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As a ten-year veteran of game mastering, I have played within several different worlds. Although many GMs are satisfied to leave the creation of these worlds to the module and box set writers, I have never been one of them. I feel even with the marvelous amount of detail that goes into these sets, I can never fully envision the cities, sewers and houses and general locales that greet the characters when they roam a game world.

I use several worlds which have great amounts of physics and cosmology already written. I am content to use these philosophies as they form the fiber of the game. After all, to play Shadowrun without magic would seem pointless when Cyberpunk 2020 or a blank slate GURPS Gibson near-future would serve, and with a much less complicated rule set. In certain games, the setting is the game. Even in these cases, the specific buildings and streets require the GM to dream up the details.

In modern-setting games, like Shadowrun and White Wolf's World of Darkness, it's easy enough to fake it. GMs can simply imagine a store, home, bar or university they've visited to get a clear idea of the dimensions and materials of every wall. They can even get blueprints or floor plans to use for spatial representation. However, when dealing with more fantastic atmospheres, it can be rewarding for a GM and the players for the GM to actually map out the cities and locales he will be using.

Experienced GMs may find this article a little obvious, but I've found pulling out the sketched maps of each city the characters enter shows great appreciation in the players' faces. And isn't that what we're all after, anyway? One of the things experienced GMs sometimes forget is "the little things" bring the players into your game. Mood music, lighting, and props are easy tools to keep your players interested and on-task.

The number one rule I follow is to not draw my maps, particularly of cities, on graph paper, hex or otherwise. When you start this way, you limit your creativity considerably. Instead, draw the city as an aerial view, without trying to fit it into a certain unit structure. When you break the habit of molding your cities, you'll find two benefits: your maps will seem more realistic, and your players won't assume you're breaking into a tactical exercise when you try to show them a basic layout of what their character sees.

If you do eventually need to hex out your map for use with miniatures, you'll find it goes very easily when you've already got the major mapping done. You can map cut-away portions with frightening speed having acquainted yourself fully with your world, by building it yourself.

Maps also lend to your believability with NPC's. When you're drawing every street and back alley, your mind will run wild with the subplots and people who populate them. Then, when your characters turn that fateful corner, you can spring a well-planned trap or ambush on them without having to consult the dreaded random encounter chart.

I still map the old-fashioned way, with paper and pencil. But recently I have come across a truly immersive mapping system that inspires me and keeps me from getting too unrealistic in my fantasy settings. Neverwinter Nights, arguably the best CRPG in the last two years, has a DM toolset used for crafting campaigns within the game. Although you cannot print the 3D modeled scenarios, as a GM you can use a screen to map and keep track of the characters' progress and even set up encounters and dialog in advance. There's no rule saying you have to use the tool only for making computer-run D&D games.

Obviously, for games that cannot have a computer running simultaneously, this may pose a problem; to get a feel for a dungeon or city, it can still be a boon for visualization. The paper and pencil way still has that tangible quality however, and players will appreciate the ability to hold and examine a map the characters themselves might have purchased from a local.

Whatever way you do it, maps can only add to the fun of a game, and for most GMs, add to the fun of creating one. While I'm not the world's premiere cartographer, these tips have actually been partially contributed by my players, who wanted to encourage my map-making. With that in mind, thrill your players with a map the next time you get a chance. If it doesn't work, blame this article.