Mountain/Hill Tactical Maps

[kirerellim]

I've got a question for anyone that makes their own battle maps. How do you design a cliff-y/slope-y map lol. I'm having a hard time representing the ability to climb, go up ramps, etr, on a piece of paper. It sounds like such a cool battleground, but I have no idea how to go about it. Anyone else have suggestions? Only thing I've found is proportionate maps, which I lack the skill to draw on my battle map lol

[kirerellim]

I don't normally bump threads, but I've gotta get this figured out by tomorrow lol does /anyone/ have a suggestion? I'm about to go buy modeling clay lol

[Oneris]

Try outlining areas of grid in different-colored isolines (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contour_line) for each level of elevation?

[ThisIsZen]

Seconding the isoline thing. As far as cliffs go, I'd draw them in as concrete features and point out through description what they were, to distinguish between the probably 5 foot high isoline separation of the hill's gradual incline. If ladders and etc. are available you just have to put a symbol for that on the cliff line where it would fit.

The nice thing about isolines is that they don't just indicate a general shift in height, but can also indicate slope. If you've got an area where three-five squares can pass before you hit the next level of elevation, then that's a nice, gentle hill. On the other hand, if seven or eight isolines pass through the same square then that's clearly a nearly-vertical rise and walking up it is going to be extremely difficult, if not impossible.

[Oryan77]

I make a lot of my own maps in Photoshop. Depth of field or perspective is hard to do on a top down map, but it is possible.

Really it has to do with knowing how to draw things in perspective. Which is something we can't teach you here. But the gist of it is, things farther away (or downhill) are smaller. The things higher up are bigger. You could draw a ramp as being smaller on one end and wider on the other.

A lot of people don't draw like this and instead just draw an arrow pointing in the direction that is up or down (you'll still need to tell players if the arrow is pointing up or down).

For terrain, like a hill, you can use colors or lines to identify levels in height. Or again, use arrows. Most of the time though, it wouldn't be very obvious that a map is a hill even if you were a great artist. It's a top down 2-D image, so it will look flat. Even if it was a photograph. Sometimes, you just gotta tell players, "This is a hill, so you can have higher ground if you are more towards the center."

Really, just go on Google Image and look up "D&D battle maps" and see how people do it. Even if you are using markers on a grid instead of photoshopping a map.

[kirerellim]

Hmm.... I think the colored isolines is the best i'm gonna be able to do with my lack of art or perspective skill lol. I didn't think of something as simple as that, thank you kindly! I'm not quite sure how I'll represent them climbing cliffs though, i'll have to think on that one.. still, a step in the right direction!

[Fouredged Sword]

When doing a graphic map I tend to use shading if the ground is all the same type of ground. I use Iso lines when things get complicated. Remember, you are trying to show the effects of the rules on the board as much as anything else. Keep the information as compact and simple as possible. It leaves more room for the art and descriptive part of it.

[kirerellim]

Yea, thats all I'm really worrying about lol I wanna be able to keep track of what elevation they are at so I dont let them attack someone, you know, a few dozen feet below them >< I've made that mistake before.

[Sian]

if doing it quickly, then stacks of dices work acceptable, with small notations for stairs for were you can painlessly change 'level'

[kirerellim]

Blegh, even with that idea, its still proving difficult and confusing looking. Maybe I'd better just make a tunnel through the mountain lol

[VoxRationis]

At my house, we have books. If nothing else, all the sourcebooks and whatnot that you aren't using. You can define a landscape pretty well, the slopes notwithstanding, using those.

[Oneris]

Or you could break out the LEGOs. Maybe one stud per 5ft block.

[kirerellim]

While books is actually an /awesome/ idea as we have a ton and a half of them, the game isn't at my house, its at Sierra College lol. So I'm pretty much limited to drawing on a battle map. Or I suppose gimping an image and printing it out.

Also, in regards to legos: I WISH I STILL HAD MINE. My mother gave mine away 4 or 5 years ago lol