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Texanstoryteller
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Using the map - Meta gaming

Wed 30 Jun 2021, 05:11

Hello ! Tonight I have some questions about the map.

Adventurers are supposed to discover an unknown world after hundred of years under the blood mist. What I enjoy the most as a DM and my players too is to discover this world and the unknown from each locations. However because of the locations illustrations on the map, players are tempted to go towards specific hex. Most of the time I can deal with it but I think that remove some interest and it is easy to rail road sometimes.

I can relay on meta gaming or explain they can't see the "castle" as they are not on the hex.

Online I can use a fog of war but soon around the tabletop I will struggle again. I wish we can use a blank map black and white but I guess this map is not distributed by Free league.

How do you use the map ? We can assume a group discovered the map and adventurers are able to see locations ?

I planned to play the next adventure in a village, I worked on it several hours and players decide to go to an hex with a tower or a castle ????

Adventurers can use a blank map with only hexagons and "draw" the map hex by hex based on what they discovered ? They decide to go East, West, etc ? They heard a legend and they go South to retrieve an artifact in a specific location ? Mix of it ?

This question may have been already answered, sorry if I missed a topic in the forum.
 
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silverfoxdmt73
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Re: Using the map - Meta gaming

Wed 30 Jun 2021, 13:47

I had my group come together as unofficial wardens of one of the forests to the south east of the map to give them a bit of direction at first. We decided that someone had given them a map of the area (to cover the fact that they could see the whole of the Ravenlands), but besides their initial reason for being together, I'm leaving it entirely up to them where they go after we finish the first adventure site, Weatherstone.

I had them meet Rolk, the drunken raider to pass on the legend of Weatherstone and he mentioned he was headed to The Hollows, which I've placed near the central plains on the map, but other than that I've done no other preparation for future adventures. I think it is one of the strengths of the game, the Sandbox approach.. Players are free to roam anywhere and using the tools in the GM book, you can pretty much make stuff up on the fly.. I know there is always the temptation to second-guess and plan the next location or encounter, but I've tried to resist that as much as possible and so far everyone is enjoying the fact that all the directions are up to the players.

I'd say, maybe roll an encounter or two before the session, but no more than that, choose one of them for the next time the Players move hexes and run with it, but don't plan too far ahead. Hope this helps a little.
 
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Texanstoryteller
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Re: Using the map - Meta gaming

Wed 30 Jun 2021, 23:37

Thank you Silverfox for your insight.

So if I follow, you run on the fly the hollows or another adventure ?
 
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silverfoxdmt73
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Re: Using the map - Meta gaming

Thu 01 Jul 2021, 09:08

Thank you Silverfox for your insight.

So if I follow, you run on the fly the hollows or another adventure ?


Yeah. I can read up on the Hollows and use that, or if the players don't go there, then I just use the random tables or wing it completely... It takes some getting used to - leaving so much to chance - but the players are enjoying it and that's the main thing.
 
JohanR
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Re: Using the map - Meta gaming

Thu 01 Jul 2021, 12:51

I will probably just let them look at the map sporadically when talking about areas and not when they travel, and then while traveling, I will up the chances of having them meet the the balloon-faring dwarf (GG, page 157) and he will have made one or a few crude maps of the land. This can also explains why there aren't any names or so on the map, as he simply noted what he saw from a distance or if he landed, he might not have asked around to much, given his backstory. The maps could from the beginning be stolen, or he could be an explorer, or whatever.
After that, they can use the map while traveling.

Note that this idea isn't mine, but someone wrote something similar in a another thread once.
 
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silverfoxdmt73
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Re: Using the map - Meta gaming

Thu 01 Jul 2021, 15:42

I will probably just let them look at the map sporadically when talking about areas and not when they travel, and then while traveling, I will up the chances of having them meet the the balloon-faring dwarf (GG, page 157) and he will have made one or a few crude maps of the land. This can also explains why there aren't any names or so on the map, as he simply noted what he saw from a distance or if he landed, he might not have asked around to much, given his backstory. The maps could from the beginning be stolen, or he could be an explorer, or whatever.
After that, they can use the map while traveling.

Note that this idea isn't mine, but someone wrote something similar in a another thread once.

That is a pretty neat idea though.
 
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Konungr
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Re: Using the map - Meta gaming

Sun 04 Jul 2021, 01:22

The map is an old map from before the bloodmist with some additions since the bloodmist. The players have it, but they don't know how accurate any of it is any more. Yes a village i on the map, but is it still a village or ruins? Yes there is a castle there. Or is that a dungeon ruled by a lich? Just because the players have a map doesn't mean it's a reliable narrator.
 
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silverfoxdmt73
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Re: Using the map - Meta gaming

Sun 04 Jul 2021, 11:47

The map is an old map from before the bloodmist with some additions since the bloodmist. The players have it, but they don't know how accurate any of it is any more. Yes a village i on the map, but is it still a village or ruins? Yes there is a castle there. Or is that a dungeon ruled by a lich? Just because the players have a map doesn't mean it's a reliable narrator.


That is a very good explanation. I might have to use this on my players. *Evil laugh*
 
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Texanstoryteller
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Re: Using the map - Meta gaming

Wed 07 Jul 2021, 06:16

Konungr, excellent ! Very true. That works for me !

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