Sara Marie wrote:

DigitalMage wrote:

Can anyone tell me what sort of postage costs a flip map and map pack would incur to the UK? Now that PDFs come free I am wondering whether to actually subscribe.

Is the price of the PDF likely to be more than the postage? If so it would be worth subscribing rather than buying the PDFs and buying the map packs locally.

If you add a a flip-mat and/or a map pack to your cart you can input your address and see all of the estimated shipping costs and estimated shipping times associated with those items going to your address. Once you've got the information you need, you can just hit "continue shopping" or navigate away from the shopping cart instead of adding payment methods and processing the order.

One thing I will note is that Flip-Mats and Map Packs shipped by themselves don't qualify for the relatively inexpensive Bound Printed Matter shipping rates... but if you add enough books to outweigh the maps, it might qualify.

You may actually be able to save a fair amount of money on shipping if you add a book or two to your maps.

When I posted that, I had missed the part about you living in the UK... that advice is useful for US customers only. Internationally, contents don't currently play a role in shipping costs (though they may affect any customs duties you may incur).

A Pathfinder Adventure Path subscription gives you the Pathfinder Advantage, which would give you 15% off of your maps (as well as about 20,000 other products).

Is there not also a discount on buying the back catalogue of maps if you just have the map subscription?

I.e. is the Help/FAQ entry here still correct when it says "The GameMastery Cards, GameMastery Maps, and Planet Stories Subscriptions do give current subscribers a discount on older products in each line"?

When I posted that, I had missed the part about you living in the UK... that advice is useful for US customers only. Internationally, contents don't currently play a role in shipping costs (though they may affect any customs duties you may incur).

Not a problem, the subsciption is worth it by itself especially if the discount applies as I plan to buy about 20 odd map packs and flip mats from the back catalogue :)

Hmmm, I am not sure the discount is applying as I have put a load of map packs and flip mats in my cart but do not see a discount being applied - does it show up at checkout or is it normally applied afterward?

Or is the FAQ / Help now incorrect in stating that a maps subscription gets you a discount? If so that is very disappointing as I planned to buy 20 odd map packs / flip mats :(

Hmmm, I am not sure the discount is applying as I have put a load of map packs and flip mats in my cart but do not see a discount being applied - does it show up at checkout or is it normally applied afterward?

Or is the FAQ / Help now incorrect in stating that a maps subscription gets you a discount? If so that is very disappointing as I planned to buy 20 odd map packs / flip mats :(

Yeah, it doesn't look like they updated the Help/FAQ section when the subscription changed to having a discount on price vs. providing free PDF's as the perk. The cards and Planet Stories still offer discounts on back issues, but the map line does not appear to.

I've just updated the FAQ page to reflect the changes we recently made to the GameMastery Maps subscription.

From the above description of benefits: "After we ship your subscriber copy, you'll be able to download a PDF of that map for FREE! (Note that you only get free PDFs for releases shipped as part of your subscription; you do not get free PDFs when purchasing older volumes that are not sent as subscriber copies.)"

I rarely have anything negative to say about what Paizo does, so I'm sorry, but I feel I must speak up.

The new "box" the map packs are coming in suck. They are difficult to open without tearing, hard to get the tiles back in, and even harder to get the "box" closed again.

Sorry, but I consider this a downgrade in quality.

Justin Sluder... huh?? The map packs never came in a box? At least not before the new packaging. Now with the new packaging, it DOES come in a box and that to me is fan freaking-tastic!!! I love it!!!
Thanks Paizo!!
Now I have something to actually store them in if at any rate at least for a little while! :)

I rarely have anything negative to say about what Paizo does, so I'm sorry, but I feel I must speak up.

The new "box" the map packs are coming in suck. They are difficult to open without tearing, hard to get the tiles back in, and even harder to get the "box" closed again.

I made a post about this in this thread but this is probably a more sensible place for it, so I'll repost it:

I thought I would provide some feedback on the new "storage boxes". It's probably too early to know whether this will be a common problem and too late to do anything about it if it is. Nonetheless...

Having just received this, I opened the pack up to look through it before sliding them back in and sticking them on the shelf. I wasn't particularly careful, nor particularly rough when I slid them back and didn't notice anything amiss until I slid them out again. At that point, it became apparent that the illustrated surface of the top tile had "snagged" on the box when I reinserted the tiles and folded back on itself, separating from the card stock slightly and leaving a white, folded-over corner (they were all definitely unblemished on my first look through, so the damage was definitely me and not some factory/shipping issue).

I can probably avoid it happening by paying more attention when reinserting the tiles. Nonetheless, if the box was marginally larger (like a millimetre or two) it might minimise the risk of damage from taking the tiles in and out of their cover, without reducing the strength of the box (and without costing much more).

Anyhow, the boxes are a great idea and perhaps it will be a rare occurrence. Figured I'd pass it on anyway.

I like the idea of the boxes, I just hope the design can be tweaked a bit to improve the utility - the map tiles go in and out of the boxes quite often.

If I buy a PDF what size could I print one?

If I buy a PDF what size could I print one?

They are optimized for printing at the original size, which is to say individual Map Pack tiles at 5"x8" and Flip-Mats at 24"x30".

You can print them larger or smaller than that, of course, but the bigger you go, the less sharp they'll be... and if you scale them to anything other than 100%, the 1" squares will no longer be 1" squares.

As a long time DM and buyer of 20+ map packs and 10+ flip maps, I have had a chance to use many of these products in game sessions. The map packs I have enjoyed the most were the quirkier ones with wagons, monsters bellies and boats... but when the time is right for a certain location or feel, the others have made things easier for me to prep. My favorite flip maps were the ships and more used locations. Having a permanent tavern with rooms makes the party comfortable until they amass enough funds to build their own elite townhouse base. Having the different locations for Rise of th Rune Lords also adds flavor to the setting.
As for earlier comments on the graveyard and catacombs combined sets, my players actually enjoyed seeing the outside of the crypts until the inside was laid out. They could not cheat and memorize the layout before the game - as many of them try to do. Thus they did not know which led downward. I enjoyed the effort of the combined sets, and if I didn't like where one went, I just placed another upon that location, or just described it as going nowhere. The rooftop maze and allyway maps are also godsends for ambushes and running away.
future flip map sets I would like to see are...
- a cloud level map with multiple rocky mountain chimneys breaking through, forming a nesting sight. Multiple stick nests; including cliffside nests and cave entrances lower down, and a panorama view of the ground further down peaking through the clouds can be found on one side... On the other side are a mass of clouds, with cloud breaks showing land far below, and a dragon shadow upon one. This represents air adventures quite well.
- With the White Dragon 3-pack coming out, I would like a double flip map set offered. Instead of an open cave, lets have an intelligent small dungeon that would actually protect an intelligent huge white dragon who has years to prepare defences. The first section is outside, with the second connecting to it representing the intelligently made trap laden 1st section with tunnels a huge can use. flip the outside to continue further inside the lair, and the last section with a ceiling hole to fly and escape from. A single sheet of paper with the maps can explain any traps, hazards or defending creatures found in each room or hall.
- A similar Black Dragon double flip map lair for a large or huge dragon could start out with the 1st section being the marsh surface, the second section under the murk in the water with the lair entrance to be discovered, flip both to form the underwater underground lair.
- an under sea map with a flooded ruin of small buildings on the bottom of one map... on the other underwater side is either an extensive coral maze, or a kelp maze.
- mid tree level on one side are a maze of crossing branches; some of which one must leap between; others with vines to swing, a spiders web to one side to cross... on the other side are several mid tree level huts and platforms connected by plank bridges.
- finally a thorn wood maze of reaching thorny vines seeming to reach out before finding an enchated grove within. Use a seperate map pack to provide more thorny trails, or alternate routes throuh it... on the other side is a wild dangerous grove of threatening plants of varius types with some fantasy background. the map pack could have pieces that transform small sections to more fearsome plants or obstacles to surprise the party or catch them offguard the next time they enter.
Both I and my different parties have enjoyed these products, and hope that they will contnue with all the creativity we hve seen, and more.