How to Make Amazing Dungeons & Dragons Battlemaps

A Guide for New Gamemasters & Dungeon Masters by guest writer and RPG Taverns player, Hugh M.L. Wybourne

The origins of our humble hobby hail from wargames, and if there’s one thing those types know what to do, it’s fight! Hence, combat has always been a part of D&D, and it’s as simple to start as a cutting word and a roll for initiative. But what is a fight without a stage? A brawl without a backdrop? And more importantly, how is the wizard going to figure out exactly how many guards they’ll be catching in a well-placed fireball?

Welcome to Combat 101, where we teach you how to get the blood pumping when the game slows down. 

Today: battlemaps. Combat is a prime opportunity for your players to roleplay and a great place for emergent stories to unfold, and the map players are using is a key component of that! Besides boss fights or key set-pieces, many overlook the need for a designed battlemap in average combats, and if fumbled can damage a session a lot. Fret not, as across this post, we’ll detail four common issues with TTRPG battlemaps and teach you how to avoid them!

The Dogpiling Problem

When in combat, a lot of player’s instincts will be to immediately engage with the enemy. Your NPCs will, likely, do something similar. This can often create a scenario where all but your exclusively-ranged combatants are standing in a big pile in the centre of your map, rolling numbers until one team falls over. This isn’t very engaging at all, and though maybe more realistic of an actual brawl it doesn’t exactly conjure imagery of a fantastical adventure. Fights that spread out are inherently more likely to create exciting situations. Separate the tank from the weaker fighters, isolate the spellcaster and shut them down, use the environment to keep the boss distracted. 

Find ways to organically spread your combat out and allow for more unique interactions between the party and the enemy.

The Box-Fight Problem

This issue occurs most often with random encounters in wilderness or dungeons. It’s the name for fights where, if you stripped the textures, you would simply be fighting in a blank, empty room. A lot of players in combat tend towards tunnel vision that focuses entirely on their character’s abilities or spells. They’ll spend the fight staring down at their sheet or DnDBeyond, looking at damage numbers and distances. This often comes hand-in-hand with the dogpiling problem, as your players will not think of anything else to do but charge directly at the enemy. If you fill a fight with interactive environments, props, and scenery that can and will change as the fight goes on then your players are going to have more fun! 

The roleplay doesn’t stop once initiative is rolled, and you should create maps that reward creativity from your players.

The Traffic Jam Problem

In media, some of the most impressive combat scenes happen in really tight spaces with small sets of combatants or in big open areas against hordes of enemies. Unfortunately, neither of these usually translate well in a turn-based game. Each character only has so many actions per turn, and with a restriction of one creature per space there quite literally isn’t enough room to go around. If the fighting space is too small, you’ll be wasting turns and actions just trying to get in. Conversely, if you have lots of room but too many enemies, they’ll be doing the same, waiting for a chance to attack. You don’t want half of your party or most of the enemies to be standing around holding their actions, literally queueing to have a go. There are workarounds for this if you’re willing to wiggle the official rules a bit, but the easier choice is to build maps that avoid this scenario entirely!

Make sure there’s enough room in the fight for everybody to get involved, or be prepared to devise new rules to keep the action flowing!

The Detail Immersion Problem

Hopefully all of your sessions are immersive, but here we are referring to the specific ability for players to understand the battlefield they’re on and how literal your map is. Let’s say you’ve drawn up a simple map of a bar area for a tavern brawl, with tables, booths and patrons. Maybe you haven’t drawn every single plate and flagon, but there are certainly some available. Similarly, with things like chairs or windows, anything your players might want to interact with, if they’re not present on the map, you should let your party know what things are nonetheless available. Alternatively, if you’re using a map you didn’t make yourself be prepared for your party to assume that anything on that map is an intentional feature. You don’t want a player disappointed as the plan they’ve come up with is suddenly impossible due to a map detail not being literally there. 

Be aware of what features exist on a map you’re providing, what additional details you will have to provide, and for your players to use everything you’ve given them!

Criticisms without solutions aren’t useful to anyone, so below, we’ve provided a step-by-step example of taking a basic battlemap and adding to it incrementally until we’ve dealt with each problem above!

1. Let’s say we want a fight on a hill by a road, this pre-made map asset does technically satisfy what we need, but it’s currently hitting almost every problem discussed above. A fight here will end in a boring clustered fight in the centre - though do note how even this plain map does provide opportunities for interesting interactions with cover and tripping!

2. Here, we’ve added some basic geological features to break up that central area and increase the map's interactivity. With the water included, elevation, cover, and environmental hazards are clearer. This would probably do for a complete map, but our players still don’t have many tools to play with, so let’s go a bit further.

   
   
   
   

3. Finally, by simply adding trees, rocks, and an eye-catching centrepiece, we’ve completely transformed the map. The trees and rocks mean that navigation and line of sight are now an active puzzle and add an extra layer to the scene. We’ve created a playground for your party, and developed a location that could house any number of creatures for them to face.

   
   
   
   

So, the next time you’re planning out a combat for your game, try to keep in mind the possible problems the players might face and build an environment to accommodate. Watch this space for more combat skills and tips for more coming up very soon!

Looking to Play Dungeons & Dragons in London?

If Hugh’s tips have inspired you to level up your game, why not take your Dungeons & Dragons experience to the next level at RPG Taverns? Located in the heart of London, we offer immersive D&D sessions perfect for both new and experienced players. Our private, themed rooms and skilled GameMasters create unforgettable adventures, whether you're battling on a custom battlemap or weaving intricate stories with your party.

Whether you're curious about trying D&D for the first time or are a seasoned player seeking a new group, RPG Taverns is the perfect spot to roll the dice and make new friends. Book your session today and discover why we’re the go-to venue for Dungeons & Dragons in London.

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