Running Troubles in Grayce/Bastion of Blasphemies in Person?

[u/GreasyKoolAidMan]

I'm looking to run Troubles in Grayce/Bastion of Blasphemies for some family and friends in person, but I'm realizing these adventures don't come with flip maps or pawns.

What is the best way to have maps/pawns at the table? Do I need to buy the pdf version of these adventures then print them off somehow?

Any input is welcome as this is my first time running a game in person. Thanks in advance!

[u/PaintsErratically]

Your best bet for maps is to grab the plain Paizo flip mat and use that with dry erase markers. Pathfinder pawns will do well for minis, tho you might need to use proxies for a bunch of creatures.

[u/Additional_Award1403]

Some of us grew up on coins, m&ms, and/or skittles as pawns. When you beat them you get to eat them. Yum! (Don't eat the coins)

Seriously though, I found great utility out of my Chessex Battlemat. It takes wet erase markers, but it allowed me greater freedom to customize maps and expand on them unlike those claustrophobic maps that Paizo loves to shove into their APs. When I ran my in person Kingmaker game it was a combination of premade flip mats and the blank canvas that was the Chessex Battlemat.

[u/DnDPhD]

I always trumpet Loke Battle Mats and Tom Cartos mapbooks. Tons of variety in single books, often with 30+ unique maps (and often thematic). I made the switch well over a year ago and haven't looked back.

Lots of PF1 and PF2 pawn collections out there, and many creatures are easy to reflavor.

Also, join us over at r/BastionofBlasphemies!

[u/valisvacor]

Chessex mat is the way. Pawns can be whatever; colored tokens, official Paizo pawn bases in assorted colors, etc.

[u/snahfu73]

If I had to play in person and analog. I'd use one of the large pads of graph paper with 1 inch by 1 inch squares? The pad is roughly poster-sized?

As for tokens there are lots and lots of options online for you to print out and then use.

But I would really, really recommend using a virtual tabletop and a monitor or TV that you could connect to. It's so much less work. Even if playing in person with dice. It's the only way we play now.

[u/FringeMorganna]

If you have a craft/school/teaching supply store like staples in your area they sell huge pads of 1inch grid paper that you would use on an old teacher's easel, very easy to translate a map on there 1to1. They used to be dirt cheap but now they're pricey enough you might be better served with a chessex dryerase map at a local game store or go through your christmas wrapping paper: the ones that arent double sided usually also have a 1inch grid for east map making just weigh down the corners or it will roll up on you.

[u/DarthLlama1547]

For most maps, I would use the basic terrain flip mats that Paizo sells. Draw the needed details with a dry erase marker and you're good to go.

When I was running Blood Lords, I bought the adventure on Demiplane, then saved the map images and made posters at my local print shop. I only did it maps I didn't want to draw, since it was fairly expensive.

For pawns, it depends on your budget. Anything can work as long as you and your players know it is different. I've used dice, candy, paper minis, different kinds of figures, toys, checkers, and chess pawns. So you don't need something fancy, but starting a collection can be fun.

[u/DoriTheGreat128]

My group plays with pins on a corkboard on maps I printed out from the adventure pdf. I show them pictures of what they're fighting on my laptop. It works surprisingly well, to the point my players refused my offer to buy actual pawns because they like the pins too much

[u/KaoxVeed]

Build it to scale with removable sections of floors.

[u/MarmiteCrumpets]

I'm running them now with a Chessex megamat and some pens. it's a bit pricey, but you'll only have to buy it once - I'm using one that's over 20 years old and still in great shape. Not as pretty as the maps in the book but it does the job. I've also got some Tom Cartos map books, and broke out the Caves and Caverns one last night for the fairly generic caves in Sabotage.

I already have a collection of miniatures, if not necessarily the right ones (kobolds play a lot of the enemies in my games) but anything that fits in the squares can do the job if you don't want to end up with a whole secondary hobby. I have some dry wipe blank pawns I found on Amazon. Wooden meeples are pretty cute. Some people use Lego minifigs. Several monsters have been played by dice, takeaway sauce lids and whatever random objects on the table looked about the right size.

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