Making a BIG dungeon map for your table

Check out how Flik Silverpen makes an easy, large-scale dungeon map perfect for your TTRPG group!

I mentioned in an earlier post that I am no artist. I still love to use hand-drawn maps whenever possible. As kids playing D&D in the 70s-80s, we always used graph paper and pencil. It was fast and cheap. One day I will try to get better at designing maps with Watabou or Inkarnate. Just have not gotten there, yet. A few years back, I started following @JPCoovert aka “Flik Silverpen” on his YouTube channel:  JP also has Patreon and a website – http://jpcoovert.com

JP is definitely an artist and a damn good mapper or cartographer. I know a lot of OSR types don’t care for his bright, cartoonish style, casting it as too juvenile, and some of his stuff is aimed at a younger audience like parents playing games with younger RPG kiddos. However, I think it’s great that some channels and creators cater in part to the next generation of Shadowdarkers and Mork Borgers.

On a rainy weekend afternoon, I really enjoy writing or the occasional art project. This was one I had to try. In 2024, JP made an excellent “How To” video for drawing your own BIG dungeon maps using poster-sized sheets of 1″ grid paper (available on Amazon. Links below) with thick Posca markers in black and light blue to create a nice visual contrast, but you could use any colors you like better. The larger scale is perfect if you play with painted miniatures. My image at the top of this post doesn’t do it justice. Follow JP’s steps and you can create a cool map that your regular weekly RPG group will love. I might try this method for a space RPG too, like Stars Without Numbers, Traveller, or Mothership. My initial attempt sucked, so I have nowhere to go but up! Hahaha!

And, email me samples of the maps you come up with using this style/system. I’ll post the best ones here! Hope to hear from you eruditedm@gmail.com

BUY THE SUPPLIES
Grid Paper: https://amzn.to/428GHZ1
Posca PC-17k Paint Marker: https://amzn.to/3oC5HcB
Posca PC-7M Paint Marker: https://amzn.to/3mY0MlI

Watch JP’s video here.

You can follow me on YouTube: @EruditeDM, or on X: @EruditeDM. Feel free to email me at EruditeDM@gmail.com.

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