Previous Article - 3. Building your adventure
Since our adventure will have some combat encounters and exploration, we will want to make a map that we can use to reference. Now, some of adventures need to be run partly or entirely in what is called "Theatre of the mind" which is where the environment and characters are described purely through words and players simply imagine what is happening.
This works incredibly well for calmer or more dynamic moments that don't require a lot of precision. Examples could include hanging out at a tavern or just walking around town. It's a good change of pace to allow for focus on the story and conversations.
However, since we are planning for some combat, a map of the environment helps keep track of things a bit easier. Its 100% possible to still run combat in theatre of the mind, but it requires a bit more book keeping on the GMs part.
For our map in particular, we are actually going to be using a combination of tools. These tools will help generate and edit our map so we can upload it to Roll20!
One Page Dungeon | Watabou
The first is a a site called "Watabou" which is also created by the developer of the same name. They've created a lot of free-to-use procedural generators that make running and creating games easier!
Be sure to show your support if you can for their amazing work!
Once here, you can select the "One Page Dungeon" tool and then click "Run Generator" -- this will create a randomly generated dungeon that includes some details and notes that you can use to help add flavor and character to your dungeon. If you right click the page, you'll also have a few options you can use to change parameters and settings.
In our case, we were primarily looking for something not too large and fairly linear, but still had some spaces off to the side and room for combat. We especially wanted to make sure there was room for our cultist leader to be performing their ritual.
Once you've found a map layout you are happy with, you will want to right click, and select "Export as > JSON" -- this will create a version of the map that we can then upload to our map editing tool.
You can also export as an image file if you'd like to save this layout in this form as we will lose some information when we import it into the editing tool.
If you'd like to use the JSON that was used in the video, you can access it at the bottom of this article called "The Silent Crypt.json."
Dungeon Scrawl
Now, that we've got our map downloaded, we will actually be heading over to our secondary map tool called Dungeon Scrawl. This is a free map creation toolkit which provides a number of quick and easy tools to make high quality maps for your games.
Once you are here, just click "Start Scrawling" and you will be loaded into the application.
Now, if you are just starting and would like to learn more about how to use Dungeon Scrawl in-depth, I highly recommend checking out our article here: Getting Started with Dungeon Scrawl
For now, I'll show you what I did in order to create the map that was used in the video!
Uploading map data
First up is importing your map's JSON file that we downloaded previously. To do this, click the "4 dots" icon on the far left toolbar to access plugins, and then select "Import One Page Dungeon."
From here, you will drag in your JSON file from your device so it can start uploading.
If you don't see your map immediately appear, you may need to zoom out (scroll down on the mouse wheel) and recenter yourself (hold middle mouse button to pan).
From here, we can start making edits and tweaks!
Making edits with Dungeon Scrawl
Now, this isn't a fully detailed guide on how to achieve the map that was created, but I can outline some of the main things that were done.
First thing I did was trim the map in a few places to clean it up. To do this, I used the Rectangle Tool (The 3rd tool in the bottom toolbar) and set it to "Erase Mode" (Press the E key, or use the bottom left menu) which turns the highlight area red to remove gridden map portions.
Next, I added to the map a bit as well. This time using the "Draw" mode of the rectangle tool. I used this to add a new entrance at the bottom.
After I made these edits, I had a few doors that didn't make sense, so I used the object tool (2nd tool in the bottom toolbar) in order to move and delete (clicking the backspace or delete key while they were selected) some doors.
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Before |
After |
Once I'd gotten doors to a place where things were making sense, I utilized the "Images" section on the left in order to add some additional assets back into the map to replicate the original Watabou version and add some flair for the adventure I had planned.
Dungeon Scrawl offers a wide range of free assets you can use to customize your map. Once added to the map, you can use the Object Tool again in order to place and orient them where you would like.
In my case, here are a few terms I used to create some effects. This isn't exhaustive, but it may help give some ideas!
- Dais
- Statue
- Rock
- Chest
- Water
- Altar
- Table
- Rug
- Fire
Tip!
When you have an object selected with the Object tool, you can make the white portions transparent by changing the blendmode via the menu in the top right. Selecting "Multiply" will make part of the asset invisible so you don't have bright white blocks all over your map!
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Menu |
Effect Left: Normal. Right: Multiply. |
Lastly, I applied a different layer style via the "Layers" section in the menu as well. This dungeon was intended to be a crypt, so the more crag/cobblestone esque nature of the selected lair helped set the tone I was looking for.
There are a lot of incredible maps you can make with Dungeon Scrawl (See the showcase here!) which would require a bit more explanation of colors and layers. I definitely recommend exploring at your own pace as you make custom maps in the future!
Exporting from Dungeon Scrawl
So now we have our map. Next we need to export it as a PNG that is compatible with Roll20. If you click the "Download" icon on the left, you can export this as a PNG. You will want to make sure that the highlighted area covers you map entirely.
Two important notes!
First, when exporting your map, make sure that the edges of the highlighted area match up on top of the dotted grid. The handles will also snap to the middle of the gridded squares and can mess up alignment in Roll20. So make sure that it is ON the grid.
Second, when creating maps in Dungeon Scrawl, it will not automatically save work you have done (Unless you are a subscriber with Cloud Storage). To work around this, click the "File" menu item in the very top left and select "Save As."
This will save a "Dungeon Scrawl" file on your device that you can then open via the same "File" menu if you'd like to continue working on it later.
If you'd like to access the map that was created, you can view it below. You can also download it from the files located at the bottom of the article (The Silent Crypt.png).