Here at Paizo, the normal process for ordering a map for an adventure or sourcebook goes something like this: First the author sends us a map of the imagined area, drawn out to the best of his or her abilities. With that in hand, we check it thoroughly for any contradictions with existing continuity, and redraw or retag sections as necessary to correct mistakes, make the map more interesting, or simply increase legibility. We then hand the map over to Art Director Sarah Robinson, who sends it off as reference to a professional cartographer. Once the professional version comes back, we check it against the original and make changes as necessary. It's a process that happens every day at Paizo.
And then, once in a great while, an author turns the whole system on its head.
In this case, that's Tim Hitchcock, who provided such amazing map turnovers for several locations in Heart of the Jungle, our guide to the Mwangi Expanse, that we couldn't in good conscience send them all away to a cartographer. Instead, we're doing something we very rarely do, and including several of Tim's original art pieces—such as this rendering of Usaro, city of demon-worshiping apes—as player handouts, perfect for GMs who want an in-game reference they can show their players. Between the loads of professionally rendered, heavily tagged maps and Tim's pages torn straight from an explorer's diary, this book is one of the map-heaviest supplements we've ever done, and I can't wait to hear what GMs think when this experiment finally hits bookstores.
I have to say that even though he's not a Chelaxian, Tim's an absolute genius with designing maps. And if that wasn't enough, the man is artistically gifted as well; whether it's a map turnover or drawn as a hand-out, Tim does a perfect job. I'd tip my hat, but I don't have one, so I'll just do a 'Dwarven Beard Dance' in Tim's honor!
(For those who didn't know, he's also the proud father of my pit fiend servant, Little Tim.)
Nice map. I can't wait to see more of that. I'd been thinking of only purchasing the PDF of Heart of the Jungle, but now methinks the hardcopy purchase is in order.
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Hugo Solis
(Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, Adventure Path, Campaign Setting, Companion, Modules Subscriber)
