I’m GMing Cyberpunk right now. Battlemaps are reskinned screenshots of Google Maps or floorplans of actual businesses.
I still burn tens of hours translating them into a gridded map, but still. It is sort of easier.
My friends, there exists premade maps of labyrinthian proportions that twist and turn, with multiple larger and smaller rooms, shortcuts and hidden passages, and yet still in a format that encourages a natural flow through the area.
It’s called IKEA and you can use their floor layouts to trap your players in an inescapable hell.
I always upvote SCP.
“as you turn the corner you hear in a deep voice ‘LÅNGARYDBESTÅ MACKAPÄRSTÄLL!’” and in front of you lies three boxes and one simple tool. A voice comes into each of your heads telling your party they must build the items only using this universal tool, It must feel solid and you can not argue."
The DM then sits back and eats pizza as they put his furniture together.
I also use public school maps, zoos, and amusement parks
A good idea, but what came to mind: You enter a small well lit cave. The walls have assorted moccasins, chopines, poulaines, and other footware spiked to them. A goblin in a colored shirt runs out and greets you in a croaking voice. “What can I help you with today?”
If you hadn’t specified “and other footware”, I would’ve found myself in “Eric and The Dread Gazebo” territory.
Goblin says: we can arm wrestle for 10%. But I warn you, I am stronger than I look.
You continue down the vast hallway. You try not to make eye contact with a pair of kobolds near a tiny hut. Despite trying to ignore them the kobolds still approach you and speak “Hello traveler, do you wish to remove years from your life and return to the appearance of youth?”. They motion to the tiny hut with shelves lined with lotions, eye cream, and makeup.
What do you do?
The perfumers have arrived. You do not escape. They spray you with scents until you’re like a sad, wet dog.
Using airport maps could give you really nice layouts too.
That mall map looks like a map of a later Doom 2 level. Monster closets everywhere!
I’m making a campaign set in fantasy Vegas, so I took the floorplan of a casino and made it into a map of the city.
Aw man and those things are already designed to trap you.
A group of pale, unhealthy humanoids approach. There are armed with Orange Julius and wearing JNCO jeans
Roll for initiative
Reminds me of Magic Maze, a boardgame in which player play a Barbarian, a Dwarf, an Elf and a Magician who lost all of their gear in battle and now resort to robbing a shopping mall so they can go on their next adventure.
Great game. I like that you aren’t generally allowed to talk, so everyone ends up with their own conflicting plans.
The TRPG “Troika!” has a module that is basically exactly this called “Get It At Sutlers”
It just generates a dungeon crawl contained entirely within a department store by the name of Sutlers
Hell on earth, perfect
