yourself at home! These are some of the best boards out there... very friendly (as long as you avoid the NGD board :) )

[MisterBaldy]

Thanks RDU Neil...it's nice to be back!!!

I was at TheImperialKhan's house today, and we got to talking about a lot of things today.:cool:

So tonight, I went and purchased HERO System 5th Edition, revised online! I haven't done anything with HERO System since Champions 4th Edition, and I've really missed it!!!:thumbup: