Requesting advice from fellow GMs. I'm about to start a

>>47496615

Depends. The easiest way to make "less necessary" is to ask your players.

If they're cool with you just ditching maps, just be prepared to reiterate ranges and stuff should combats get complicated.

If they'd prefer you do maps, work on ways to simplify your drawing. A grid helps a lot, so the best I can say is 'be subtractive'. The fewer lines you have to draw, the fewer lines you need to erase.

Easy. Just don't do it.

Alternatives, make the players draw them. Give each one a setting before the session and make them do it. Would probably increase their connection to the game.

Go digital. There's 1000s of maps online. Print some. Or just download the pics. Put it on your phone /tablet/monitor/tv/projector. If it's just visual reference any of those are fine

>>47497139
Huh, I'd never thought of making them do it. I'd wanted them to contribute a bit more, next time they want to know something silly I'll just give them the marker. Thanks!

>>47496615
You could just not have maps in the first place.

>>47496615

The only advice I can give you is to...be aggressive B-E aggressive.

>>47501531
Just one girlie at the tourney and it's kill or be killed.

>>47496615
Minimalise your drawings, a down center can just be a cross road made from four L shapes. As the story goes on, add more too it: an alley(two more lines), a fruit vendor(a box off the road), a smith(box off the road with a smaller box for the door, maybe a window.) A grid map should take seconds unless you're putting too much effort into it. You're just going to erase the damn thing.

Get a whiteboard, and do it all as needed, in as little detail as possible.

So if you (for some reason) need a map of the region, you draw the wiggly line for the sea, and put Xs where towns are. Maybe some triangles for mountains, but probably not.

For cities, google "maps of X", and just pick a old city - Bruges, Chester, York, Rome, Brussels... Then print it. But it honestly shouldn't be an issue - why the fuck do you need a map of the city?

For streetfights, use the whiteboard. Draw a rectangle, and then add other rectangles.

>>47496615
When I gamed irl I used a whiteboard and drew it on the spot. Oh you're in a castle? Look, I draw a castle. The walls are here and here. Give me a couple minis, these guys are the archers. Your minis are here, the doors are here, the torches are here.

Partially this is due to my freewheeling style, but also because my players tend to get really excited about things I didn't expect, so I let them pull the game in the direction they're most interested in even if it means having to invent the layout, occupancy, and supply capacity of a castle I am inventing based off a name I made up two hours ago in-session.

>>47496615

Just get a dry-erase friendly grid. Amazon sells them. Only sketch out a quick map when there's a fight. Or make players draw them from your description and shrug helplessly when they make mistakes and get lost.

From my own experience all u need is world map and combat past that tell then whats in town like mage shop, tevern or whatever . If its an elaborate maze of tunnels tell em to try n draw it them selves cause actual caves are disorienting.