How to Upload a Map to Owlbear Rodeo

When it comes to roleplaying games (RPGs), adding fantasy maps and DnD battlemaps to your virtual tabletop really raises your game! Stuck on how to add a map to Owlbear Rodeo? This simple guide will show you how to import, set dimensions, and use Fog of War for RPG maps in Owlbear Rodeo.

Step 1: Choose Your Map

First things first, to get your adventure started, you're going to need an amazing battlemap. Choosing one can be a bit of a black hole with so many out there. But don't stress it! Czepeku has 1,000s of fantasy maps with variations like time of day and different weather effects. So we've got you, whatever your campaign.

Image of the Czepeku Patreon membership levels page.

Not only that, but subscribers to Czepeku Patreon get full access to every single beautifully crafted map in the archive for as little as $5 per month. Sound amazing? Save yourself a GM's headache and join here now!

Searching for maps is super easy. You can browse all of the maps in our archive on our website. So you'll be heading to the tavern - or questing to an island on the back of a giant turtle! -  in no time. Czepeku maps feed your imagination, and subscribers feed ours by voting for new map ideas you want to see. So, let's play!

Step 2: Create a Room

Create a room page on Owlbear Rodeo
  1. First, create your free account.
  2. Owlbear Rodeo uses 'Rooms' and 'Scenes'. Basically, a 'Room' is a shared space where GMs and players can run their campaigns. 'Scenes' are added into 'Rooms' and can change whenever players move to new locations. So this is where you'll be adding your maps. From the 'Overview' page, choose 'Create a Free Room'.
  3. In the navigation at the top of the page, you can choose extensions to add to your Room. We'd suggest grabbing 'Coloured Rings' (which adds simple rings of different colours to character/token images) and 'Initiative Tracker' (which is a basic tracker that can be seen by all players). To add these, click into them, copy the install links, and paste them into the 'Extensions'.
  4. Now click 'Create a New Room' at the top of the page. Using the pop-up, you can name your Room, add a background image (that sits behind your scenes and adds ambience), and check that your Extensions are installed.
  5. When you're ready, hit 'Create'.
Add extensions page on Owlbear Rodeo

Step 3: Create a Scene

  1. When you create your Room using the steps above, the first thing you'll see is a window where you can build Scenes. To get started, click the plus symbol in the top-right and choose 'From New Map'.
  2. Select the map you want from your computer. This will load it into an 'Import Scene' window. At the bottom of the image, you'll see three buttons.
  3. You can check that the dimensions of the map are correct with the first button. You can also rotate the image, re-align, or reset it.
  4. The second button lets you set Fog of War on your Scene, if you want to use it. To do this, you can just click the 'Fill Fog' paint can icon. This will automatically darken the image (and make it unseeable for your players).
  5. Finally, the third button is there so you can choose your 'Grid Controls' by setting your preferred grid box distance. By default, it'll be set to 5 feet which works for Czepeku battlemaps.
  6. When you're done, hit 'Create'!
  7. The map will be added to your 'Scenes' window. You can now select your new map. From this window, hit 'Open', and get your campaign started!
Map uploaded on Owlbear Rodeo

Step 4: Set Fog of War in the Scene

  1. If you're using Fog of War in your Scene, press 'F' or select the cloud icon in the righthand toolbar. This will open your 'Fog Tool Menu' at the top of the screen.
  2. For every section of the map that will be affected by the players' line of sight, create fog cutouts using the drawing tools and set them to 'Uncut'. This will keep them hidden from your players.
  3. During your game, as the players explore the map and enter sections that they can now see, use the 'Fog Select Tool' (F), then Grab (G) to select rooms to reveal. Hit 'Cut' or press Hide (H).
Set Fog of War on Owlbear Rodeo

You're all set! You can add more maps to your Room so that you have quick access to various locations as your campaign plays out.

How to Add an Animated Map to Owlbear Rodeo

If you're wondering how to import an animated map to Owlbear Rodeo, it's really easy! Just follow the same steps above but just select your animated file instead. It works the same way. Animated battlemaps bring a deeper level of immersion to your games. So get access to all of our animated maps with Tier 3 on our Patreon.

Start Your Adventure With a FREE Map Pack!

For tons more guides like this, and to keep up to date with the latest from Czepeku, sign up to our mailing list now and get an introductory map pack for FREE with fantasy, sci-fi, full cities, lore, and more.

Last updated August 9, 2024