D&D (2024) Maps and the New DMG

Azzy

ᚳᚣᚾᛖᚹᚢᛚᚠ (He/Him)
I don't have the DMG yet, so I need to ask a question of those that do have it.

In the '14 DMG, it had a Mapping Your Campaign section, where it gives Province Scale of 1 mile, Kingdom Scale of 6 miles, and Continent Scale of 60 miles. Does the '24 DMG have a similar section? And, if so, did the change the scales?
 

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It appears not to have that information, per the Index (which is actually good this time around), though the Campaign Chapter does habe a city map, a 5 mile hex region map, and a continwntal 30-mile hex map: nothing else abour Campaign mapping as a process.

There is a sub-section in Chapter 4 for "Adventure Maps", that goes as follows with the attached legend for map symbols, seems to be moat of what the book has to say about maps at all:

20241115_211443.jpg


"Wn Adventure location almost always benefits from a map, and the more thoughtfully constructed the map is, the more fun players are likely to have as their characters explore the location"

"Maps and Adventure Structure. An adventure map can take many forms - from a detailed dungeon map thst shows the dimensions and contents of every room to a rough outline of how one encounter might lead to another, depending on the route the characters choose. Whatever form your .ap takes, it functions as a flowchart since each decision point (a branch in a corridor, a room with multiple exits) leads to new decision points. If the characters leave a room by by the north door, you check your map and determine it leads them into the great hall, lined with pillars, where the fire giant king holds court. If they leave by the secret door to the southeast, you check the nap and follow the secret tunnel as it winds to the hidden vaults below the great hall."

"Sample Maps. Appendix B contains maps you can use for your adventures or as inspiration for your own Maps. You can also modify those maps to fit the details of the location you have in mind."

"Map Inspiration. The internet is a great place to find adventure maps thst have been made available, as well as real-world building floor plans and city maps and other images that can inspire your mapmaming."
 


No problem! Looking st it, it is kind of funny thst they literally say "want maps? Try Googling it, I guess" but it is actually good advice.

The Appendix maps are really great, though, and will cover a lot of use cases.

I tend to suspect that the next Everything book will include some more of those building a d customizing features gone from the DMG, hopefully at least the monster stuff is in the MM...
 

Not really related to the new DMG, but if you're going to be drawing your own maps I'm inclined to give a shout out to two books by Jared Blando on the topic: "How to Draw Fantasy Art and RPG Maps: Step by Step Cartography for Gamers and Fans" (country maps) and "Fantasy Mapmaker: How to Draw RPG Cities for Gamers and Fans".

As someone with no artistic ability to speak of, I found those extremely helpful.
 

Not really related to the new DMG, but if you're going to be drawing your own maps I'm inclined to give a shout out to two books by Jared Blando on the topic: "How to Draw Fantasy Art and RPG Maps: Step by Step Cartography for Gamers and Fans" (country maps) and "Fantasy Mapmaker: How to Draw RPG Cities for Gamers and Fans".

As someone with no artistic ability to speak of, I found those extremely helpful.
I have the first one of those. It is great.
 

Not really related to the new DMG, but if you're going to be drawing your own maps I'm inclined to give a shout out to two books by Jared Blando on the topic: "How to Draw Fantasy Art and RPG Maps: Step by Step Cartography for Gamers and Fans" (country maps) and "Fantasy Mapmaker: How to Draw RPG Cities for Gamers and Fans".

As someone with no artistic ability to speak of, I found those extremely helpful.
I have a nice little program called Wonderdraft for creating maps that I love.

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Still a work in progress, but this is my going to be my starting area for my next campaign. 1 Hex = 60 miles.
 

I have a nice little program called Wonderdraft for creating maps that I love.
I used Wonderdraft and Dungeondraft. Both are very good programs IME. Like most such stuff, what you get out of it depends on what you put into it. Even on the basic level it is handy for making quick maps.
 

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