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I'm curious about this map (my copy hasn't yet arrived at my FLGS, so I can't comment on it)... I don't mind a "stylized" city map -- it makes for a good hand-out, especially if the players don't want to map out every street and building (mine sometimes do, but I can always expand upon a well-done "basic" map; I don't even mind drawing the backlanes and streets).
I really like the look of the map as something to give the players with good area knowledge skills (which they can share as they like.) It is a great player handout. And it gives me good general feel for the city.
But I do prefer a more detailed layout of a city that will be the focal point of my whole campaign. So I wish there was a GM's map that was a lot more detailed. I'd pay extra for a Westcrown Map Portfolio with the regions of the city detailed out at a decent resolution.
I wonder if this might be an opportunity for someone to step up and start a community project to create a decidedly prosaic, but highly detailed, map of the city? It could be broken down by regions and parceled out to those with mapping skills.
Unfortunately, I am not one of those. But I know over at the Cartographer's Guild there are some pretty talented people. Perhaps with bribes of swag (or a contest with prizes) we could get them to take on the project.
EDIT: Seriously, perhaps we could get enough contributors to create an OpenDesign style of commissioned map? People could buy sponsorships like they do with OpenDesign, and the amount you sponsor determines the input you get into the project. So at $15 you just get the maps when they are done. But at $75 you get to help set the style, review drafts, provide feedback, etc. And I wonder what Paizo's position would be on the project since it is their IA? Could they find a way to make it possible?
Just a thought.
My vote is for stylized maps with character. I believe that it's possible to convey the feel of the city through the map, and that it's been done well in this case. Keep changing things up, Paizo - I dig the various flavors for the different APs. I trust that if there's a need for detail in some section of the city, it will be provided when needed in the Path.
We don't need precise maps of things that aren't that precise. We need maps that provide overall feelings and summaries of the places to visit. We don't use city maps too much, mainly to get an idea where sites are related to each other. For us city map is a nice location to place tokens of major players in the area and some textual information (we use VTT).
My way of saying more maps like Westcrown (with a lot more pixels in map folio)!
I only just discovered this thread and 200+ posts is a bit much to wade through. (That's my long-winded way of saying "Someone's probably already said this but...")
I prefer stylised maps like Westcrown to the detailed versions a la Korvosa. There are essentially two reasons (both tied to my weaknesses as a DM).
One - I never bother roleplaying a conversation where the party are asking directions. Nor do I (or my players) stress if I draw out a battlemap of some region which shows one street five feet wider than it was two sessions ago. In a sense we have a stylised gameplay which suits the stylised maps - problems of consistency/completeness dont arise because we dont pay any attention to such things.
Two - I struggle (and have seen other DMs also struggle) with trying to ensure they dont make a mistake by consulting their incredibly detailed map and flipping through the book to consult the description of a keyed area. Once there is a "right answer" it can slow down play whilst the DM makes sure they dont draw/describe something wrong. When the answer isnt provided - it's easier to make something up quickly and not bog the game down.
I would have to say I dont really mind using the higher resolution maps. I ran waterdeep for many years with those ten (twelve?) poster sized maps showing the whole city in ridiculous gory detail. Nonetheless, when I run CotCT, I plan on drawing a more stylised "neighbourhood only" map for ease of use, so it suits me that I wont have to with CoT.
Just got access to the download version of this and the new PF Companion download...
After a quick glance all I can say is yum...
I really have no issues with the map. While the PDF version is hard to use, in print it works very nice. And print is definitely the priority for me.
There's no doubt that many of the individual places, such as the manor houses, need to be reimagined past the how they are inked on the map. But the important details are there: where are the bridges, how are islands and parts of town related, where are pertinent geographical features, etc.
Great AP so far - very much looking forward to the next issue.
Hate the stylized map. Add me to the chorus. One of the main reasons that I buy these products to fill my world with pre-made towns and cities to avoid DM burnout. If you stop providing anti-DM burnout materials, that's going to impact my spending, as I already have more adventures than I can ever run. It's detailed setting material that I need.
That having been said, the adventure path has my approval. While I wasn't enthralled with the first adventure being a sewer crawl, the overall premise of the party as revolutionaries is excellent. I particularly liked the rescue scenario.
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While the new map is pretty and stuff, it has nothing on Sandpoint, Magnimar and Korvosa maps.
It's a very nice handout and illustration, but it's impractical. WTB a "normal" map.
I like the map of Westcrown. It reminds me of the poetic maps from Harn, and historic period maps. The other maps don't give the same feel. Plus, its easier to see the topographical distinctions on the 'poetic' map. I like the Sandpoint map, but its a small place. The artistic renderings of Magnimar, Riddleport, etc, give me a better feel of the place than a static, bird's eye view.
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Well, I finally got my copy and I like the premise of the campaign a lot.
As for the map of Westcrown... don't use this style again. It is utterly useless to me as a DM. I see that both Westcrown and Egorian are mapped in the Cheliax region book and the map style used for Egorian is far better than the one for Westcrown. I think it is actually a stretch to call the map of Westcrown a map, since it is little more than a stylized painting of the city, about as accurate as a tourist map of Disneyland.
One other thing, I noticed that the information for both Egorian and Westcrown say that the cities both have a gp limit of 16,000. I don't know if things have changed between 3.5 and Pathfinder (I can't find the info in the RPG book), but does it really mean that a metropolis doesn't sell any items worth more than sixteen grand, or am I mistaken?
Creative Director
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One other thing, I noticed that the information for both Egorian and Westcrown say that the cities both have a gp limit of 16,000. I don't know if things have changed between 3.5 and Pathfinder (I can't find the info in the RPG book), but does it really mean that a metropolis doesn't sell any items worth more than sixteen grand, or am I mistaken?
Those products were done when we were still finessing the rules for cities, unfortunately, and those gp limits snuck through. You should treat both cities as Metropolises.
I like the map of Westcrown just fine, as noted by quite a few, it reminds me of the 16th century map of Venice, Italy posted above.
I particularly like the "built in side quests" that I get to play with for my own group. They give me some information to work off of, but not so much that I would feel they are more trouble than they are worth to put together.
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The AP mentions the Council of Thieves Gamemaster's Guide pdf - is this somewhere on the site?
Later,
Greg Volz
Natural Twenty Games.
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It's been integrated into the Player's Guide available here (http://paizo.com/store/byCompany/p/paizoPublishingLLC/pathfinder/adventure Path/pathfinderRPG/councilOfThieves/v5748btpy89m7)
As for the map of Westcrown... don't use this style again. It is utterly useless to me as a DM. I see that both Westcrown and Egorian are mapped in the Cheliax region book and the map style used for Egorian is far better than the one for Westcrown. I think it is actually a stretch to call the map of Westcrown a map, since it is little more than a stylized painting of the city, about as accurate as a tourist map of Disneyland.
Can I ask those who find the Westcrown map useless what you would use a Sandpoint-style map for that you can't use the stylised version for? I agree that it's about as 'accurate' as a tourist map of Disneyland, but a tourist map of Disneyland allows you to get around and find the things you need, it indicates relative distances between sites, it shows how various locations relate to one another geographically... So I don't see the problem.
I initially approved of the experiment by looking through the PDF. I only got my hardcopy yesterday and having seen that my opinion has strengthened to the point that I much prefer the Westcrown version - to the point I hope it becomes the norm. It's probably a question of DM style, but I'd be curious to hear what people see as the advantage of a more accurate "bird's eye view" map.
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Can I ask those who find the Westcrown map useless what you would use a Sandpoint-style map for that you can't use the stylised version for? I agree that it's about as 'accurate' as a tourist map of Disneyland, but a tourist map of Disneyland allows you to get around and find the things you need, it indicates relative distances between sites, it shows how various locations relate to one another geographically... So I don't see the problem.
I initially approved of the experiment by looking through the PDF. I only got my hardcopy yesterday and having seen that my opinion has strengthened to the point that I much prefer the Westcrown version - to the point I hope it becomes the norm. It's probably a question of DM style, but I'd be curious to hear what people see as the advantage of a more accurate "bird's eye view" map.
Verisimilitude. Realism. Sense of what it's like to actually be there. Sense of how the city has evolved, whether as a maze-like chaotic mess of streets, or a planned, carefully designed and controlled city.
Right now, all I know is that Westcrown is a blob of undefined, unorganized and damned near unnavigable streets and buildings. Now if that is the design philosophy that's all well and good, but the Companion paints it as a city of order forged out of the chaos of the mire beneath the city, sitting on thousands of wooden piles driven into the mud and rocks, with stone paved streets. Stone pavings generally do not equal a chaotic mess of a city, so why do we only have a chaotic mess of a map?
Verisimilitude. Realism. Sense of what it's like to actually be there. Sense of how the city has evolved, whether as a maze-like chaotic mess of streets, or a planned, carefully designed and controlled city.
Right now, all I know is that Westcrown is a blob of undefined, unorganized and damned near unnavigable streets and buildings. Now if that is the design philosophy that's all well and good, but the Companion paints it as a city of order forged out of the chaos of the mire beneath the city, sitting on thousands of wooden piles driven into the mud and rocks, with stone paved streets. Stone pavings generally do not equal a chaotic mess of a city, so why do we only have a chaotic mess of a map?
Cheers, I appreciate the answer (although I still don't quite get it). Do you mean that the extra detail and completeness allows you as a DM to portray the city better? That's kind of what I was enquiring about - what can you not do as a DM (or is it maybe that it requires more work?) with the stylised map vs the bird's eye view version?
Obviously I havent run it yet, but it seems to me that I will be able to answer all the queries my players are likely to have, plus I have a handout which is more immersive than a more accurate map would be, plus I dont have the trouble of drawing out some battlemap for an ambush only to have it pointed out that I put an alley in the wrong spot or the street is wider than it should be and so forth. I'm wondering if it's a difference in playstyles (with actual impact on the way the game is played) or in the psychology/methodology of the DM and how they get a handle on the setting.
Hopefully it goes without saying I'm not arguing about it - I'm just curious. (Hmm, it seems I said it anyway..)
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I can't see myself portraying it until I know what the heck it is I'm supposed to be portraying. As of now, Westcrown is just a blob. The only way you can eve tell the difference between the three Paregos is by the numbers on the map. There's no actual boundaries depicted. And again, if that's actually what the designers want to depict the city as, that's fine, but it's just not how I want to look at the city, and from how it's described I'm not sure the text authors want it viewed that way, either. Yes, Parego Dospera is a ruin, and a very indistinct map makes sense for that region but for the rest of the city I just view it as inadequate and an unpleasing aesthetic choice.
I see Paizo has cut the set pieces, not 100% sure how I feel about that. I was wondering though, as I was unable to attend GenCon due to being out of the country, was there a special GenCon cover like there was the last two years? If so I'd like to get my hands on a copy.
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Creative Director
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I see Paizo has cut the set pieces, not 100% sure how I feel about that. I was wondering though, as I was unable to attend GenCon due to being out of the country, was there a special GenCon cover like there was the last two years? If so I'd like to get my hands on a copy.
Nope; we're no longer doing special Gen Con covers. The Runelords one did very well, but the Second Darkness one did not... I suspect because everyone had copies already from their subscriptions or something... not sure. But we aren't doing alternate covers any more.
As for no set pieces... they were just more trouble than they were worth, both in writing/developing/editing and, more to the point, in fitting in to each issue. We now have the Pathfinder Society and RPG Superstar, which fulfills our need to have a place for new authors to break in to the industry, in any event.
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Creative Director
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Is every building actually portrayed there, or is it just an artistic rendition of the city?
If you're talking about the map of Westcrown in the inside front cover... no. Not every building appears on the map. Westcrown is a MUCH larger city than Korvosa, and you'll note that we did show every building on the map of Korvosa but barely fit it onto a page; doing the same for Westcrown would have simply not worked... or we would have had to do Westcrown as a ridiculously huge poster map, which wasn't something we had the budget for anyway.
As for no set pieces... they were just more trouble than they were worth, both in writing/developing/editing and, more to the point, in fitting in to each issue. We now have the Pathfinder Society and RPG Superstar, which fulfills our need to have a place for new authors to break in to the industry, in any event.
Good, on both accounts. I want there to be a pipeline for aspiring writers and I want there to be more space for the APs, which need room to breath. Good choice.
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Is every building actually portrayed there, or is it just an artistic rendition of the city?If you're talking about the map of Westcrown in the inside front cover... no. Not every building appears on the map. Westcrown is a MUCH larger city than Korvosa, and you'll note that we did show every building on the map of Korvosa but barely fit it onto a page; doing the same for Westcrown would have simply not worked... or we would have had to do Westcrown as a ridiculously huge poster map, which wasn't something we had the budget for anyway.
Yes, that's exactly what I meant; it's not a huge issue for me, and I can always use the map as a player hand-out. Thanks, James! :)
I just downloaded my PDF and since I'm working on a stat block report for my character sheet database, the first thing I looked at was the Beastiary.
WOW
I literally got shivers when I saw that not only did you guys have the b@lls to bring back rot grubs, but you made them even deadlier! I really do have to give you guys props on not being afraid to go where others are too timid to tread. Bravo!
*goes off to look at this map everyone is talking about...
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CEO
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I see Paizo has cut the set pieces, not 100% sure how I feel about that. I was wondering though, as I was unable to attend GenCon due to being out of the country, was there a special GenCon cover like there was the last two years? If so I'd like to get my hands on a copy.
Nope, no alternate cover. There just didn't seem to be much of a market for the alternate cover like we thought there would be so we discontinued the practice.
-Lisa
I see Paizo has cut the set pieces, not 100% sure how I feel about that. I was wondering though, as I was unable to attend GenCon due to being out of the country, was there a special GenCon cover like there was the last two years? If so I'd like to get my hands on a copy.Nope, no alternate cover. There just didn't seem to be much of a market for the alternate cover like we thought there would be so we discontinued the practice.
-Lisa
Lisa, James while I'll miss the new artwork, I think this is probably the smarter choice. Saves me money as I've been collecting Paizo's products, and had to go out of my way to get the Second Darkness cover.
As for the loss of the set pieces, probably another good idea. I feel they sometimes took away from the adventure path itself. You guys are doing a great job, please keep it up. Just don't get rid of the campaign traits in each adventure path, we love this concept.
OH, and on an off topic note here. PLEASE PLEASE think of coming out with a book of all the Pathfinder Society adventures in print maybe at the end of each season. I'd like to be able to put them on my shelf without printing them and having those annoying headers on top with our name and number and such.
Thanks for all your hard work,
Kev
I just read four pages of complaints about the map. Why? The map was fine. I can understand you all wanting some more completeness, but seriously, folks, it was more than enough for my purposes. And allowed me to use a host of both the paizo map-packs and other maps I have stored up over my time playing to flesh out the intricate details of the city. I think it was done excellently and really did capture the essence of the city, it's shape, and the theme perfectly.
"I consider it the nadir of a base perfidy that you should practice your puking sorcery upon me" Fafhrd, to Mouser, Adept's gambit
I see Paizo has cut the set pieces, not 100% sure how I feel about that. I was wondering though, as I was unable to attend GenCon due to being out of the country, was there a special GenCon cover like there was the last two years? If so I'd like to get my hands on a copy.Nope, no alternate cover. There just didn't seem to be much of a market for the alternate cover like we thought there would be so we discontinued the practice.
-Lisa
Lisa, James while I'll miss the new artwork, I think this is probably the smarter choice. Saves me money as I've been collecting Paizo's products, and had to go out of my way to get the Second Darkness cover.
As for the loss of the set pieces, probably another good idea. I feel they sometimes took away from the adventure path itself. You guys are doing a great job, please keep it up. Just don't get rid of the campaign traits in each adventure path, we love this concept.
OH, and on an off topic note here. PLEASE PLEASE think of coming out with a book of all the Pathfinder Society adventures in print maybe at the end of each season. I'd like to be able to put them on my shelf without printing them and having those annoying headers on top with our name and number and such.
Thanks for all your hard work,
Kev
I concur with this idea of Kevin's. Being able to (say, on a subscription prior to going to print, with a small discount to those who have already purchased the scenarios, per scenario purchased for that book's "season") get "Pathfinder: Season 0" in a single, perfectbound or hardbound volume - which would be about 200 pages or so at a guess - seems like a Good Thing. Making it available, say, six to nine months after the year's scenarios have concluded in June - so, sometime in the first quarter of the following year at a guess.
The local gaming scene was completely destroyed by 4th Edition (not kidding), but with the release of Pathfinder RPG I'm finally reeling a few back in and will start running a game in about a week and a half. I've never been big on running modules, but everything I've heard about the Adventure Paths is entirely positive... the worst comment I see is that there are some nasty-hard encounters. Well, I'm good with that. :)
So I've got one question before I really take the plunge on this. Over the six-issue cycle, is the party expected to be doing other stuff? Basically, is each issue of the AP expected to provide all the XP required for my players to hit the target level for the next issue? Or is there room for my own side material, or even two APs interleaved?
The local gaming scene was completely destroyed by 4th Edition (not kidding), but with the release of Pathfinder RPG I'm finally reeling a few back in and will start running a game in about a week and a half. I've never been big on running modules, but everything I've heard about the Adventure Paths is entirely positive... the worst comment I see is that there are some nasty-hard encounters. Well, I'm good with that. :)
So I've got one question before I really take the plunge on this. Over the six-issue cycle, is the party expected to be doing other stuff? Basically, is each issue of the AP expected to provide all the XP required for my players to hit the target level for the next issue? Or is there room for my own side material, or even two APs interleaved?
From what everyone has posted in the other AP threads (this is my first PFAP too) it sounds like there is enough to level up the characters, mostly, if you follow the medium XP track. If your players (like mine) wnat to do some out-of-AP adventuring, then I'd recommend using the slow XP track....
Others will probably have more info for you, though.
The local gaming scene was completely destroyed by 4th Edition (not kidding), but with the release of Pathfinder RPG I'm finally reeling a few back in and will start running a game in about a week and a half. I've never been big on running modules, but everything I've heard about the Adventure Paths is entirely positive... the worst comment I see is that there are some nasty-hard encounters. Well, I'm good with that. :)
So I've got one question before I really take the plunge on this. Over the six-issue cycle, is the party expected to be doing other stuff? Basically, is each issue of the AP expected to provide all the XP required for my players to hit the target level for the next issue? Or is there room for my own side material, or even two APs interleaved?
From what everyone has posted in the other AP threads (this is my first PFAP too) it sounds like there is enough to level up the characters, mostly, if you follow the medium XP track. If your players (like mine) wnat to do some out-of-AP adventuring, then I'd recommend using the slow XP track....
Others will probably have more info for you, though.
The APs will give you an idea of what level the characters should be at a given point to have the best shot at completion. That being said, depending on which XP track you are following and how many characters you have, there should be plenty of room to add your own flair to things.
I'm running Crimson Throne, and have added extra bits through the second chapter to balance out the addition of a fifth character. I know others have mentioned weaving in entire modules. Best advice, read the AP, and judge based on your party and your play style :)
So I've got one question before I really take the plunge on this. Over the six-issue cycle, is the party expected to be doing other stuff? Basically, is each issue of the AP expected to provide all the XP required for my players to hit the target level for the next issue? Or is there room for my own side material, or even two APs interleaved?
GG has it right - you will need to gauge the AP to suit your player character count. As written, for example, Chapter 1 of CoT barely has enough "scripted" XP to level 4 characters - and quite a bit short of the XP for a group of 5 or more. (You should need a bit over 2k additional xp for a group of 5 to actually hit 3rd level by the end of Chapter 1.)
The nice thing about the APs is that there is plenty of room to interweave your own material to suit you and your group's tastes. Every AP has this ability, depending on your free time. I cannot recommend enough the many ideas and home-brewed material that the community here puts on the boards for their fellow gamers are worth examining for suitability to your campaign (or just easy to adapt). Even ol' Paizo's CEO has mined material for her home-run Rise of the Runelords campaign. Other goodies include recommended music play lists (which have been VERY good) and on occasion - such as for a particular "feast" scene in the Age of Worms - recipes that match up to food described in the adventure.
Have fun!
GG has it right - you will need to gauge the AP to suit your player character count. As written, for example, Chapter 1 of CoT barely has enough "scripted" XP to level 4 characters - and quite a bit short of the XP for a group of 5 or more.
That gives me a pretty solid guideline but raises another question. Is there encounter-scaling material provided? A couple are still up in the air but I might have as many as seven players. Do I have to worry about them cakewalking it?
Not a big deal, I can tinker with the module; it's just a question of how much time I'll have to spend doing that instead of working on my own unrelated material.
GG has it right - you will need to gauge the AP to suit your player character count. As written, for example, Chapter 1 of CoT barely has enough "scripted" XP to level 4 characters - and quite a bit short of the XP for a group of 5 or more.That gives me a pretty solid guideline but raises another question. Is there encounter-scaling material provided? A couple are still up in the air but I might have as many as seven players. Do I have to worry about them cakewalking it?
Not a big deal, I can tinker with the module; it's just a question of how much time I'll have to spend doing that instead of working on my own unrelated material.
Sadly, there are no scaling notes included.
At 7 player characters your group is considered to be 1 higher than the actual averaged character level. Basically, your best bet is to add numbers to group encounters (doubled numbers for the most part should provide sufficient XP for the 7 characters to keep pace), or tack on a favorite template (anything CR+1 or maybe a +2 that you feel fits) to the "solo" baddies. Try to keep it simple for yourself - it's easy to do the numbers gig without fiddling with stat blocks, for example.
If the Bestiary happens to include more specific versions of the half-(critter) templates, that would solve a lot of trouble!
If the Bestiary happens to include more specific versions of the half-(critter) templates, that would solve a lot of trouble!
It's primarily the lack of the bestiary (combined with the desire to run the new system "pure" rather than retrofitting old material) that has me looking at this AP in the first place. :)
Anyway, it's ordered. You're right, with a party of this size simply doubling the baddies is a good functional solution!
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GG has it right - you will need to gauge the AP to suit your player character count. As written, for example, Chapter 1 of CoT barely has enough "scripted" XP to level 4 characters - and quite a bit short of the XP for a group of 5 or more.That gives me a pretty solid guideline but raises another question. Is there encounter-scaling material provided? A couple are still up in the air but I might have as many as seven players. Do I have to worry about them cakewalking it?
Not a big deal, I can tinker with the module; it's just a question of how much time I'll have to spend doing that instead of working on my own unrelated material.
Sadly, there are no scaling notes included.
At 7 player characters your group is considered to be 1 higher than the actual averaged character level. Basically, your best bet is to add numbers to group encounters (doubled numbers for the most part should provide sufficient XP for the 7 characters to keep pace), or tack on a favorite template (anything CR+1 or maybe a +2 that you feel fits) to the "solo" baddies. Try to keep it simple for yourself - it's easy to do the numbers gig without fiddling with stat blocks, for example.
If the Bestiary happens to include more specific versions of the half-(critter) templates, that would solve a lot of trouble!
Scaling notes would only steer you in the wrong direction.
There are encounters that are cakewalks for one group that would be immune to another. You just have to wing it most of the time.You could do like I did, and make the ultimately balanced encounter: Have the PC's fight exact duplicates of themselves! Even with a slight advantage on the other side, the players managed to defeat the encounter.
Most of the time those fights are over-estimated. They have to be. Want more of a challenge? throw in some ability drain, carrion crawlers, gelatinous cubes, etc. But you should be ok with what ya got.
I just received my copy of "The Bastards of Erebus". This is the first Adventure Path I've seen and I have to say I really like this book. I haven't read much of it yet but I did quick read and this is a great product. I'll definitely be buying more of these. As another poster said a great two thumbs up!
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I just received my copy of "The Bastards of Erebus". This is the first Adventure Path I've seen and I have to say I really like this book. I haven't read much of it yet but I did quick read and this is a great product. I'll definitely be buying more of these. As another poster said a great two thumbs up!
That was my first thought as well. Currently in my senior year of college and do not have much time to read all the stuff. WHAT I have read though is awesome so had to sign up for a subscription of everything so I wouldn't miss out on their stuff.
Can not wait until after May 2010 and will have graduated. Then of course there is Graduate and I have so many classes that if I take another year I'll have another degree on close to a third so ......at any rate it is great stuff!
Sean
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The question is, then... do you as the GM need to know where all the streets and stuff are? We do indicate locations for all of the important sites and adventure locations... but unless we name every single street, do we really need to show them all? We don't show every tree in a forest map, after all. Note: I'm not trying to be difficult here... I'm honestly curious if folks miss exact city maps and how knowing exact street layouts and building shapes help...
(Personally, my preference IS for maps that show every street and every alley and every building... but those are fantastically difficult to create and produce, alas. Maps in the style we used for Westcrown are, I think and hope, a nice way to make a map look cool without doing a half-assed job at looking exact.)
Ahh for the days of City-State of the Invincible Overlord.....
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Creative Director
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Ahh for the days of City-State of the Invincible Overlord.....
The question is, then... do you as the GM need to know where all the streets and stuff are? We do indicate locations for all of the important sites and adventure locations... but unless we name every single street, do we really need to show them all? We don't show every tree in a forest map, after all. Note: I'm not trying to be difficult here... I'm honestly curious if folks miss exact city maps and how knowing exact street layouts and building shapes help...
(Personally, my preference IS for maps that show every street and every alley and every building... but those are fantastically difficult to create and produce, alas. Maps in the style we used for Westcrown are, I think and hope, a nice way to make a map look cool without doing a half-assed job at looking exact.)
While that is indeed a nice map... the City-State of the Invincible Overlord's nowhere NEAR as big as Westcrown. That's the primary problem... size makes it tough to create maps at that level of detail for a city with 111,000 citizens.
New to APs and I had a question concerning the maps of the Bastards' Lair. What does the "F" in a black circle symbolize? I have read the section countless times, but have not found a description.
I'm headed to work right now and I'll check for sure when I get in, but I'm pretty sure that indicates a trap door in the floor.
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Creative Director
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New to APs and I had a question concerning the maps of the Bastards' Lair. What does the "F" in a black circle symbolize? I have read the section countless times, but have not found a description.
Sean's right. An "F" in a circle is the symbol for a trap door in the floor. A "C" in a circle is a trap door in the ceiling.