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Mapping Your Campaign

Alacrity Fantasy, A TTRPG by Adam J.. McKee and James G. Walker, Jr.

Maps are often the visual heart of a fantasy role-playing campaign. They transform abstract descriptions of kingdoms, wildernesses, and dungeons into tangible spaces that players can explore, navigate, and interact with. A well-crafted map grounds the adventure, inspires curiosity, aids in strategic planning, and helps both the Game Master and the players visualize the world they inhabit. While not every campaign needs detailed maps for every locale, understanding how to create and use maps effectively is a powerful tool in the GM’s worldbuilding arsenal.

This section explores the various types of maps useful in an Alacrity campaign, discusses different styles and approaches to map-making, provides guidance on creating your own maps, and offers tips on using them effectively during gameplay. The goal is not to dictate a single method but to provide a framework for thinking about how maps can best serve your specific campaign’s tone, scope, and themes.

Why Use Maps? The Cartographer’s Value

Maps serve multiple crucial functions in a role-playing game:

Maps are more than just navigational aids; they are tools for storytelling, immersion, and strategic play.

Types of Maps: Different Scales for Different Needs

Maps come in various scales, each serving a distinct purpose in your campaign. You likely won’t need every type, but understanding their function helps you decide which are most useful for your game.

1. World / Continental Maps

These maps depict vast areas – entire planets, continents, or large empires. They operate at a high level of abstraction.

2. Regional Maps

This is often the most frequently used map type for campaigns that involve travel beyond a single city. It focuses on a specific kingdom, province, collection of baronies, large island, or significant wilderness area.

3. Local Area Maps

These maps zoom in further, focusing on a single settlement (city, town, village) or a small, self-contained geographical area (a valley, a swamp, a small forest).

4. Site Maps (Dungeons, Buildings, Battlefields)

These are the most detailed maps, providing a floor plan or layout of a specific location where tactical movement and exploration are critical.

You will likely use a combination of these map types in your campaign, zooming in and out as the focus of the adventure shifts.

Map Styles and Aesthetics: More Than Just Lines

The visual style of your maps contributes significantly to the campaign’s atmosphere and can impact how players perceive the world.

Consider the in-world source of any map the players acquire. A map bought from a reputable cartographer’s guild will likely be more accurate (though perhaps expensive) than one sketched on hide by a semi-literate goblin prisoner.

Creating Your Maps: From Blank Page to World Stage

Creating maps can seem daunting, but breaking it down into steps makes it manageable.

Start with the Scope

Decide which type of map you need first based on your campaign’s initial focus. If starting in a single town, create a local area map of the town and its immediate surroundings. If starting with a regional quest, focus on a regional map. Don’t feel obligated to create a detailed world map unless the campaign demands it early on. Start small and expand outwards.

Geography First or Politics First?

There are two common approaches:

Key Features to Include

What goes on the map depends on the scale:

Scale and Distance

Establish a consistent scale for your regional and local maps (e.g., 1 inch = 10 miles, 1 hex = 6 miles, 1 square = 5 feet). This is crucial for:

Naming Conventions

Give your locations evocative names that fit the world’s tone and cultures. Consider:

Leaving Blanks: The Power of the Unknown

Resist the urge to detail every square inch of your map, especially at larger scales. Leaving unexplored regions, uncharted waters, or areas marked only with vague descriptions (“The Haunted Hills,” “Ancient Forest”) serves several purposes:

Using Maps in Play: Bringing Geography to Life

How you present and use maps during game sessions is key to their effectiveness.

Alacrity Considerations for Maps

Integrate your maps with Alacrity’s mechanics:

Conclusion: Maps as Storytelling Tools

Maps are far more than just geographical representations; they are powerful tools for enhancing immersion, guiding gameplay, and telling stories in your Alacrity campaign. From the grand sweep of a continental map establishing the world’s scale to the detailed layout of a dungeon room dictating tactical choices, maps help bring your world to life. By thoughtfully choosing the types and styles of maps appropriate for your campaign, carefully considering what details to include (and what to leave blank), and actively using them during play to track progress, inspire exploration, and provide context for character actions, you can elevate your game and create a richer, more believable stage for adventure. Remember to be flexible, focus on what serves the story and player engagement best, and let your maps become an integral part of the shared narrative you create.

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File Created: 05/07/2025
Last Modified: 05/07/2025