afternoonmaps

Courthouse Battle Map - Launch

Added 2025-11-24 22:45:23 +0000 UTC

Hello Adventurers! Sorry for the late release of this one! Life has been disruptive to work this month. Luckily, I haven’t had to go to Court over anything (yet), but it's time for your players to shout “Objection!” while wearing powdered wigs. I’ve added some notes on how a Courtroom could work in your setting in the notes below.

Next Maps

The Boglings Mudpit should just squeak in at the end of the month, with the Frozen Crevasse coming in December.

Boglings Mudpit (Bog)
I want to try a super swampy bubbling mud pit, with a narrow path leading through it. A place where some interesting monsters could call home. It's a lot of dank, muddy pools and sickly foliage.
Frozen Crevasse
I want to make a crevasse in a frozen/ice landscape. The majority of the map will be the different levels of the Crevasse, with caves on both sides. There will be ice bridges, ‘bridging’ the crevasse in places. Most likely something lives in the crevasse.

Upcoming Maps

These map ideas are on the short list for the next couple of months. You’ll see them soon, but other map ideas may jump in ahead of them.

The Great Raft (Logging Raft)
This is a very historically inspired map. It’s a raft made up of hundreds of logs that Lumberjacks would use to transport logs down a river. This will be a river map almost entirely filled with floating logs. I have a Lumber Mill that would work as an excellent companion location.
Forest of Webs
A Patron suggested a forest full of spider webs, and I thought it would look great. So I’ll make a forest map with a central location that's covered in webs and some kind of giant nest.

Thanks as always for your Patronage. Being an artist in the age of AI has its stresses, so I really can’t express how much it means to have people supporting my art. You all really are the best! If you have map suggestions, let me know in the comments or message me privately, and as always, happy adventuring! Now let's powder our wigs and get our pointing finger ready for our OBJECTIONS!

Downloads

The files, thumbnails, and tags can be accessed on the Map List Page. You must be logged in to Patreon and signed up for the correct tier to access them. Remember, you are only charged for map releases; you can download all the old maps at no extra cost!

Map Descriptions

The courtroom is dusty, the air dry and heavy with the smell of wood polish and paper. Entering the courtroom through double doors, you see rows of uncomfortable-looking wooden benches, this is where the public views the court proceedings. Separating the public gallery and the rest of the room is a low fence, beyond which are two desks with seats for the defence counsel and prosecution. To the left is the Jury Box containing two rows of cushioned seats, to the right is a smaller box with bars separating the occupant from the rest of the courtroom, this must be the Dock for the accused. At the front of the room is a lectern, more desks for court officials, and, right at the centre, is a very large desk with an imposing wooden facade.

Notes and Tips

30x45 Grid Map
Courtrooms operate differently across the world and in history, so I’d suggest you develop a simple process for how your court operates and stick with it. Not all courts will work like Western courts do, and even Western courts differ significantly from country to country. Just make it simple and thematic to your setting.
Public Gallery: This area is where the public sit and watch the proceedings. This is also where relatives of the accused, or victims, will sit. There could be outbursts or rudeness. Whispers and crying, gasps when something is revealed. Assassins could strike from here, or a brawl could erupt between rival groups.
Defence and Prosecutors' Desks: Somewhat self-explanatory, this is where the defence and prosecution councils sit. Depending on the reason for the trial, the victim or accused could also sit alongside their representatives.
Dock: For more serious crimes where the accused has been arrested and imprisoned before trial, the Dock is likely where they will sit. They will be brought into court using the side door that leads out to the holding cells.
Jury Box: In cases where a Jury is needed, this is where they will sit. They will enter the room through the left rear door, which leads into the Jury room. If a Jury isn’t needed or not used in your court system, have these seats filled with nobility or left empty as some relic of a time when juries were used.
Judges' Bench and Witness Box: At the front of the courtroom is a set of desks, the main one being the highest and used by the Judge. To their sides are two other desks, which can serve as a witness box and a courtroom secretary's or clerk’s desk, where they take notes and perform other duties during the trial.
Basic structure of a trial:
- When a case is called, the clerk will list the case name, the accused, claimant (which may be the State or Kingdom), and the crime itself. They may also introduce the ‘presiding judge’.
- The Jury will enter and be sworn in, along with the Judge (describe this if you want, but don’t make this too long, we want to start the trial as soon as possible). The lawyers for both sides, along with the accused, will have been waiting to take their seats when the clerk calls the case.
- Opening statements will be given, outlining the arguments for both sides.
- Both sides then present evidence and call witnesses. Cross-examination can take place here.
- Closing arguments occur after all the evidence and witnesses have been presented.
- Jury deliberation takes place. The Judge will advise the Jury on what they are deciding, the laws, and so forth. If there is no Jury, the Judge will make their judgment based on the evidence presented.
Public Assassination: A trial is underway, and an important witness is about to take the stand. Rumours are that they have been marked for assassination. The party has been hired as security for the trial. An assassin or more than one attempts to assassinate the witness while they are in the witness box. The assassins are hiding amongst the public, in the public gallery.
Prisoner break: A high-profile prisoner is on trial, and his gang attempts to break him free during the trial. Or, one of the party needs to escape from the courthouse.
Judging the Dead: A strange trial is underway, with the accused being a zombie. The Zombie is kept in the docks, heavily chained up. The defence is actually a necromancer who wants to kill the Judge in a very public way. The party can have been hired as security or simply be watching from the public gallery.