Hi guys, new GM here. I've been running RotRL as my first campaign. So far I've only run the first two parts of Burnt offerings, and I'm supposed to run Glass and Wrath tomorrow.
My question is about drawing maps on the grid mat. The two major areas in this chapter are the Glassworks and the Catacombs of Wrath. Do I need to draw both if these out on the grid mat? I'll admit that I kinda hate drawing things on the mat, but I do like having the pawns and grid so we know where everyone is.
Any advice on this?
Also, any other tips on this particular chapter? This one definitely seems to be where things really kick off. Thanks!
The map is needed if you intend to use all the tacical aspects of the game, and it also helps to clear up any confusion such as "I said I was here...". That helps to avoid any table arguments about who you want to attack, and who can attack you, and when you get a lot of characters on the map it is easier than trying to remember where everyone is.
I don't draw well, so I never tried to make it perfect, but try to make it good enough.
Example: If there is a well drawn table with an inscription I will draw a rectangle, and tell the players about anything elaborate that is on the table.
I simplified the glassworks a bit. I basically made it so that my party easily found the goblins by following the noise, so I only had to draw one room. I did draw out the catacombs, because they seemed important. Again I edited them a bit, We have a grid to draw on or we have some cardboard pre printed tile pieces of various sizes and backgrounds. SO I used those to make most of the rooms. They make it so I don't have to draw as much, so map setup is easier.
As for other advice
And also in Thiseltop, if you think your party is low on health/spells/ has few magic weapons, remove the shadows. I did because if I didn't it would have been a TPK, instead of just 2 out of 5.
I hate drawing maps too so I generally blow up the maps to scale (they end up pixellated this way but whatever), convert them to a poster PDF using PosteRazor (free download) and glue them onto posterboard. The printing is expensive if you print in color.
Drawing on a grid map is cheap but can be disruptive if you do it in the middle of a game and (for me) tedious if you do it before a game. :)
Not sure our method will work for everyone but I use Roll20, even though we're all in the same room. We play at my brother's place and he has a 42 inch screen attached to his pc so all the players can see the maps. Roll20 let's me reveal the maps as they explore. When character placement is important or combat begins, we then use dry erase markers to draw out the relevant rooms/spaces on a grid-marked whiteboard. Best of all - since they can see the map as easily as I can, I have the players draw it out while I get organized, gather miniatures, review npc details, etc. It's also a good way to make sure everyone understands the environment.
Oh and I forgot to add - the community thread at the top of the RotRL forum contains an amazing amount of content including a dizzying array of maps. It cannot be recommended highly enough for DMs of the AP.
I'd take this route if I had the hardware to do it.
Whenever possible, draw your maps ahead of time. If you're using a full-size battlemat, draw out the site of the next major conflict and cover it with paper until the event.
You could also draw it out the day before on regular graph paper, at the normal 1"/5' scale. This will probably take multiple sheets, so make sure you have them marked in a way that makes it easy to overlap them properly. When the fight breaks out, you can just pull out those sheets, lay them down, and move on.
It also helps to know how to draw quickly on a battlemat and still convey all the information the players need. Got an elevation change? Draw a line at the transition, and mark the higher end with something like "+5" every 30 feet or so. Rough terrain? Draw a few blobs in the squares to represent rubble. Trees? If they block LOS, draw a circle in one space; otherwise, just put a thick dot in an intersection, then draw a quick rough circle around it to represent the leaves overhead.
Keep it simple, your goal is to cram information on the map as quickly as you can. No one is going to critique your artistic ability, they're more worried about whether or not that goblin has cover.
I think it's important to draw out any area where there's a significant encounter. Investigating the Glassworks is mostly exploration, for example, and doesn't need to be drawn out, just described - but when the PCs encounter the goblins, that room should really be drawn out. If you hate drawing things, why not see if one of your players would like to do it? There's usually one player who is artistically-inclined, and will draw nice maps from your descriptions.
There's nothing important in the glasswork except the foundry room with the goblins and Tsuto downstair. Just draw so-so the outline of the room on the grid map and that should do. Draw only when there's a battle.
Otherwise for my game, I simply scanned & printed the map. For exploration, I hide the unexplored areas with a white paper which I cut out when the PCs discover another area. This way has been very practical. In my case, I don't have a grid mat. So I show them the map and the players usually tell me their general position and actions. We figure out the rest in our minds.