How to Make RPG Floor Plans

Making RPG floor plans is not as easy as it seems. Several factors have to come together to make a believable and easily used map. The size of the area, the layout of rooms and corridors, as well as the environment of the location all play a very important part in the creation of the game map.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Measure the sizes of rooms that you are familiar with. It isn't uncommon for people to vastly overestimate the sizes of the rooms that they make for games. Where a person may make a room that is 30 by 30 feet on their map, the room in their head is closer to 20 by 20 feet.
2. Create hallways that are needed and go someplace. If your layout has several hallways that just terminate, go back and change your room design to take up that extra space. If you have long winding hallways that lead to a single room, consider placing the door at a different location to free up that space for a better use.
3. Connect rooms directly without hallways. It isn't uncommon, especially in nonresidential buildings, for there to be few or no hallways between rooms. One room connects to the next via a door or open doorway.
4. Estimate a reasonable amount of space for staircases. Stairs take up a lot of room, much more than it would seems like. If you have a utility staircase, such as those near elevators, they can be made in a single block of space. Decorative staircases, such as those in nice houses or hotels, take up a significant amount of space on two different floors.
5. Think about the environment that the building will be in. Buildings that are in warmer desert or tropical climates will have different wall and window designs than those in a colder climate. The roof will be built differently based on the amount of rain or snow a location receives. While this information may not seem important at first, things like roof design determine what type and how big a building's attic is.

Tips & Warnings

• Pay attention to the building that you spend time in. No matter what setting you are creating maps for the design of buildings have several common factors. These can be applied to the maps that you create.