Friday, January 31, 2020

Map and map symbols

A question came up today in one of the comments regarding the symbols I use in my maps. I guess it just shows how old I am because I sorta thought everyone would easily recognize the symbols as these were common back in the good old days of gaming, but with the advent and proliferation of digital mapping resources I guess they do not use the same symbols we are used to.

This is not my work below (maybe I should do my own) but I mostly follow these symbols. I do divert a little here and there. For example the "slide" symbol below I use for a "slope", the difference being a slide means a 'trap-type thing' to me whereas a slope is just a naturally angled downward path. You will also notice I put door handles on my doors, because.

All that said, while I put symbols on maps, I encourage DMs to use the maps as they see fit. If you don't like the that I put a statue there, don't say it is. Or if you think a trap door in the floor would be better, put it there.

Another great resource can be found here:
http://savevsdragon.blogspot.com/2012/03/free-download-master-dungeon-mapping.html where you can download this fantastic key which is similar in many ways to the one above. New Big Dragon has a great blog and produce excellent gaming resources.

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