Map Creation:

[artofregicide]

I'm not sure if this is best place to ask this, but I'm running a 3.5 game and I'm wondering what would be good software to create maps in, especially to help make combat less chaotic?

I've looked at Dunjinni and Maptools, but haven't had much success with either.

Please not advertising anything commercial. I'm not interested and I think it's against the rules of the forum.

[inexorabletruth]

A cheap to free option that I use is a download images from the Mad Mapper (http://educatedgamer.net/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=44) and set the image as a background on a spreadsheet with a square grid. After setting the gridline color to light gray .75", it makes a perfectly gridded, detailed map with terrain for the players to work with.

The images are all free to use and most people have some kind of spreadsheet program. If not, OpenOffice and NeoOffice are freeware options. Personally, I use NeoOffice. If I need to tweak the maps to my own preference, I drop the image in Gimp... another freeware application.

[Onerai]

A cheap to free option that I use is a download images from the Mad Mapper (http://educatedgamer.net/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=44) and set the image as a background on a spreadsheet with a square grid... *snip*

This is an excellent resource!! Many thanks for posting it here. Bookmarking now :smallcool:

[Khaelic]

If you're looking for something simple just as a way to keep track of basics and not for super-advanced graphics, I really like Lior's Map Creator.

[Story]

The Tiled Map Editor is useful if you want to create maps yourself from a tileset.

[Palanan]

I'll second the Mad Mapper's work; I've relied on it quite a bit in my campaign so far.

Unfortunately I don't have the resources to print them in color, but even in black-and-white they're really impressive. Sure beats an erasable marker.

:smalltongue:

[inexorabletruth]

This is an excellent resource!! Many thanks for posting it here. Bookmarking now :smallcool:

You're welcome! I'm glad I could pay it forward. I found out about the Mad Mapper from the Playground long ago when I had similar questions. :smallbiggrin: