Re: Out Of Character
Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2019 5:46 pm
Thanks Ways!
So a bit of background, one of my goals with this game was to improve two areas of DM'ing that I've often handwaved in the past: mapping and keeping track of time/distance.
Mapping has turned out to be one of my favorite parts so far, and I'm glad you appreciate it. First of all, I want to say, I did not draw the cavern map itself. My art skills are not anywhere near that good! I am using a commercially published map, and if anyone thinks they've seen it before and wants to confirm their guess, shoot me a PM.
To simulate light/darkness, I did this: I am using an open source software called GIMP (but you could probably also use Photoshop if you already have it). I created two "layers," a bottom layer for the map, and a top layer for the "shroud of darkness." Then when I want to reveal an area to the party, I lock the map layer and use the eraser tool on the darkness layer. If you set the eraser tool to a large brush size, then the edges are naturally "fuzzy." It really couldn't be easier and I am pleased with the "immersive" look of the result.
Regarding distance/time, I'm still struggling a bit with this, and admit I might have fudged the numbers a bit. If it turns out I've been too harsh on the players, then I've devised an easy way to make it up to the party in-game, without breaking suspension-of-disbelief.
In your mind, how many feet does a Hobbet with 9" movement rate cover in a) one exploration turn of careful exploration; b) one exploration turn running at maximum speed; c) one combat turn of tactical movement (i.e. closing a gap to initiate melee); d) one combat turn of pursuit/flight?
A third goal of mine to become a better DM is to post a nice public Google Sheets to keep track of all the minutia. I haven't quite gotten around to this yet, but I promise I will do so when we have our first big treasure/XP award.
So a bit of background, one of my goals with this game was to improve two areas of DM'ing that I've often handwaved in the past: mapping and keeping track of time/distance.
Mapping has turned out to be one of my favorite parts so far, and I'm glad you appreciate it. First of all, I want to say, I did not draw the cavern map itself. My art skills are not anywhere near that good! I am using a commercially published map, and if anyone thinks they've seen it before and wants to confirm their guess, shoot me a PM.
To simulate light/darkness, I did this: I am using an open source software called GIMP (but you could probably also use Photoshop if you already have it). I created two "layers," a bottom layer for the map, and a top layer for the "shroud of darkness." Then when I want to reveal an area to the party, I lock the map layer and use the eraser tool on the darkness layer. If you set the eraser tool to a large brush size, then the edges are naturally "fuzzy." It really couldn't be easier and I am pleased with the "immersive" look of the result.
Regarding distance/time, I'm still struggling a bit with this, and admit I might have fudged the numbers a bit. If it turns out I've been too harsh on the players, then I've devised an easy way to make it up to the party in-game, without breaking suspension-of-disbelief.
In your mind, how many feet does a Hobbet with 9" movement rate cover in a) one exploration turn of careful exploration; b) one exploration turn running at maximum speed; c) one combat turn of tactical movement (i.e. closing a gap to initiate melee); d) one combat turn of pursuit/flight?
A third goal of mine to become a better DM is to post a nice public Google Sheets to keep track of all the minutia. I haven't quite gotten around to this yet, but I promise I will do so when we have our first big treasure/XP award.