Overhead Projector

[joshua johnson]

In another thread, some people were mentioning the overhead projector as a great game aid. I love the idea.

Follow this link of you dont know what I'm talking about:

http://www.d20srd.org/extras/mapProjection.htm

I would like some input from anyone who has actually done this and/or anyone familiar with photoshop (or similar recommended app) Specifically, I'm wondering:

A) how complicated is the process of layering, scaling and masking?

b) How would you get your maps to comply with the layering and such? Can you just DL the PDF maps from this site?

I'm handy and computer literate, but i'm not a tekkie/graphics
guy-- realistically how long would it take to prepare maps for projection? (I know the first few would be slower, learning curve and all that)

Thanks in advance for any pointers!

[Lilith]

Once you get a hang of the program you're using, I would guess maybe a couple of hours per map, depending on the size and complexity of it.

Layers are like projector transparencies. You have a main image, but a layer over it doesn't affect anything underneath it. So, depending on how you did it, you could have the following:

1.) Base Image (from a JPG or a PDF or what-have-you).
2.) Secret Doors/Traps (hidden from the players).
3.) GM Layer (hidden from players) - a place for you to make encounter notes, etc.
4.) "Fog of War" - a layer filled with black that you gradually erase as the map gets explored.

Hopefully this helps out. As far as software goes, Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, GIMP, any software that lets you have multiple layers in an image will work.

[Aberzombie]

Lilith wrote:

4.) "Fog of War" - a layer filled with black that you gradually erase as the map gets explored.

When my group was in an Iron Heroes game, the DM did this. He even had the maps he projected sized to scale for minis. It was great.

[Doug Sundseth]

Rather than using the eraser tool in your graphics package, I'd recommend using a separate layer to obscure each room or area. Then you can just turn off the layer to reveal exactly what you planned. Also, I'd recommend locking your base image layer to avoid damage to the image. Make any notes in a separate layer or layers and then incorporate them if necessary when you have more time and concentration for image editing.

You could also preplace any monsters in a monster layer to simplify battle setup. When the room is revealed, you also see an image of each creature in the room. Then either place markers and turn off the monster layer, or (if you are using a draw package rather than a bit-mapped image package) move the images of the monsters on the grid.