*** December/January 2010/11 Mapping Challenge - Wherever I Lay My Head ***

[torstan]

This month's lite challenge is to map a camp site. This can be anywhere a group of tireless adventurers catch some much needed shut-eye.

Heroes travel to some far flung places, so this could be a standard clearing by a bubbling brook, or a ledge on a precipitous cliff over the bubbling magma pits of the far flung planet of X'Tan. The location is totally up to you.

Now there's a slight twist to this month's lite challenge. No campsite is ever safe, so we want you to make sure there's a grid on this map - to adjudicate the inevitable combat that will occur in the middle of the night. The grid should represent steps of 5 feet.

Good luck, and sweet dreams...

[Hai-Etlik]

Bah, I started reading, had a really cool idea for a "National Dungeon" pamphlet map, and then hit the bit about it having to be a D&D combat map which ruined it.

[Rythal]

Methinks the mods are getting too lazy to make their own d&d combat maps, so they have us do it instead, and then give the person with the best map a little icon to make them feel proud of their "accomplishment".
/EndConspiracy

[Jaxilon]

Bah, I started reading, had a really cool idea for a "National Dungeon" pamphlet map, and then hit the bit about it having to be a D&D combat map which ruined it.

Is "National Dungeon" another contest someplace or what'd I miss? Is 5' per square a D&D only thing? Sheesh, they think they have rights to all the rules of the universe now?

I'm thinking about putting an entry in on this myself.

[Hai-Etlik]

Is "National Dungeon" another contest someplace or what'd I miss? Is 5' per square a D&D only thing? Sheesh, they think they have rights to all the rules of the universe now?

I'm thinking about putting an entry in on this myself.

I meant I wanted to make a map of a national/provincial park with a campground, except that it's based around a dungeon with killing monsters and taking their stuff being a 'wilderness activity' like hiking of canoeing.

And I imagine there are probably games other than D&D that use 5' squares, but there are certainly plenty of games that don't.

[Jaxilon]

Oh, I get it now. That's a pretty great idea you have there. You should do it.

[tilt]

@Hai: maybe you could do the map - with a combat map as an insert - its a great idea

[torstan]

It does sound like a great idea for a map. I'd highly recommend doing that.

The reason for the specification of 5' squares is that many games (not just D&D) run tactical maps at this scale. It's possibly the largest segment of maps created every year, and a useful scale for lots of people. If you have an interest in producing maps for games that's a good place to start.

I don't think we've ever disqualified a good map, so I would go with your original idea and see about providing a detail with a small 5' tactical grid over it.

[Hai-Etlik]

A tactical grid really wouldn't fit right in what I had in mind, even in an inset. I'd really have to do two completely separate maps, and one of them wouldn't really interest me. I'll just store the idea away for later.

[Aivehn]

Quick question. The original post says "The grid should represent steps of 5 feet." It does not say "squares" which I do understand is usually denoted by "grid." However, "hex grids" are also in fairly common usage. Can we also use hexes for this grid, or must it be squares?