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I'm not the artist, ToothyBJ is. [Source}(https://bsky.app/profile/toothybj.bsky.social/post/3mvijx5k7ck2a)
NGL I'm the kind of DM that makes my players draw their own maps. I also handout character sheets that are also journals for player notes. I stitch them myself and as they fill I'll bind more pages into their journals.
No digital devices are allowed to be out at my table too.
The players are A LOT more engaged when they do that.
Etrian Odyssey Pentology has entered the chat
Never really played TTRPGs. Getting my feet wet with One Shot Dungeon after work. Got my grid paper and dice ready.
Not exactly D&D, but I remember playing the Ultima games as a teenager and mapping out every 8-level dungeon on grid paper. Loved it!
I remember doing that in a bunch of PC dungeon crawlers and Zelda 2 on the NES as well . I have no idea how you'd navigate the last level of Zelda 2 without making a map, that place was infuriating.
Why is he dig? Why the metal man is dig?
I think it's a DM joke that the party is overlooking the obvious path to continue, the hallway in the background, and instead are doing bonkers stuff in an attempt to progress.
My guess is trying to hide from the wrath of the DM
No map! Every direction is valid!
There is no map so he had to make sure there's still a territory
I always included maps for the players to purchase. They werent always complete or accurate, some were outright scams, one region actually forbade their sale.
My man!
Who can forget the sketchy treasure maps that the players will find/buy?
It's a great opportunity for some fun
What is "UNC"? I'm old enough to remember Eye of Beholder or Lands of Lore computer games where I was forced to draw maps manually. It wasn't fun even then.
(From a fellow unc) Asking what Unc means was such an unc move.
Eye of the Beholder (and sequels) were so good and so hard.
Unc is older than a zoomer, but younger than a boomer.
Mentally, nothing to do with physical age. Just how you present yourself mentally
It means βuncleβ,
In DND, an uncle is some one that enjoys the classic rules, and makes you actually play the game. Like mapping it as you go.
(Though I use terrain tiles that are progressively revealed. Once youβre out of the dungeon, though, itβs on you to remember what was in there.)
Ignore the other guy, people have always used words like βuncleβ or β momβ sarcastically for people who behave in a certain way. Itβs not causing the fall of civilization or anything.
And it has transcended to "old guy" in video games.
One time I made a naΓ―ve ranger cartographer (basically a boy scout) and drew maps every session to keep my ADHD in check
The DM handwaved all travel and navigation rules making my character completely useless lol
The DM may have handwaved all travel and navigation rules specifically because the party contained an overgrown boy scout
Like yeah, this is normally a problem that needs to be worked around, but you guys straight up don't have to worry about it because Eratosthenes over here always knows where you are and where to hunt food
You may not have had to roll dice to feel useful but you were still useful in that you removed a food clock from the game by virtue of existing. It's a lot harder to credibly make travel and food an issue when the party brings a ranger, that's kind of the ranger's whole class identity.
Theoretically yes, but this DM just didn't bother with that stuff ever, even when I played different characters. There's a difference between specifically saying something like "the ranger leads the party safely through the forest", which would have at least felt helpful; and just not saying anything at all by fast-traveling to the destination
That should be a question for the character. Do you want to constantly roll the day to day stuff that your character does with advantage or just assume that theyβre as capable as you designed them to be? Assuming itβs not a survival struggle campaign.
Union Aerospace Corporation
Didn't Lands of Lore have an auto map? In my (bad) memory it did.
Maybe. That was 30 years ago, I might be wrong: there were many similar games.
For DnD this might be cool but for video games Iβm playing to unwind not work and I need my QOL upgrades haha
Different strokes for different folks.
Sometimes I'm looking for a gritty note heavy experience, sometimes I'm looking for an easy and fun romp.
I'm drawing maps as I play the original Phantasy Star. I find it oddly calming and relaxing.
Yes, it's the best way to play that and a few of those other 3D exploration games like Shining in the Darkness.
I like the DS games Etrian Odyssey, they use the touch screen and force you to draw your own maps. The HD remakes are ok but that's by mouse and don't feel the same, lol.
Edit- funny I didn't see the other comment mentioning it too, haha. Funny they're all SEGA now (even if EO is Atlus, lol).
I'm actually playing the Remakes entirely with a controller and I was skeptical of the control scheme at first, but it's really grown on me. I played through the first one a few months ago and then took a break before digging into the second. The controls came back to me almost immediately now that they're burnt into my head.
Sure, nothing is going to beat the tactile feeling of drawing with a stylus, but lacking the ability to do that or emulate it beyond a mouse, I think they pulled it off well and I hope they continue with the remakes (albeit at a more reasonable price, debuting at $40 apiece is fucking nuts; they've gone on sale a few times now though (or easily emulate through Switch on Eden >_>)).
Oh, I did play the first HD one and I agree that it works well enough. And the games are good in general, too. Sales are the only way to go though, I do recall they also get included with Humble Bundles and stuff, too.
Ooh I didn't know about the touchscreen function inEtrian Odyssey. I'll have to give it a try. Thank you!
ToothyBJ
Eh, I'm not a huge fan of that personally, yet this was a superior fan-comic. :D
Etrian Odyssey noises
Thanks for the reminder that I still need to play the second Untold game
I have no idea why OSRS players hate quality of life improvements
Different strokes for different folks.
Some quality of life stuff is fine but maps, notes, and inventory tracking are very important at my table.
I'm more of a case by case basis for mapping. Most of the time, I'm not running a maze where mapping will reveal interesting information (eg: these lengths don't add up - maybe there's a secret passage).
One time in recent memory where I did run something like that, I had the players map it and it was super effective.