09-09-2026, 07:05 PM
I think I'm a little torn on that approach--I love encoding information that doesn't fit efficiently into text into the map, but I'm less of a fan when the ambiguity results in a bunch of annoying details I need to figure out.
The tree placement implying places where clearings exist on the Black Wyrm map is great--it's subtle and non-distracting, but if you go looking at the map for guidance it'll give you some.
The log on the lake is fun because "there's a log fallen across the lake somewhere" isn't really a worthwhile key to spend page space on, but you can slip it into the map very smoothly. The ambiguous fact that it might be a troll is something I feel like could easily be fun or annoying, but in this case I fall slightly on the fun side.
I've seen maps (specific book not named, because I feel like I've ragged on it too much already) that had a bunch of treasure chests and stuff that were totally unlabeled (or that contradicted the room's text description) did not work for me--detailing exact treasure type and value is about as hard a thing to dictate neutrally mid-session as you can think of, on top of being pretty boring and detail-oriented.
Looking at some Dragonbane maps, I think how I'd respond to those blank spots depends a lot on if I was running a sandbox or not. In a sandbox, the players wandering into an unlabeled landmark is annoying. In a more trad game, leaving room on the map for me to fill in makes a lot more sense.
The tree placement implying places where clearings exist on the Black Wyrm map is great--it's subtle and non-distracting, but if you go looking at the map for guidance it'll give you some.
The log on the lake is fun because "there's a log fallen across the lake somewhere" isn't really a worthwhile key to spend page space on, but you can slip it into the map very smoothly. The ambiguous fact that it might be a troll is something I feel like could easily be fun or annoying, but in this case I fall slightly on the fun side.
I've seen maps (specific book not named, because I feel like I've ragged on it too much already) that had a bunch of treasure chests and stuff that were totally unlabeled (or that contradicted the room's text description) did not work for me--detailing exact treasure type and value is about as hard a thing to dictate neutrally mid-session as you can think of, on top of being pretty boring and detail-oriented.
Looking at some Dragonbane maps, I think how I'd respond to those blank spots depends a lot on if I was running a sandbox or not. In a sandbox, the players wandering into an unlabeled landmark is annoying. In a more trad game, leaving room on the map for me to fill in makes a lot more sense.