We talk about virtual or physical maps in TTRGs and the pros and cons of each.
You’ve seen the photos online. Elaborate TTRPG maps spread across a gaming table. Or perhaps you’ve built them yourself for your DnD, Pathfinder, Forbidden Lands, Call of Cthulhu, or other tabletop game. During the pandemic years, virtual games became more common, relying on digital maps for dungeon crawling and battles.
But is one better than the other?
We have done both in our eight years of playing. And we give our thoughts to help you determine what is best for you.
The Physical TTRPG Map
We started out our game with just a graph paper and some lego characters. But we fell so in love with the game that we kept pushing the boundaries of physical map-building. We bought and painted miniatures and set pieces. We spent way too much money on Dwarven Forge. We bought LED pieces, speakers, ambient lighting, and scented candles to set the mood.
It really was something special. It pulled you right into the world and gave you something tangible to interact with. One of my favorite builds required us to bring along a tiny lit lantern and we had to stay in the light and not cross into the shadows.
Pros:
- Allows you to feel a part of the world with touchable elements.
- Allows for fun effects such as flickering lights, traps, and multi-level builds.
- It is fun to setup.
Cons:
- It can become extremely expensive to collect enough pieces.
- You are limited to builds based on what you have on hand.
- You need a large enough space for your builds.
The Virtual TTPRG Map
When we traveled out of a campervan for awhile, we donated all of our TTRPG items to a local library that wanted to start its own program. We’re talking thousands of dollars worth of books, miniatures, and set pieces. It is both a happy and sad memory at the same time. We spent so many years and so many dollars collecting those. But we are happy that they went to a good cause, to bring others joy like they brought us.
The need to travel more easily made us switch to virtual maps. We built through Inkarnate, one of our favorite systems, and then used the maps on online gaming platforms like Roll20.
Pros:
- You can create anything. You aren’t limited by pieces.
- It doesn’t matter where you are, you can always play virtually.
- It is free. Or at least cheaper if you end up paying for a subscription or a premium version of software.
Cons:
- It lacks the personal touch. You can’t interact with it.
- You need to find a good online system that allows you to move your characters and bad guys around easily.
- It requires some technology and artistic understanding to build these sets and create characters the way you envision them.
The Verdict
So, which one is best? Both of them. We’ve enjoyed both for different reasons. We loved the full sets we used that were so immersive and sprawling. But we also like the cost effectiveness and portability of virtual sets. Perhaps in the future, we will buy set pieces again. And then we can vary between physical or virtual TTRPG builds depending on what we need in the moment.