Simple DnD Map V2

For one of the first projects of the semester, we were tasked with making a simple, tutorial/introductory style map for a game of Dungeons and Dragons. The goal of the map is to have two players pick characters and move through the map in a way that teaches them the mechanics as they play it. We were given a rule sheet with various stats, classes, etc. and for my first iteration, my map ended up looking like this.

As I discussed in the previous post, there were several issues that could do with improving, and I heavily modified the map accordingly. I increased the size of the map quite a bit, added enemies, puzzle elements, and reworked enemy stats. With these modifications, I ended up with this as a final product.

As you can see here, the map is drastically different from the first iteration. The players still begin in the top left corner of the map, but this time it is much more linear and restrictive, as well as much larger. The testers first discovered the pile of rubble blocking their path, then made their way down to the camp of bandits, where they took down the enemies to obtain the bomb item that was needed to clear the path. Once that had been cleared, they swiftly took out the enemies along the path and hopped over the pit trap to fight the boss, where they took some damage but ultimately came out alive. They very quickly figured out the code that was strewn throughout the level, made it across the chasm and found themselves at the end of the map in just about 15-20 minutes.

I conducted the playtest of the new map with the same group as before, Leland and Christian. Leland opted to pick the warrior class like the last time, though Christian switched it up a bit by picking the archer class instead of the rogue. This playtest went much better than the last, in my opinion. Basically everything went well, as both players easily understood what to do in the map, defeated all the enemies, and solved the code to complete the level. I don't think that anything necessarily went badly. Everything was very smooth and played out just about how I expected it to.

The first and most obvious thing I would improve about my map is the stats of the frog guard enemies. In the playthrough we conducted they were far too weak, and both got killed in a single hit by the players. This did provide some comedic effect, as my idea for them when I was designing the map was very small, weak creatures that were guards despite being afraid of everything. However, I think it would serve the functionality better to increase their stats a bit so that it's not too easy for the players. I think I would also add a friendly npc before the boss fight because when that section came up during the test, I forgot to bring up that the players needed to obtain the key to unlock the door to the next area by defeating the boss. This doesn't affect overall gameplay, but I think it would make more sense to let the players know of it sooner rather than later. I could also modify the shape of certain sections of the map to make it less open and empty, especially the large chasm at the end. Honestly, the chasm was only added because I wasn't sure what to put in such a large space, as I had already included basically everything I wanted before that. Overall, there are, of course, still parts that could be improved, there always are, but I do feel that overall it is a huge improvement compared to the first iteration of the map.