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I was wondering if there are any books or D&D manuals that cover the map-making aspect of the genre?

Although I don't play rpgs, I am fascinated with their systems and how they are a tool for character development and world building. I can model in 3D packages such as Maya, Max and Blender, and can then use VR to bring it all to life, but I do admire the hand-drawn "top down" and isometric sketches that one finds in the D&D campaign books such as Curse of Strahd.

I'm thinking about getting art/design/architecture books to really learn the craft but is there a book that is considered the bible when it comes to making D&D maps?

Cheers in advance!

I have never seen anything like a book on it.

Mostly when I sit down to draw a map for a game I google fantasy maps and then find a style I like and replicate it.

I have a big pad of brown sketch paper I use for it.

I've been using one of those game mats that has squares on one side and hexes on the other, which works just fine for my in house needs.

For stuff like Roll20 though I find that a nice visual map really improves the experience, and there's a bajillion tool out there to help put maps together for that kind of thing. I've been using RPG Maker and the Pokemon GBA kit to make maps for my PokeRole stuff.

 LordofHats wrote:
I've been using one of those game mats that has squares on one side and hexes on the other, which works just fine for my in house needs.

For stuff like Roll20 though I find that a nice visual map really improves the experience, and there's a bajillion tool out there to help put maps together for that kind of thing. I've been using RPG Maker and the Pokemon GBA kit to make maps for my PokeRole stuff.

How is PokeRole? This is the first I've heard of it. that other one, Pokemon Tabletop United or whatever turned me off because it was so insanely complex.

For the OP:
There are a ton of youtube tutorials on how to create both top down and isometric battlemaps for dnd. Mostly using tilesets and GIMP/Photoshop. I would have a quick look on there.

If you can find it, there was a World Builders Guide for D&D 2nd edition which was an invaluable resource for map making and world building.

And I'm just realizing now you're looking for isometric map design books. Here's the link anyways:
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/m/product/17445

Guess it really is just a case of get cracking with the graph pad. That book also looks interesting...I'll have to treat myself to a copy!

Beers all round - cheers!

There are Facebook groups for fantasy cartography that might be worth looking into for answers.

The one I know best is probably : https://inkarnate.com/

Which is free but you really don't 'own' it.

Thank you kindly.

I was surfing Amazon, and came across this, which you might find useful:

https://www.amazon.ca/How-Draw-Fantasy-Art-Maps

I might just add that to my next order, Ghool. Cheers!