Written by Tyler Kamstra, author of RPGBOT.
There is an exceptional value in using a visual representation of a scene in your game if your players are sighted individuals.
A visual representation of a space, minor details in the room, and positioning miniatures or tokens throughout a conversation can add a lot to the sense of immersion - regardless of how well-worded the verbal description is. Having a conversation while gazing meaningfully out a window into the rain conveys a very different tone from saying the same words while seated in a high-backed chair turned toward a roaring fire.
Maps can also help to establish a shared understanding of the scene. When you can point to the room on a map and say, “Behold, the throne of the king below the mountain,” everyone gets the same visual interpretation of the room’s size, the placement of features like furniture and columns, and where characters are located about the room.
There’s no quibbling about whether the king is 30 feet or 35 feet away and whether or not that matters when you need to cast Charm Person. There’s no question about where the guards stand when the rogue decides to attempt regicide. Everyone knows exactly where the balcony is when they need to make a dramatic escape. Even without the sort of actions that might require you to roll initiative, again, positioning within the scene can convey a lot of information. Characters in film and on stage don’t stand and stare at each other like NPCs in a video game, and your characters should feel as lifelike as you want them to.
Theatre of the mind can be a wonderful way to play, and not every RPG has the need for strict positioning that games like DnD and Pathfinder often require. But even in those games, a visual representation of space is valuable for all of the same reasons. Players are no less free to fill in details or add to the scene, but starting with that shared understanding helps players support each other’s roleplaying and removes the need to stop to resolve disagreements about the scene.
Even better, you’re not compelled to use a work of art that’s been overlaid with a grid or conspicuously arranged so that every hallway can measure its width in 5-foot increments.
Maps do not mean rolling initiative
In many games that I’ve both run and played in, the presence of a map almost universally signals that combat or dungeon crawling is imminent. This pain point is made worse by published adventures insisting that they only need maps for places where you’re likely to have a meaningful fight or where you’ll be searching for traps or other dangers. This is a frustratingly easy habit to fall into, and I see new players develop the reflex within their first few sessions of play.
I use maps in my games at all times, including in non-combat situations. I’ve found that players almost immediately benefit from doing so. The reflex to roll for initiative is suppressed, and players gradually lose the sort of “danger sense” that they developed after years spent on combat maps. They stop seeing the map as a dungeon to be crawled and start seeing it as a stage on which a scene is taking place.
This is especially useful for characters who aren’t the “Face” in their party and, therefore, might not have the social skills to effectively engage in conversation. Giving those characters a visual scene to work with gives them tools to play with that aren’t carved into a character sheet. The party’s muscle-bound street tough might lean imposingly against the wall near the door, asserting a dangerous presence simply by posture. A wizard might slowly amble about the room, considering the various books and curios that an NPC displays on their shelves while the conversation proceeds, hoping to gain insight into the NPC’s personality.
Even without the presence of NPCs, a map can present interesting opportunities for roleplay. Presenting the players with this Czepeku map of an Ancient Battlefield when it’s time to rest conveys a very different tone from simply saying, “You find somewhere and camp for the night.” Where do they make camp on the battlefield? How do they set a watch? Do they explore, or do they let history lie where it fell? What do the players know about the site if anything?
“White Room” fight scenes are boring
Combat in many games takes place in what is essentially a featureless room, commonly referred to as a “White Room Scenario”. No terrain, no cover, no elevation changes, nothing. Just an X by Y room with a 5-foot grid and a monster in it, which you’re going to trade blows with until it runs out of hit points and turns into a pile of inexplicable treasure.
This is dull.
A map does a lot to improve things. Czepeku's Gentle Village Grocery is a great example of a detailed location that provides interesting terrain to fight in. Tables, shelves, doors, walls, all of the things that you would expect to be in a real building provide exciting interaction points.
A crossbow-wielding rogue might take cover behind a shelf or counter while popping out to fire upon enemies. A hulking ogre might crash through a wall in pursuit of an enemy rather than trying to pursue them through a door intended for creatures half their size. A spell might set fire to the building, adding environmental hazards for everyone involved. Someone might upend a box of produce to create difficult terrain.
In a series of closely grouped encounters or a singular protracted fight, such as my DOOM-Style Combat system for 5e, the ability to move between spaces to change terrain and to elude foes offers tactical decisions that aren’t available to parties fighting in a single enclosed area. Players might retreat to a different room, barricade the door, and use the time to buff or heal themselves before reemerging or being rudely interrupted by the growing mass of enemies outside the door.
Conclusion: Use a Czepeku map!
Maps are a powerful addition to any TTRPG experience. There are few situations where the addition of a map doesn’t improve things, and even if you’re accustomed to playing without maps, I encourage you to try doing so.
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