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View Full Version : Isometric battle maps for minis: practical?



Atarax
2016-04-05, 02:03 AM
Has anyone tried running battles with dungeon rooms/terrain etc... drawn in isometric perspective? I see such detailed and artistically drawn isometric dungeons on the intra nets (Dyson Logos and the like) but I wonder... what's the point if the players only ever see the top-down view? I get that it aids the DM in visualizing and designing the place as well as giving him/her inspiration during play, but isn't that a lot to go through if it never sees the light of day? So yeah. Has anyone tried putting that down on the table for combat?

OldTrees1
2016-04-05, 06:55 AM
Examples?

If a dungeon is designed so that the best view is an isometric view (designed for clear mapping of 3D to a 2D image), then would not a 3D map be the best way to show it to the players (although an isometric map could drop in game for their viewing)?

Spojaz
2016-04-05, 10:30 AM
(I am a drafter by trade, so this is the kind of stuff I love to begin with.)

It's a bit of work, but it's so good. Although you do lose some maneuvering room to things covered by that extra dimension, and I had to use regular paper and t-square instead of the erasable battle mat, it was more than worth it to my table. They were jumping down and climbing up ledges, using the space throughout the battle, (Aztec-style vine covered Indiana Jones ruins with bridges and tunnels fit isometric really well.) the space was easily grasped and the standard D&D movement and distance mechanics were preserved. The mini's even still fit in the squares. I wish I took pictures.

I used a purple marker for the vertical, a black one for ledges and grey for squares. It took quite a bit of planning before I even started drawing, as you need to think more about what is covered by other things.

OldTrees1
2016-04-05, 10:35 AM
(I am a drafter by trade, so this is the kind of stuff I love to begin with.)

It's a bit of work, but it's so good. Although you do lose some maneuvering room to things covered by that extra dimension, and I had to use regular paper and t-square instead of the erasable battle mat, it was more than worth it to my table. They were jumping down and climbing up ledges, using the space throughout the battle, (Aztec-style vine covered Indiana Jones ruins with bridges and tunnels fit isometric really well.) the space was easily grasped and the standard D&D movement and distance mechanics were preserved. The mini's even still fit in the squares. I wish I took pictures.

I used a purple marker for the vertical, a black one for ledges and grey for squares. It took quite a bit of planning before I even started drawing, as you need to think more about what is covered by other things.

You don't happen to have any of those in your DM archive folder do you? Even just 1 example would be marvelous!

N810
2016-04-05, 01:32 PM
Could work. just keep the walls low with a cutaway view.
*also a draftsman.

perhaps something like this ?
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ITV7Kre8lTc/T0ZjT-nkquI/AAAAAAAAAWk/RNFOGVelZRA/s1600/Untitled-1.jpg

Eloel
2016-04-05, 01:52 PM
Could work. just keep the walls low with a cutaway view.
*also a draftsman.

perhaps something like this ?


Please spoiler the image, it is too big.

braveheart
2016-04-05, 02:16 PM
Another drafter here,

And that example is beautiful, admittedly I'd never thought to use isometric views, since I primarily do building plans irl but now I'm going to need to give this a shot. Any suggestions on where to get large T-square paper, big enough for mini's?

N810
2016-04-05, 02:37 PM
You might be able to get hold of some C size graph paper (1/4" grid).
http://www.engineersupply.com/Alvin-Isometric-Paper-Pad-11x17-1242-2.aspx
plenty of T-squares here...
http://www.engineersupply.com/search.aspx?keyword=t-square

Spojaz
2016-04-05, 03:31 PM
http://i.imgur.com/M0QlsPO.png
This was the proof, the one we played on was hand-drafted. (large format printing is not cheap, I drew on the back of failed plots from the recycling bin at work). The bridges had more detail, there were easily climbable vines in spots.

I wonder what the demand is for an erasable isometric battlemat (http://www.amazon.com/Chessex-Role-Playing-Play-Mat/dp/B0015IQO2O)? Can we do a kickstarter? Please?

Atarax
2016-04-05, 10:42 PM
They used to say d&d encouraged devil worship. Instead, it appears to have encouraged a career in drafting. Who knew?

I was watching someone play Diablo 3 and I couldn't stop watching the gorgeous dungeony goodness. I want THAT on my table, but I'll be damned if I'm going to pay for tiles.

I enjoyed looking at the shared examples and would be interested to see more. If anyone else has used iso maps in play, I'd love to hear how practical/impractical it turned out to be.

N810
2016-04-06, 08:36 AM
http://i.imgur.com/M0QlsPO.png
This was the proof, the one we played on was hand-drafted. (large format printing is not cheap, I drew on the back of failed plots from the recycling bin at work). The bridges had more detail, there were easily climbable vines in spots.

I wonder what the demand is for an erasable isometric battlemat (http://www.amazon.com/Chessex-Role-Playing-Play-Mat/dp/B0015IQO2O)? Can we do a kickstarter? Please?

You could turn that Hex map into an isometric one by connecting the lines and turning those hexes into six triangles. :vaarsuvius:

Spojaz
2016-04-06, 09:30 AM
You could turn that Hex map into an isometric one by connecting the lines and turning those hexes into six triangles. :vaarsuvius:

How did I not see that earlier?! It ends up looking pretty Q*bert, and the regular size minis no longer fit in the isosquares, but its very workable. This will be so much easier!

OldTrees1
2016-04-06, 09:50 AM
How did I not see that earlier?! It ends up looking pretty Q*bert, and the regular size minis no longer fit in the isosquares, but its very workable. This will be so much easier!

The fitting can be solved by having an isosquare be 8 triangles(similar area to the hex's 6)

RedWarlock
2016-04-06, 10:06 AM
This looks delicious and I am salivating SO much right now. (Metaphorically..)

If or when the GNL mats come out, I have a bunch of hex tiles coming my way, as well as some square tiles. Can anybody show an iso map drawn on a hex grid? Something that keeps minis usable would be nice.

The one challenge is that all map designs would have to favor one side of a structure, or have backup re-draws for when they approach the other side. (I'm even thinking of a hybrid approach that uses square grids for open floor-plans but hex grids for stuff with depth.) It would also favor being viewed from one side only, making the center-of-the-table map position harder to use. (I can see this being used often when the map is kept on an upright board next to the DM.)

Ooh. You could even use flat tokens (quarters, pennies) for the 'ground-plane' shadow position of flying characters.

N810
2016-04-06, 10:46 AM
If you draw your own, just make sure the height of the parallelogram is 1".
the parallelogram is one right side up triangle and one up side down one together.
__
/\/
.__
/_/ <-- 1" tall

Spojaz
2016-04-06, 11:04 AM
Space-size-preserved Iso map on a hex grid I threw together.
http://i.imgur.com/kVfLuRM.png
You will have to outline (probably also color code) the all the "ground" spaces, which is marker-intensive. Some players may have to squint, to stop seeing the "unused" hex lines.
I still want the iso battlemat.

Oooh, I just thought of a cool M.C. Escher dungeon, where you can walk on all three faces, depending on which one you are currently standing on!

RedWarlock
2016-04-06, 03:58 PM
Oooh, I just thought of a cool M.C. Escher dungeon, where you can walk on all three faces, depending on which one you are currently standing on!

Monument Valley - the RPG. Ye gods, there's a headache in a handbasket.

GAAD
2016-04-06, 05:29 PM
Monument Valley - the RPG. Ye gods, there's a headache in a handbasket.

Yes. Yes. A thousand times yes. If someone actually runs this here sign me up.