Not in the sense of using battle maps and miniatures, but in the sense of no campaign map. Lately I've been having real trouble coming up with a campaign map, mostly just because I'm picky. My main campaign setting Iron Vale, just kind of happened, and the main part of the world is pretty good. I have no problem filling out terrain, or placing landmarks; I can never decide on continent shapes. With Iron Vale I just started with a small town (Redburrow), and placed some interesting places in close proximity. It's really rather incomplete, but in the two years I've run the game, no one's wandered past a single map sheet. For reference its roughly 22 x 19 hexes of 8 miles in length.
With Iron Vale I was able to create the illusion if mystery, and completeness by suggestively labeling the borders of the paper. To the North was the "Savage Lands", to the south the "Deadly Marsh", and the east and west were simply "The Lands of the East/West". I made it clear the towns found in the setting were small, and of relatively no interest to outside forces. I'm thinking I can take this concept even further.
If you're at all familiar with the Redwall series, by Brian Jacques, he pulls a similar stunt. For most of the early books, the focus is on Redwall Abbey and the nearby woods. There are in fact maps of the locals, but there isn't much detail, because Brian Jacques emphasizes the mysteriousness of the land and the unknown. By making Redwall Abbey the focal point, he has an anchor for his characters and their adventures, as well as reference point for every other location in the world. Of course other authors accomplish the same thing, but I'm thinking I can apply this particular concept to D&D, to help me.
Recently, in fact, I've been trying to help my wife learn how to game master. This way I can get a chance to play, even if it is just one on one (which is another topic, because we actually have a lot of fun that way). I even suggested to her, if she didn't want to take the time to intricately map out her world, she can start small, using descriptive language for reference. "Blackwood is 5 days march from Oakhurst...". Why wouldn't I take that advice?
I suppose because I normally run a very sandbox type campaign, and I usually insist on having the semblance of a real world for my players to be able to do whatever they. Why not do that on a smaller scale? The world can be a dangerous place, and they can have some sort of safe haven (like the Keep on the Borderlands), from which they can launch their expeditions. I can map out a smaller area, or possible have no map at all.
If we take the Redwall concept even further, we can have a library, or wise old figure familiar with the local lore. Through role playing, chatting with the old monk, or exploring the library, they can come across references to local ruins or ancient tombs. Then they can go off exploring like usual.
If they get board of the local, I can come up with more semi-isolated locales, they can spend "a month sailing to the distant shores of Albion". This ties into what I've been talking about lately, bringing D&D closer to the fantasy I grew up enjoying: The Adventures of Robinhood, Knights of the Round Table, Beowulf, etc.
Another part of the reason I've usually insisted on in depth maps, is I've always run somewhat military styled campaigns. It's always been an interest of mine, and something I've felt was important to medieval games. I'm starting to realize now I don't need a grand battlefield (i.e. the world map), and can make military campaigns more narrative in nature. I've also noticed that with all of the games I've run, the players don't really get into the politics, intrigue, or grand military campaigns. Even with my first campaign I ran, which was pretty much focused on raising an army and stopping an invasion, not much of the tactical side of war came up.
All just some ideas I'm toying around. I'm trying more and more to play to my strengths and interests when it comes to D&D; help avoid DM burnout, and generally have a better time playing games with friends. After all, if it's not fun anymore (if it's frustrating), why keep doing it?
No comments:
Post a Comment