The Four Basic Battlefields

In most fantasy role-playing games, battles tend to take place in one of four environments: a dungeon or cave, a town or building, a castle or fortification, or outside. There are exceptions, of course, but most battles occur in one of these environments.

The DM can prepare four basic battle maps to represent each one of these areas, and then modify the map for the particular details of each new battle. For example, TSR’s Dragon Strike® game includes maps of a town, a meadow, a dungeon, and a cave—with a little work, the DM could use these generic maps to handle almost any fight.

Table of Contents