Design First, Draw Second

5-Minute Megadungeon Maps.

You have a great idea for a massive complex. But the thought of drawing every 10ft. corridor before you even know what goes where is so daunting that you never actually start.

I’m faced with this proposition right now as I need to map the megadungeon for my Obsidian Invictus campaign.

I used to just start drawing, usually beginning at the main entrance. From that spot, I drew every 5-foot square of passages, rooms, caverns, and doors.

But inevitably, I’d hit a problem, like wanting to move a key location (why is my illithid boss laired way out on the edge?), running out of room (this remaining space is too small for my giant CrayFolk faction), or hitting a literal dead end (why would this secret door lead to nothing important?).

Sometimes my maps had more eraser debris than lead.

These days, I can’t do this. I’m not in school with a thousand free hours in math class to redraw mistakes. Encountering a map Logic Bomb that requires a redraw feels like a major setback.

I’ve learned the hard way that my poor old brainpan can’t do two things at once. I can’t design and draw at the same time. It creates tension and analysis paralysis.

Design First, Draw Second

Here’s the solution I landed on, and it works very well.

First, separate the two jobs to be done: design first, then draw.

Second, inspired by KJ Davies, I draw a node map as the design step.

Instead of worrying about the grid, I focus on what goes into the map and where it sits relative to its neighbours.

  1. Draw Blobs. I start by drawing circles for rooms, spaces, encounters, and scenes.
  2. Arrange Blobs. I place them where they make logical sense. If I’m on my tablet, I drag them around. If I’m on paper (I’m loving these Triangular Pencils lately), I just sketch loosely.
  3. Connect Blobs. Once happy with locations, I draw lines to connect them. I start with key locations (boss lairs, resource depots, secret areas) and look at the flow. Faint lines to start, bolder strokes when I’m happy.
  4. Key Blobs. Finally, I add labels to characterize passages, and add numbers to key encounters in Campaign Logger.

A typical big map node sketch takes me about 5 minutes. And it’s part of my Tiny Prep now: “Doodle a Node Map”.

This is fractal, too. My Obsidian Invictus megadungeon started as a vertical node map where each blob was a whole level. Tonight, I node out level three, Temple of the Aurem High Priest.

Save yourself time and frustration by doodling mind maps of your big maps first.

Draw => Arrange => Connect => Key.

Stop Erasing, Start Building, You Must

Ready to turn your quick sketches into logical layouts?

If you want to build dungeons that make sense to your players, and fit your prep schedule, check out my new book, Logical Map Design: Tactical Cartography.

Build dungeons that make sense and are a hoot to crawl.

Cheers,
Johnn
roleplayingtips.com
https://discord.gg/6MxTRAqQ76
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