Oh that is just amazing, I love it
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So neat! I need to learn how to color on the computer.
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As related to maps?
Maps tend to give me some ideas about what I’m going to put on the key, I often draw them first … but … nothing beats drawing a map from an existing key, because then one can really make the map right for the location. The map above is the third map for that location and second overhead map. Drawn after play testing and the first editing pass for the adventure.
For keys themselves I tend to be more verbose then standard, but I figure that with decreased playing times the number of keys in a location is necessarily also going to decrease. Since I’d rather use simplified mechanics that make it easier to run then entirely abandon exploration play in favor of zonal design with tactical combat or character driven narrative as the locus of play I tend to key densely on a traditional map, with multiple entrances and nodes if it’s larger then 10 - 20 keys.
Keying itself is mostly a weird balance of trying to write tight sentences that have poetical description meshed into clear information about what’s dangers and/or valuable.
Since I’m theory rambling here’s a map I did for Ultan’s 3.
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Some morning thoughts before I get started with the day.
I’ve been reading A knight at the Opera’s blogs a bit lately and the writer there has some interesting ideas about maps (both hex and dungeon) that prompt me to think about the use of maps before starting to design them. Form follows function, right? It will decide how much effort you want to put into it when you don’t really have the time to do a lot. Some thought could be put into information design and ease of use (How much info on a page? How clear is your info? How often do you flip a page?). But making it pretty isn’t a priority (except for the inherent value of making something pretty). Also, how often will it be used? If it’s a one off thing, you don’t really need to pour blood sweat and tears into it, right? But if it’s gonna be used multiple sessions, then you can put some big effort in I think.
It seems to me that usually a map is only used by the GM while the players make their own maps. If this is the case you only need to worry that you, yourself can read it. If you’re going to publish a thing, that’s different, since legibility becomes more of an issue. Not only you have to understand your method, but others have to as well. They don’t always have the context in how you design.
If you play in a way that you map out for your players or just share the map with your players things need to be considered again. Legibility becomes an issue again.
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I generally like Knight’s ideas, I can’t find the specific post on the blog, but for me I think there’s a lot of use to a good map in even an adventure that isn’t especially map based. Now obviously there’s a big distinction between home and published adventures, because the home referee has a greater understanding of the space form the start. A published map though, even if the players never see it, is an amazingly compact way to offer general description.
Think of one page dungeons. Think of contemporary 5E products. In both cases a map is often doing a lot of work as descriptive fodder for the referee. I could spend five pages describing the tumbled pillar and oppressive twisting passages of a barrow, but a well done map (even a 1980’s style top down memograph blue thing) can do it in one.
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I believe you also included an isometric view of some of those rooms, if I recall correctly? I enjoyed Crystal Frontier. I made a handmade binding for it, and would pick up a true physical as well.
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I recognize that 2nd map from … Uncaged Vol. II…? The memory stayed with me. Always wanted to use it (your map), but haven’t had the chance. I might be able to shove it into Isle of the Plangent Mage if I ever run that.
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It’s unclear if Crystal Frontier will ever get a physical copy. I have it about 1/2 laid out for DTrpg’s POD, but the quality of that is terrible, and getting anything printed in letter/A4 format is tricky.
I did however do a series of ISO maps for the map above:
It was cobbled together from lots of smaller maps, so each region has detail maps as well (not something I think was fully necessary, but drawing an ISO that big is not something I can manage on one page.
Oh here’s the first draft of the top down map as well.
That Tomb Robbers has two maps is a function of wanting the best of both worlds, a map that provides direction to the Referee as an aesthetic reference, but also one where tables who are using square by square movement can be happy. I’m rather against putting distances and directions into keys (it takes up space and is distracting) so the map needs to do that.
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Whoa! Great memory! Give this player a prize!!!
It’s in Uncaged Vol. III and I loved designing it for a gameshow style lair encounter. The Points-Of-Interests were numbered to feature in lair actions. 
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I’m fairly new to the rpg scene (started with 2e in the 90’s but didnt play again until last year during lockdown) but my maps have been published in Knock #2 by Merry Mushmen and Basilisk Hills by Third Kingdom Games (Todd Leback).
I do hexmaps (my specialty is 1:1 versions of actual places, I’m a pro at worldographer)
I do isometric maps
I do normal 2d battlemaps
duvelmandice.itch.io or duvelmandice on most social media (I also make custom dice)
Affinity Publisher and Affinity Designer is life!
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A blog post I wrote about mapmaking:
@yochaigal this oldish thread was suggested to me because I posted about maps on the VTT thread. Your link to “this” is broken - am I right in guessing that at some point recently everything on your site changed URLs, breaking a bunch of links? If so, what’s the easy way for me to convert old URLs to new without having to bug you every time 
Wow, that’s really very helpful, thanks!
Buying isometric projection paper is tricky, make sure you look for Isometric Orthographic projection, which gives equal length to all 3 dimensions (120° all around).
If you’re like me and don’t want to bother with that, gnarledmonster has some great Iso printouts that you can use. Just make sure when you’re printing that your printing isn’t shrinking the image at all. I used these to great success converting a simple dungeon layout into isometric.
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Does anyone have good examples of like, simple dungeon details to spruce up a dungeon map? I’m thinking like crates, tables, tents, shacks, barricades. I have like zero ability to look at a thing and figure out how to draw it simply, but im ok at learning for a drawn example.
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While I enjoy Gnarled Monster’s maps, it’s easy to find printable, and even scalable isometric graph paper online. Here’s one site I found in about 30 seconds that allows for plenty of options (try the dot based paper)
Now if there was only isometric hex paper online at a good scale…
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