Complete Newbie!

[Willough]

Hi there!

I must admit I am completely new to cartography. I typically run D&D at my local game store and I do my best to make usable maps for our games each week. With social distancing, however, everything has changed. Now I am trying to learn how to run games online while also learning how to make maps and all sorts of other new little things.

So I feel completely lost. I've been enjoying playing around with Gimp and MapTool but the learning curve is steep, so I thought I'd look for some more experienced help. Which brought me here! I am excited to learn from all of you.

And in my spare time I am a wife, a mom, a life skills teacher (to young adults with cerebral palsy and autism), a DM/GM, a crafter, and a dreamer.

[TimetoDraw]

Hi Willough. Welcome to the forum. You sound like a great DM and don't let the technology hinder you, there's many ways to skin a cat. I've seen people do great maps with Inkarnate (in browser). Also just sketching and taking a photo. I took part in a d&d game a couple of days ago where the dm was using Zoom and had a nifty way of sharing his screen and the encounter map with moveable counters for all of us.

[Kellerica]

Yup, listen to Time. Super cool that your main focus right away seems to be getting good stuff to your players. Getting into it can take time, but I know I speak for most of us here when I say mapping tends to be an awful lot of fun when you start getting into it. Take a look at the various tutorials available here if you haven't already, those can help as you go along your way. And don't be afraid to start a WIP thread if you feel like getting some help on what you are working on.

Glad you found your way over here! I look forward to seeing what you'll create. Welcome to the Guild!

[Willough]

Hi Willough. Welcome to the forum. You sound like a great DM and don't let the technology hinder you, there's many ways to skin a cat. I've seen people do great maps with Inkarnate (in browser). Also just sketching and taking a photo. I took part in a d&d game a couple of days ago where the dm was using Zoom and had a nifty way of sharing his screen and the encounter map with moveable counters for all of us.

Thanks so much for the welcome and the encouragement. I am not familiar with Inkarnate (yet). It's on my list to check out. And thanks for the other ideas as well. I'm amazed at how creative people can get when they need to. Looking forward to learning more!

[Willough]

Yup, listen to Time. Super cool that your main focus right away seems to be getting good stuff to your players. Getting into it can take time, but I know I speak for most of us here when I say mapping tends to be an awful lot of fun when you start getting into it. Take a look at the various tutorials available here if you haven't already, those can help as you go along your way. And don't be afraid to start a WIP thread if you feel like getting some help on what you are working on.

Glad you found your way over here! I look forward to seeing what you'll create. Welcome to the Guild!

Thanks so much for the encouragement. I am actually excited to learn a new craft (despite my nervousness). I am working through some of the tutorials already. It may be a while before I am confident enough to share, but I look forward to that day.

Thanks again!