5 Tips to Create a Pointcrawl

A pointcrawl is like a treasure map for your world. You don’t need to map out every square inch of terrain or every alley in a city, because a pointcrawl concentrates on key locations and the paths that connect them. It’s a flexible, focused way to design dungeons, landscapes, or even entire kingdoms, and it works whether you’re running a game or writing a novel.

Here’s how to make one work for you:

1. Start with Story-Relevant Locations

Instead of trying to map the entire forest, city, or kingdom, ask:

• Where might something interesting happen?

These places become your points; a cave with glowing bones, a windmill-turned-hideout, a flooded underpass, a library inside a ruined cathedral.

You’ll only need around 6–10 locations to begin.

2. Draw the Lines That Matter

Connect your points with routes, paths, or transitions. Don’t just think about roads; connections might be:

• A crumbling bridge only usable in dry season

• A dream-path only accessible if you fall asleep at the stone circle

• A dangerous shortcut through cursed territory

Think of each path as a choice. That’s where the fun lives.

3. Use Constraints to Drive Drama

Not all points are connected equally. Some might be blocked, or risky.

Ask:

• Which paths are safe?

• Which are fast but dangerous?

• What do they have to do to unlock a new route?

This turns the map into a decision space, not just a diagram.

4. Mix Up the Scale

One point might be a single tree, another might be an entire city, and that’s okay.

Pointcrawls are modular, you can zoom in later. A single city point could become its own pointcrawl later, with districts and alleys as new locations.

Think of points as expandable ideas, not fixed scales.

5. Use It As a Map AND a Plot Outline

Your pointcrawl becomes more than geography, it becomes story structure. You can:

• Add lore to each point

• Introduce factions that control routes

• Scatter secrets, resources, or mysteries across the network

You’re not just mapping locations, you’re mapping tension, choice, and momentum.

Want to Explore a Pointcrawl?

On Thursday, my newsletter subscribers will receive a free mini pointcrawl; a tiny wander through the river-city of Stonewharf, with encounters, oddities, and moments to wake your imagination.

It’s my end-of-year thank you; something small, magical, and exclusive to my newsletter. A little gift for the inbox crowd.

If you want it too, make sure you join my mailing list before it’s sent out on Thursday.