| spqr202 |
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I've commented on this issue before and I'd like to again. One of the main weaknesses with games like pathfinder and 4e is the maps. As GMs, we have to do all sorts of somersaults and backflips in order to have usable maps. I GMed 4e for a while, and I would blow up the images from the pdfs and print them out with my color printer. One big problem is that everything was pixilated because of the low resolution of the original graphics. The other problem is the mapping notation/symbols/footnotes were still on the image, such as "firetrap" written over a shaded floor square or a big footnote with a circle around it right behind a door so that PCs would be expecting something there.
I know that a lot of GMs will say "why not just use dry erase maps? It gets the job done!" My response is "no it doesn't." Dry erase maps completely ruin the experience of the game, unless you are an artist and you can draw quickly and on the fly.
I played a few living forgotten realms games at a very large store in my area with (supposedly) one of the best GMs around here (I live in Los Angeles). His mapping style came down to "um lemme see, there's a log here" and he'd draw a box around three of the squares on the map and crosshatch them in. "There's a statue here" and he'd draw a box around another square and write "statue" inside. What the heck is this???? I didn't realize how much of a difference it made, but as a player this completely destroys the experience. Even worse, later on I looked at the module and saw all the beautiful maps that he was looking at, which could not be transmitted to us through the dry erase mat and a few hastily drawn blocks on top of a blank grid.
Let me just say, some of the WotC products got it right. I hate WotC, I hate how they treat their customers, and I think that 4e is absolute crap. But have you seen the gamma world box sets? They come with all the counters you need to play the game AND THE MAPS. No boxes on dry mats with the word "statue" written inside at all.
When I first got into pathfinder I was blown away with the detail and the obvious care that was put into the products. I read through a few of the adventure paths and I can honestly say that 4e modules aren't even in the same league. The stories and encounters in pathfinder adventure paths are worked out with such meticulous detail, and it shows! The maps in the adventure paths are gorgeous, the only problem is... how do I deliver that cartographic quality to my players? I've even been tempted to scribble a few things on a drymat, then hand them the adventure path and say "this is what it was supposed to look like." I just feel that one of the greatest parts of these modules and the adventure paths are completely squandered because they aren't sold in playable form, either bundled together or sold separately.
Maybe this is why the only module I own is crypt of the everflame. I love pathfinder but I'm not planning on buying anymore modules. It's a complete tease. I look at the maps and yearn for my players to gawk at the beautiful cartography like I am, and experience what I am experiencing, but I know that will never be. How many other customers are holding back their dollars with the same thought in mind?
Let me just conclude by saying yes, I would pay twice as much for a bundle. I would pay 3 times more in fact. Package the module with two flip mats. If those flip mats are double sided then you've got 4 maps that come with the module. Some of your maps might only require half or a quarter of the flip mat, so you can have up to 16 maps included! I would easily pay three times the amount for a module with two flip mats included. If your adventure path map folios came with playable maps, I would buy more adventure paths. Paizo is on the right track by releasing the Bestiary Box (of which I plan to purchase 2 or 3) so that we don't have to use pennies or bottle caps anymore. I really do think that the Bestiary Box + modules/paths with all the maps available for purchase will be a GM's dream that I will not be able to resist.