Need for battle maps

[RGTraynor]

Good afternoon! So, like all too many gamers these days, COVID's pushed me onto GMing over Discord. One of my players tuned me onto Google Slides as a good low-stress/low-bandwidth option for running battles. So far, so good.


But what I need are predrawn battle maps. The drawing program I use can't generate a hexagon overlay, and working around a blank hex map is very, very tedious. I'll do it if I must, but would prefer not to spend hours upon hours over it.


Now there are zillions of free tactical maps online ruled for D&D grids, but I'm having trouble finding ones ruled in hexs. Anyone out there know of sites where I can find some?


Thanks in advance for any help anyone can tender!



{Caveats: low on bandwidth, low on time, low on headspace and low on $. I'm just looking for workable map images that I can plunk into Google Slides, and not for new software.}

[Dalin]

It's often easier to find them without a grid at all than with a hex grid. Though many patreons include hex, squares, and gridless. Neutral Party is one that I've have great experiences with.

But I wonder if it is possible to overlay a hex grid in google slides? If it were created as a PNG with transparency, I think you could do it. That might be the easiest way. (I've even used hexes overlaid on square maps and it usually works ok.)

Edit: I just tested a Google Slide with a gridless map and hex overlay. It's set so that anyone with the link can view. If you want to manipulate it, you can make a copy. The grid is made up of four identical grids that I lined up and grouped. It only took a few minutes. My process would be to add the map, add a grid, resize until the hexes match the scale you're looking for, then duplicate the grid and line them up until you've covered the map entirely.

[Keampe]

Does the program you use have a "layers" function? If so, you could layer a blank hex grid with transparency overtop of any map.

If not, look for other games that use hex grids - BattleTech, for example - and see if there are downloadable maps for them. Most player made ones should be free. You are most likely going to have to re-scale them, though - for example BattleTech has 30m hexes so for you the forest hex becomes bushes and so on. Other games may be better scaled for you.

Tougher if you're looking for buildings/interior, though.

Good luck!

- Shane

[cptbutton]

I am always plugging the Starship Geomorphs for space and some modern or future settings. And someone has altered them from squares to hexes.

Look here.

Or here.

[RGTraynor]

Originally Posted by Dalin

Edit: I just tested a Google Slide with a gridless map and hex overlay. It's set so that anyone with the link can view. If you want to manipulate it, you can make a copy. The grid is made up of four identical grids that I lined up and grouped. It only took a few minutes. My process would be to add the map, add a grid, resize until the hexes match the scale you're looking for, then duplicate the grid and line them up until you've covered the map entirely.

Bless you, that does the trick: it was figuring out how to do the transparent overlay that was defeating me. Thank you (and everyone else) kindly!

[Opellulo]

You know this may sound weird but I started to use battle maps thanks to Rolld20.

Yes the interface is atrocious, the chat barely works and the mouse scroll seems infested by some Win 3.1 demon but, once you tame it, it allows you to prepare decent battle map scenarios and even to create on the fly what you need.

We are running our campaign on a Rolld20/Discord mix and so far it is working much better that i thought.