Why Bother Mapping in D&D?

[tkdco2]

To map or not to map, that is the question. Professor Dungeon Master shows us both sides of the coin.


www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKoMuDxsn0E

[Finarvyn]

I wish you had given more info than just the link, as I don't often watch videos online.

To me, it all comes down to "minis or no minis." If you run a minis campaign there is less motivation to map because you are moving figures on a board and the board is already visual. If you are running a no-minis campaign (a.k.a. "theater of the mind") a map is more useful so that the party doesn't get lost. Simple as that.

[howandwhy99]

IME mapping, note taking, and players remembering are core to playing the game well. Necessary in order to score points and go up in level. At least not by accident. How and when the players do these is really up to them, but the DM sticks to the drawn design ("map") and rules behind the screen.

The hidden design comes out in description or is depicted in front of the screen when positioning becomes much more important. Marching Order might matter off the battle mat or for starting positions, but once combat or sneaking about or trap avoidance begin, for example, the display is about simplicity for tracking the action. I find minis or tokens with marker drawn battle mats to be easiest. But only when it matters.