Too Much of a Good (?) Thing ....
Message:The maps have become a distraction because the tools for making maps have exceeded the ability of the games to use.
Look at that notch in the wall 3.76 meters from the corner of room 1835. What could that possibly be?
Last time we ran with Squires, he put a rock in a hall and some dudes with bows up range. Basically, the area became open space and a rock (to hide behind).
Knowing Squires would do us like pin cushions we all hid behind the rock.
The room didn't even need walls since that was the only thing to hide behind. Eventually, we picked them off but that's why the geography matters. (Now that I've said that, Squires will put a grate under the spot to hide behind the rock and trap us all like chumps.)
Back in the day, it would have been a few scribbles and a rock. Now, we get a four dimensional rendering of the rock rotated in space .... because we can.
There's only about 100 things that make a difference in the room ... unless you are playing Sherlock Holmes in which case it's always the cigarette ash. Anything else is just wasted blah blah blah time.
We make the maps because we like the maps. The players could / should not care less ... but the Ref thinks they are writing the next Game of Thrones and a dungeon map is part of the process. Then, they wonder why they have no time.
There was something in the old days with the graph paper and drawing the rooms ... not sure the kids today would get it.
Yours,
IronConrad
28-Apr-2021