It's What's on the Inside that Counts

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

We did a few tricky things with the upcoming GameMastery Map Pack: Shops and Flip Mat: City Streets:

First: NEW FORMAT! Starting with Map Pack: Shops and going forward we'll be employing the same technology that makes our Flip Mats erasable wonders, resistant to wet-erase, dry-erase, even permanent markers. One of the things we heard again and again at conventions over the summer was that folks loved the Map Packs, but wished they could write on them. Great idea! And for everyone who wished for this: wish granted!

Second: They Sync Up! Look at your Map Pack: Shops. Now look at Flip Mat: City Streets. Now back to Map Pack: Shops. Notice anything? Map Pack: Shops shows the insides and multiple floors of the buildings on Flip Mat: City Streets! Confused? Just look at the clever little illustration Crystal put together showing exactly how these two useful map tools become even handier when used together.

Cartography by Corey Macourek. Graphic by Crystal Frasier

Third: Look at Map Pack: Shops. Close. No, real close. See that? Yeah, that's a little symbol of Desna, just like the one that showed up in the Rise of the Runelords Item Cards. Tricky huh? Since these are shops, cartographer Corey Macourek threw in a few bits of inventory from our past Item Card sets. They're really tiny, so it's still up to you what these shops carry, but for all of you now in the know, it's just a cool Easter egg.

So just a few new ideas to keep your game fresh and your gaming table looking great! We've also got a few more tricks in store for the Map Pack and Flip Mat lines coming down the road, so keep your eye out for what's ahead!

Wes Schneider
Managing Editor