Map versus Map

I'm usually the mapper in our gaming group. I like drawing maps, I like knowing where we are relative to where we were, and no one else seems to have the slightest interest in doing it. A couple of the other folks seem to be able to keep at least a vague idea of the layout in their heads, but not me. I gotta have it in front of me.

The thing is, I'm really not very good at it. I don't use graph paper (the DM doesn't usually give exact measurements of rooms anyway, usually just "large" or "small"), I tend to get my East and my West mixed up for some reason, and OK, I'll admit it, sometimes my attention wanders a bit during room descriptions. It's not that my head isn't in the game, it's just that if an interesting feature gets mentioned it tends to draw my focus towards it. For example, if the DM says "There is a large altar with a demon head carved into it," my mind immediately starts running through all the things it might be for and what I want to do with it, and I don't really hear anything he says after that.

So just for fun, I've got here a few of the maps I drew while we were running through the 5th edition starter set. I've found the actual maps from the adventure on the internet for comparison, and wow, they do not make me look good.

The published Cragmaw Hideout

My Cragmaw Hideout

Published Cragmaw Castle

My Cragmaw Castle

Published Redbrand Hideout

My Redbrand Hideout

Now, we didn't explore the whole Cragmaw Castle, we found what we needed pretty quickly and then got out. If the notes on the maps seem cryptic, don't worry; I can't remember what I was trying to say either.

You may also note that I still doodle that stupid goblin after all these years. I know what you're thinking, and I don't care. He's my pal.

Somebody say back to D&D?

That's right. I did.

A dwarf fighter may not be very inspired, but I happen to like hitting things while speaking in a bad Scottish accent.

What I dislike is drawing chain-mail, but you can probably already see that.

Sooper...

...mayn.

In case you're curious, 5th edition is quite nice so far. The DM has made some minor tweaks, but that's the way this game is supposed to be and the fact that it's flexible enough for him to do that is a good thing. The combats are smooth and fast, the character background stuff is fun, and if things are ever slowed down due to someone looking something up, it's usually because of me because I'm one of those annoying people who does that.

My apologies to the rest of the gaming community.

And just so you know: Jessica is the kind of Teifling Paladin that when face to face with a Bugbear can talk him into letting her kill one of his guards and have Casey's Monk pummel the other one to death right in front of his furry face BEFORE THE FIGHT EVEN STARTS. Then the Bugbear slipped and fell to his death down a garbage hole. Man, I was jazzed about that.

Mood Yoda (and 5th Edition!)

On Valentine's Day this year, my delightful wife gave me a card that included a punch-out-put-it-together Yoda. I highly recommend obtaining such a card from one of your own loved ones, because with the application of a few green sticky notes, you can create an honest-to-goodness...

Mood Yoda!

Get yours today! Seriously, I'll just wait here.

ADDITIONAL NEWS

Also topping today's event's, I only just now discovered that Wizards of the Coast has put the new 5th Edition Dungeons and Dragons Basic Rules on their site as a free pdf download. They did this ten days ago, so if you care you probably already know, but still. I haven't read it yet, but I'm looking forward to it.

ADDITIONAL ADDITIONAL NEWS

When viewed from the correct angle, this Kinder Surprise monster appears to have a wang.

Ha ha! Wang.

I'm guessing this was done intentionally at the insistence of Nathan Fillion.