4 Steps to Better Maps

Tired of pausing gameplay to hastily sketch a scene? Front-loading your map prep is one of the best ways to help with session pacing.

The #Mapvember2025 map challenge is still going strong on the RPT Discord, and it’s your perfect chance to front-load your prep and save yourself stress later. Thanks to @Auke for facilitating the challenge!

The goal is to get a bunch of maps prepped for your campaign or world. Each day there’s a prompt, so you’re not stuck for ideas. Start today or this weekend, and work backwards. Soon, you’ll have a stack of maps ready to drop into play when your players inevitably wander off-script.

Here are a few highlights from the community so far:

An urban scene by Logan.

A dangerous crossing over a lava pit, by Erika.

Monster den in what looks to be an alpine region from badhobbit.

An AI generated snake temple scene from KaratakusGraniteFlinger.

And note the goal is to have fun creating maps. Whether you draw them by hand, use tools, or use generators, all maps are welcome in the challenge – it’s whatever works for your game prep that counts.

My 4-Step Map Prep Method

A quick tip when making maps. I prefer to do them in four steps because it ensures I always have something usable, even if I get interrupted.

  1. Quick Sketch: Get proportion, position, and elements sorted with a 10 second thumbnail sketch or rough outline. This sketch becomes an improv tool if you need to run the scene immediately.
  2. Assets: If using digital tools, collect components you need based on your sketch. This separates the creative task from the file hunt.
  3. Compose: Draw, assemble, create your map, using your sketch as a guide or a trace layer.
  4. Polish: When happy with the composition, add shading, walls, or lighting, and otherwise put finishing touches on.

This approach means you can stop at any point and have a viable game component. A vision you can improvise with, a collection of assets ready to drop in, or a finished map that’s good enough to run as-is.

Ready to prep some maps? Join the #Mapvember2025 challenge today on the RPT Discord.

Cheers,
Johnn
roleplayingtips.com
https://discord.gg/6MxTRAqQ76
Have more fun at every game!

P.S. When you are ready, here are +4 vorpal ways I can help you with your campaign:

+1 Get My Campaign Logger App Free to Make Prep & GMing Easier
For GMs of any system looking to run deep, detailed, and immersive games, Campaign Logger lets you take session notes at the speed of thought in your unique GMing style while improving your preparation experience so you can focus on the parts of the game you enjoy the most.
Get your free Campaign Logger account here.

+2 Level-Up Your GMing With My Books

+3 Get the Demonplague (with 62 5-Star Ratings so far)
A complete level 1-20 campaign D&D 5E adventure path that offers intense roleplay, sandbox and hexcrawl play, cunning combats, and fiendish monsters.
Click here to see more details and to order.

+4 Get More GM Loot
Visit the Roleplaying Tips DriveThruRPG store, or browse books and courses to level up your GMing at the RoleplayingTips.com store.

Join a private community with Johnn