Mapmaking merry (6)

Here's an idea for drawing a quick random map, for entering undesigned settlements or complexes spontaneously during a wargame or roleplaying session. Choose your die.

1. Lightly sketch a quick polygon with a number of points or sides equal to the number of faces on the die, i.e. a standard six-sided die needs a hexagon.
   
   
2. Roll that die once per degree of complexity wanted, i.e. for a simple map once.
   
   
3. Roll again a number of times equal to that result, i.e. if a D6 is rolled and the result is a 4, roll again 4 times. Each result from this set of rolls corresponds to a point on the perimeter, e.g. with a D6, 1 is 2 o'clock, 2 is 4 o'clock etc. Mark them. Re-roll or ignore duplicates, as preferred for speed and complexity.
   
   
4. For each point marked roll once more. This is the number of lines branching from the point, either to other points on the perimeter, into or across the centre, or outwards. If you wish, you can roll for direction, as if determining points again.

Any non-connections can be assumed to mean connections by other means, maybe through buildings if a streetmap, over the surface or through rooms if a tunnel complex, or by secret entrances, potential breakthroughs or only teleportation of some kind.

For entrances to buildings and rooms, you'll need more time, but could roll the die for each line, once for one side, once for the other. The number on the die could be the number of entrances, or you could divide, or there could be a 50% chance, as preferred.

A D4 will produce a map to a square grid of course, while higher numbers will increase the range of possible axes and give something more organic. Use multiple tessellating polygons for larger maps. The D6 is the largest die for regular tessellation.

_