I find it amusing that the most difficult part of thinking about me running this game at some point is that I hate drawing maps.
I am so awful at it. 🙂
I find it amusing that the most difficult part of thinking about me running this game at some point is that I hate…
I find it amusing that the most difficult part of thinking about me running this game at some point is that I hate…
Just jot down some notes about an area and let the players make the map!
Leave Blanks! Also you can siphon some of the work off to your players 🙂
Part of it is that I have not played a game that even requires a map in years. 🙂
Don’t think there is anything wrong with pre-made maps, just don’t fill out all the details. Basically just go with the flow with what is in a room and don’t plan it out too much ahead of time so there isn’t the whole “you find nothing of interest in this room”.
Draw maps of individual rooms, pull them out when a thing happens there. Don’t worry about how they connect.
Detailed location maps aren’t always necessary if the fictional positioning is clear. The maps are just there to ensure that player choices (which way to go, where to stand) are meaningful. If you’ve got that, you’re good.
The rules themselves are great, but the more you follow and internalize them, the more it’s clear that there are principles behind the rules which can be expressed in a number of ways (including mapless ways).
Have you seen Old School Hack? I think you could easily adapt its Arena system for Dungeon World. Plus, it’s easy to draw–circles and lines, with text labels. It’s also easy to adjust on the fly.
You should see the maps I make on the fly for my players. They cause sanity checks.
Tony Dowler’s microdungeons are perfect for kickstarting a DW game. Bite-sized, just a few evocative details for you and the players to fill in.
Ok! To the rescue! Here’s some things.
First if you are feeling NOT LAZY and you want to put something together I recommend:
http://donjon.bin.sh/d20/dungeon/
and a slicker but more fiddly one:
http://davesmapper.com/
I usually make a handful. Something that looks like caves (or underwater grottoes). Something that can be a lair. One or two temples. Maybe a tomb. I save those, and print them out before a game. If it’s empty, I can fill it with whatever.
Here’s a page that lists a bunch (you may like better): http://thedungeoneeringdad.blogspot.com/2011/04/handful-of-sweet-arse-dungeon.html
If you want something to tuck in a bag for on-the-fly gaming this is seriously sweet: http://www.dungeonmorphs.com/cards.shtml
Also inkwell has bigger ones if you prefer d20ish sized things for $5 on drivethrough. They print up and cut up nice and I like them better because they have edge tiles. Some of my players get really snippy when they’re like: “I see a corridor on the map.” “No dude, there’s just a wall.” “But it’s on the tile.” “And there will be another corridor on the next one. You guys found the king, made allies with the dwarves, rooted out the goblin infestation – you don’t want to spend your lives here.” (unwelcome truth)
Here’s the link: http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=108629&site=dtrpg
OK! Let me know if you need more >_>
Holy crap, that was a lot of stuff. 🙂
I’ve run 43 separate Dungeon World games (of which the Gasp Day one is one), many of which were one session, a few of which lasted months (and one ongoing). In addition to that run 2-3 games a week and play in a few.
That’s not counting my demanding job, house, cats, friends, and writing games.
So I value my time, and had find tools to speed up my prep. Many (most) are free or really cheap online. And sharing games (or tools for games) with friends, is my favorite thing in the world ^_~
Damn. That is crazy. I just hope the DW game is still no this weekend.
I talked to Dan earlier today. It’s so on! 😀
Hurray and huzzah!
For maps, just do what diaspora did for clusters. circles and lines man. The lines are what connect the zones. the circles are the zones. aspect as needed. Unless you are planning on running a different game then ignore my advice.
I’m intending to use Dyson Logos’s ‘Dyson’s Delves’ as maps for DW – an amazing resource of pretty, clever dungeon maps with black facing paces for stocking (or, in DW’s case, Fronts and Moves).
More info here: http://rpgcharacters.wordpress.com/2012/12/12/dysons-delves-is-here/
Love Dyson’s work. He has a real style to add to the clever design.
http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/92614/Four-Dungeon-Level-Maps-%281976%29?manufacturers_id=31 Check out these super-old-school hand-drawn maps by Bob Bledsaw jr and sr in 1976. There is a free preview PDF you can view. I love that the “dungeon dressing” is written on the outsides of the corridors rather than as part of a boring room description. Plus, knowing that a corridor has “groaning” or “cobwebs” or “arguing” gives me a better sense of what might lay ahead. Both as a GM and a player. #StealingThis
I’m using a version of “perilous journey” for exploring the dungeon in my 3 player game.
“Who’s leading the way?” Roll+Wis to look out for traps
“Who’s making the map?” Roll+Int to make sure you don’t get lost.
“Who’s looking out for trouble?” Roll+Wis to avoid ambushes from monsters.
No maps, just people describing what they’re doing, and finding stuff when its fictionally appropriate.