Map Making 101

[Mari01]

I'm not sure where to put this thread but so be it. Friends, I need an easy way to make maps. I'm Dming my first PbP and as luck would have it, for all things important I had maps in Pdf forms.

My question is, is there an easy to use program that will alow me to use the pdf's as backgrounds and overlay things on top (tokens, secret doors, etc etc) to represent the players and their foes?

[00dlez]

Acrobat Reader (NOT the full version) has something called a "Snapshot" tool. You can drag it over the area you want to use as a map, release, and it will copy your selection to the clipboard.

Post into paint or whatever graphic program you desire and then overlay tokens, draw symbols, etc.

It isn't a high res option, but it will work for a low tech, fast, and easy solution to your problem.

[MachineWraith]

Maptool (http://www.rptools.net/index.php?page=maptool) is a program that I've used in the past with great success. Players can have custom tokens, as can monsters, and different status effects can be applied and kept track of electronically. You can overlay a grid and your tokens on any image file you load, I believe.

The players in the 4E campaign I played with Skype and Maptool even went so far as to create graphical macros for their characters' different powers, and make a button for them. Literally just click the button, and if you had a target selected, it says "X attacks Y with Z, doing x damage and y effects," laid out in a manner similar to the 4E Player's Handbook.

[Mari01]

Maptool (http://www.rptools.net/index.php?page=maptool) is a program that I've used in the past with great success. Players can have custom tokens, as can monsters, and different status effects can be applied and kept track of electronically. You can overlay a grid and your tokens on any image file you load, I believe.

The players in the 4E campaign I played with Skype and Maptool even went so far as to create graphical macros for their characters' different powers, and make a button for them. Literally just click the button, and if you had a target selected, it says "X attacks Y with Z, doing x damage and y effects," laid out in a manner similar to the 4E Player's Handbook.

I have no idea how to use maptool O.o. All I really need is a grid overlay so people can make movement easier (a7 to b7). The maps are ready to go. I just need to interact with them better.

[Bhaakon]

I use excel (actually, open office spreadsheet, but whatever). If all you need is the grid and a way to mark player/enemy locations, it works well.

[Saintheart]

Maptool, Maptool, Maptool.

I swear by it. The latest versions are much better than the old incarnations. The latest one will give you a grid overlay and coordinate markers with literally the click of two buttons, and allow you to increase or reduce the size of the grid.

Like a lot of fanbuilt stuff, Maptool's User Interface isn't terribly intuitive, but once you figure out how it works, it's very easy to work with.

Because you've got pdfs, it's pretty straightforward: do a snapshot of the map from the pdf, then save it as a jpg file in a folder. You open Maptool, select new map, then select the file you saved. Maptool imports it in as the background. Then click on for the "show grid" and "show coordinates" options, and bam, instant map. Export a screenshot (again, Maptool allows that with the click of one or two buttons) and then print off the resulting jpeg. Simple.

[danzibr]

I use excel (actually, open office spreadsheet, but whatever). If all you need is the grid and a way to mark player/enemy locations, it works well.
This is so the easiest way to do it. I was using MapTool for quite a while, and MapTool is cool and all, but OpenOffice Calc is just... way easier. By making the map simple with better description you get a better result than trying to find exactly the right pictures and whatnot for your MapTool.

[Templarkommando]

I remember reading somewhere that Photoshop or GIMP can be used for this purpose. So if you're comfortable, they can work in a pinch. What I thought sounded really cool was that you can put the map on one layer and then you get a neutral layer... like straight beige or maybe a fantasy picture. Then you have the neutral layer placed over the map and you erase it as the party explores.

[Draz74]

The Video Tutorials (http://www.rptoolstutorials.net/) for MapTool are a little out-of-date on some of the topics like Token Properties and Macros, but the ones about mapmaking (like Putting it All Together (http://www.rptoolstutorials.net/videos/PutTogether/PutTogether.html)) are still pretty great for giving you an idea of how to do stuff.

[Mari01]

I'll post an example map I made without using maptool. And then I'll post one with it. You guys can be the judge. Depending on time constraints and how detailed I need the map to be, I'll find the "best". Thanks for all the help!

Here is the non-Maptool version.

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6tyHeM4r_Tia1E5MUpJZ0N0RW8/edit

This took about 10 minutes.

[danzibr]

I'll post an example map I made without using maptool. And then I'll post one with it. You guys can be the judge. Depending on time constraints and how detailed I need the map to be, I'll find the "best". Thanks for all the help!

Here is the non-Maptool version.

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6tyHeM4r_Tia1E5MUpJZ0N0RW8/edit

This took about 10 minutes.
Totally interested, but need access.

[Mari01]

Totally interested, but need access.

Updated to everyone. Sorry about that.

[danzibr]

What did you use to make that one?

[Mari01]

What did you use to make that one?

Using the pdf provided map, I zoomed in to where the PC's would be starting. Zooming in helped to maintain a bit of the resolution. Using the snapshot tool, I cut out the zoomed in section, saved it as a .jpg in paint, and then opened it in Excel. A little bit of the cell tweaking to match the 5ft squares and then voila. I took a print screen of it and then went back to paint and cut out the excess.

My only problem with this method in the foreseeable future is maps with secret doors. I'm not sure how to get rid of those without making said door location obvious. Any tips for that anyone?

As far as maptools goes, The grid overlay method is working, but I have the same issue (secret doors and excess around map).