You're Gonna Flip Over These Tiles!

Friday, January 19, 2018

I have a secret to share: change isn’t always bad. This spring we are making a significant change to one of our Pathfinder Maps lines. Pathfinder Map Pack: Starship Decks is that last of the Pathfinder Map Pack line. But don’t fret, we are not giving up on modular mapping tools, they are just getting an upgrade. We are replacing Map Packs with a new line of maps called Pathfinder Flip-Tiles!

This new line launches this April, with the release of Pathfinder Flip-Tiles: Dungeon Starter Set, the first of a number of base sets that serve as one of the anchor points for the new line.

Flip-Tiles have a few marked differences from the older line.

As you’ve probably guessed, these tiles are double-sided, allowing us to present more mapping options per set, and allowing you to change adventure scenes with a mere flip of the tile! But that’s not all. We’re changing the size of the tiles. Each Flip-Tiles is a 6-inch by 6-inch square. The new configuration provides increased flexibility and ease of use, and since each tile is double-sided, this nearly doubles the play space each tile offers. The square side leaves little to ponder when you piece together your dungeon. If that were not enough, each of the new sets presents more tiles than the previous Map Pack line. While each Map Pack contained 18 tiles, Pathfinder Flip-Tiles: Dungeon Starter Set packs a walloping 42 tiles – or 84 sides of dungeon corridors and rooms, giving you an amazing array of possibilities right out of the gate.

You not only gain more tiles that are easier to use, but we have also changed the way we present and expand the line. The Dungeon Starter Set is that—a start. On the heels of its release comes the first expansion set—Pathfinder Flip-Tiles: Dungeon Perils. While the Dungeon Starter Set provides tools for creating basic dungeon complex, Dungeon Perils details corridors and areas with possible traps, hazards, and difficulties the PCs will have to explore or avoid. Down the line, other dungeon expansion packs will further build on the Dungeon Starter Set, granting you greater flexibility to develop whatever crazy dungeon your imagination conjurers. Each expansion pack is made up of 24 tiles—or 48 sides of dungeons, providing a wealth of more mapping options.

Of course, the line’s dungeon offerings are only the beginning. The future will see the release of more starter sets and more expansions to those sets, expanding the line into a number of different terrain types. You can get a hint at some of our initial plans for the line when you open the Dungeon Starter Set, as some of the tiles already feature tiles that will connect to future sets.

I know what some of you are thinking. But, Stephen, I have every single Map Pack, even multiples of some. What am I supposed to do with those? Worry not. Jason Engle is doing the art for these tiles too, and wherever possible, these tiles are designed to match or compliment art styles already found in the Map Pack line. While the sizes are different, the basic structure and motif of these tiles are fully compatible with your current Map Pack collection.

No matter if you are a grizzled veteran of our map products, or you have been thinking of starting your collection, I think you're going to like Flip-Tiles.

Stephen Radney-MacFarland
Pathfinder RPG Senior Designer and map guy