The Evil Dungeon Master Universe

The Evil Dungeon Master Universe

Share this post

The Evil Dungeon Master Universe
The Evil Dungeon Master Universe
Making the Players Map the Dungeon is a Waste of Time..
User's avatar
Discover more from The Evil Dungeon Master Universe
Welcome to The Evil Dungeon Master Universe! Love TTRPGs and D&D? You’re in the right place! Join our weekday podcast, explore “Hooks of Evil,” and enjoy “Solo Quests” Subscribe now and let’s adventure together!
Already have an account? Sign in

Making the Players Map the Dungeon is a Waste of Time..

The Evil Dungeon Master 😈's avatar
The Evil Dungeon Master 😈
Aug 22, 2011

Share this post

The Evil Dungeon Master Universe
The Evil Dungeon Master Universe
Making the Players Map the Dungeon is a Waste of Time..
Share

So check this out, this is normally what happens in a game session, between players and a DM. Doesn't happen all the time, but it happens to DM's that often like to creature their own magic, instead of following a module.

DM: The passageway continues another 60' south. Following it, you come to a

T-junction, the perpendicular corridor running east-west.

Player

1: Was that 60' from where we're standing, or 60' from the

door?DM: Which door?

Player 1: The door

on the east wall.

DM: You mean west wall? There was a door to

the north and one to the west.

Player 1: That one

(indicates door on map with eraser tip)

DM: Yeah. 60' from that

one. 

Player 1: OK. I got it. Which way,

guys?

Player 2: Let's go west and see if this

backtracks.

DM: No objections? The party goes west, travelling

another 40' before approaching a large, square 40' chamber. (Blah, blah, blah

room description)

Player 1: Wait, does the other corridor

intersect this chamber?

DM: Other corridor? There's no other

corridor. There's only one way into or out of the room as far as you can

tell

Player 1: The long corridor with the spiders. It runs right

through this room.

DM: No it doesn't, that's clear on the other

side of the dungeon.

Player 1: Not according to this

(shows whole map)

DM: This is all wrong. You've got this all

wrong.

Player 3: Man, you are the WORST

mapper.

Player 1: No, I'm the ONLY mapper. I don't

see anybody else ever volunteering to do it.

Player 4: So he's

the worst AND the best. Where did we go wrong?

DM:

Way back here at this intersection. This whole part of the dungeon is supposed

to come off of the north passageway, not the east

one. 

Player 1: I thought we went east there. I said

we should go east.

DM: I thought B. said north

(pointing to Player 2)

Player 4: (To Player 2) Did you

say north or east here? I thought we were going south, toward the

noise.

Player 2: What here? (Points to map) I don't remember,

that was like an hour ago.  

Player 1: No we said away

from the noise, you were refilling the chips.

Player 3:  CRAP! 

Player

4: I'm going to catch a smoke while we figure this out, that

OK?

DM: Sure. Everybody take 5. I'll redraw it the

way it's supposed to go.

Player 3: (To Player 1) Dude,

you suck.

Player 4:  Piss off. You do it.

Screw it entirely. Don't sit there and quote how far and how long, just allow the players to imagine the dungeon in their minds. If a player starts mapping, tell them to stop, and put it away. Players mapping takes away from the flow of the game. I personally HATE I am trying to describe the scene and set it up to get.

"How far was that door?"

"Was it a wooden door?"

"The room you said was about 100ft, was that a perfect square a circle?"

WHO CARES. Just play. Just go with the fun, I as the DM will tell you were you are, what is happening. If minor details need to be given, I will draw it out.

Also, you might be saying, "Well how will we find our way out?" 

That is simple, I simply allow the players to be able to backtrack their movements with a few wisdom check rolls. Depending on the pace of the game, if its been a really slow paced game, I'd move things along by just allowing them to recall. But if they are blowing through the dungeon and easily getting around, then its time for dice rolls.

Simple as that. If a player wants to map, sure they can map, as long as they don't ask questions.


Subscribe to The Evil Dungeon Master Universe

By The Evil Dungeon Master 😈 · Launched a year ago
Welcome to The Evil Dungeon Master Universe! Love TTRPGs and D&D? You’re in the right place! Join our weekday podcast, explore “Hooks of Evil,” and enjoy “Solo Quests” Subscribe now and let’s adventure together!

Share this post

The Evil Dungeon Master Universe
The Evil Dungeon Master Universe
Making the Players Map the Dungeon is a Waste of Time..
Share

Discussion about this post

User's avatar
The Strategic Review #1: The Beginning of TSR’s Gaming Legacy
Even back as far as 1975, Gary had ideas for Solo players.
Mar 7 • 
The Evil Dungeon Master 😈
3

Share this post

The Evil Dungeon Master Universe
The Evil Dungeon Master Universe
The Strategic Review #1: The Beginning of TSR’s Gaming Legacy
Powers & Perils Monthly News Zinee
March 2025 Edition - Yeah its a day early, I know.
Feb 28 • 
The Evil Dungeon Master 😈
3

Share this post

The Evil Dungeon Master Universe
The Evil Dungeon Master Universe
Powers & Perils Monthly News Zinee
The Lovecraftian Oracle Generator is now available!
Take your tabletop RPGs to the next level with this powerful random adventure generator!
Jan 24 • 
The Evil Dungeon Master 😈
11

Share this post

The Evil Dungeon Master Universe
The Evil Dungeon Master Universe
The Lovecraftian Oracle Generator is now available!

Ready for more?

© 2025 The Evil Dungeon Master
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start writingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture

Share

Create your profile

User's avatar

Only paid subscribers can comment on this post

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in

Check your email

For your security, we need to re-authenticate you.

Click the link we sent to , or click here to sign in.