Whether your party is seeking out a sinister magical artifact or attempting to stop a dastardly jewel heist, no Game Master wants to spend time drawing every taxidermic beast and reconstructed sarcophagus. Fortunately, with Paizo's latest Pathfinder Flip-Mat, you don't have to! This line of gaming maps provides ready-to-use fantasy set pieces for the busy Game Master. Full of beautiful details ranging from a portrait gallery to a curator's workshop, this double-sided map makes the perfect setting for any foray into the dusty display cases and hallowed halls of history!
Don't waste your time sketching when you could be playing. With Pathfinder Flip-Mat: Museum, you'll be prepared next time your players are ready to tackle a museum's secrets!
I've played or GM'd on the Museum flip-mat a surprising number of times in PFS and SFS. It's been the Blakros Museum in Absalom, the Museum of Natural Philosophy and History in Azir, a garden outside a tavern in Axis, a manor house, and at least one or two other things--Paizo scenario writers really like this flip-mat! But I have to admit, it's a really handsome and well-designed mat. Although a double-sided map, it cleverly contains three floors of exhibits, paintings, statues, a curator's workshop, an outdoor garden (complete with benches and a fountain!), latrines, a lecture hall, a cool room of taxidermied animals and monsters, and more. The interior rooms are diverse and well-detailed, with plenty of room for all sorts of encounters; but I appreciate there's just enough exterior to handle encounters breaking in (or spilling out) of the museum. The gridlines are clear but not distracting, and it of course features Paizo's patented formula of allowing pretty much any sort of marker to work. This is a flip-mat you're bound to get a *lot* of use out of in organised play, or in any urban-focused homebrew game. The only tiny caveat I'll mention is that the layout of the museum isn't 100% consistent with that of the Blakros Museum in some early PFS scenarios, so you may need to make some adjustments. With that detail to one side, this is a sure-fire winner.
Excellent addition to the flip-mat pantheon, but there are errors.
I love these flip-mats that go into large urban establishments - especially if the establishment is something other than a tavern, and something that would be found in a city. This flip-mat is also audacious and unique in that it covers a three-story building on two sides. I can see myself using this quite frequently, and not just for a museum. It can easily be used for any fancy-schmancy location where the characters have to meet with a dignitary or wealthy NPC. There is also ample opportunities for collateral damage on this map.
However, as stated below, if you run the map as written, the stairs do not make sense. This is because the black lines denoting walls would keep the various staircases isolated from each other, so that you have several staircases that just hang in mid-air and go in random direction, But, looking at it closely, it seems to be a post-production error, as those black lines are not part of the artwork of the map. If you simply remove those black lines and just assume that the staircases connect together, then it makes sense, You would have a main grand split staircase form the first floor to the second floor for most patrons, and then a skinny, steep, and winding staircase for employees and servants over in the corner.
The map is supposed to be 3 floors of the same building, but the different floors don't fit together. On the second floor there are two big staircases that probably are supposed to be connected to the platform on the ground floor, but in that case there would be a railing in the way.
The artist probably forgot his own architecture, because there is no hint of stairs on the side of the map with the ground floor.
Also usually the upper end of the staircases is highlighted - which would make the platform more sensible - but then the staircases would lead up to nothing which doesn't make sense either.
I don't really know what the gray areas are supposed to be, probably secret areas, but their setup is very random and silly.
Otherwise the museum looks quite nice, but it has a little bit of everything which makes it a strange museum, although that could help to use the map in different situations.
I liked the idea behind the map, but the execution is terrible.
I'm a big guy, so trust me when I say that this is difficult for me (especially with a bad knee and bad back) - but if this is the Blakros museum, I might literally jump for joy!
I'm a big guy, so trust me when I say that this is difficult for me (especially with a bad knee and bad back) - but if this is the Blakros museum, I might literally jump for joy!
The Blakros Museum in Absalom (major city in the Golarion campaign setting) is featured in about half a dozen Pathfinder Society Organized Play scenarios, making it a rather famous and popular adventure site in the organized play campaign.
The Blakros museum is an area that is used frequently in Pathfinder Society. Having a flip map for it is long overdue but greatly appreciated and I'll be adding it to my purchases when available. The Blakros Museum is located in Absalom.
I'm a big guy, so trust me when I say that this is difficult for me (especially with a bad knee and bad back) - but if this is the Blakros museum, I might literally jump for joy!
Miiiiight beeee...
I'll have to get my VL to witness / be my "second". If I don't survive, he'll need to take over as VC, afterall :P
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John Compton wrote:
Mike Bramnik wrote:
I'm a big guy, so trust me when I say that this is difficult for me (especially with a bad knee and bad back) - but if this is the Blakros museum, I might literally jump for joy!
Miiiiight beeee...
If it is not now I am going to be sooooo disappointed. I've wanted this for a while. Plus with remodeling, I wonder what it would look like? It could even be a future remodel.
In a podcast interview with Know Direction, Crystal Fzazier, the Author of the latest scenario, indicated that she was asked to make sure the latest remodel fitted on a flip-mat. I am guessing this is the result.
In a podcast interview with Know Direction, Crystal Fzazier, the Author of the latest scenario, indicated that she was asked to make sure the latest remodel fitted on a flip-mat. I am guessing this is the result.
Does it come with stuffed dinosaurs, mummies and numerian relics? Also, needs a sign that says "Blakros Museum, providing adventures for Pathfinders since Dec 2010."
Looks very interesting. The small preview in the cover shot looks like a redesigned Blakros Museum. I did find some maps that almost perfectly match the cover shot above here at Fantasy Cartography. They're shown under 6-01 Trial By Machine, which by the way, doesn't use the museum. I didn't count the squares to see if it fits on a Flip-Mat thought.
Looks very interesting. The small preview in the cover shot looks like a redesigned Blakros Museum. I did find some maps that almost perfectly match the cover shot above here at Fantasy Cartography. They're shown under 6-01 Trial By Machine, which by the way, doesn't use the museum. I didn't count the squares to see if it fits on a Flip-Mat thought.
You are absolutely right, it is the first floor shown.
Looks like a very interesting map - i´ll buy it. :-)
I play D&D 5th Edition rather than Pathfinder…. I know this makes me a heretic here. But I was wondering if this could also me useful in an urban D&D game. I could possibly make use of this for a session in one of the large Forgotten Realms cities like Waterdeep or Baldur's Gate?
I play D&D 5th Edition rather than Pathfinder…. I know this makes me a heretic here. But I was wondering if this could also me useful in an urban D&D game. I could possibly make use of this for a session in one of the large Forgotten Realms cities like Waterdeep or Baldur's Gate?
Playing other games doesn´t make you an heretic, just someone who can be converted ;)
I think you can use all the maps for other systems that can be played with a combat square grid.
Does it come with stuffed dinosaurs, mummies and numerian relics?
"Museum Displays" would make an awesome Map Pack to go along with this Flip Mat. Maybe call it "Objects of Interest" or something that wouldn't tie it as tightly to this Flip Mat, and suggest dropping the items into various dungeon and cavern Flip Mats to break up other-wise empty rooms or serve as adventure objectives. As GMs the objects could do double-duty, serving first as adventure objectives on some dungeon-themed Flip Mat, then standing on display in this one the next time we use it.
It could be set up like Map Pack: Vehicles, where you could cut the cards to end up with a ton of objects. The displays described in Blakros Museum-set PFS scenarios might be a good starting point.
Looks like this one is begging for a "Museum 2" flip-mat, with the wide stairs on the second floor leading to an unmapped "up", and narrow stairs on the ground floor leading down to an unmapped basement. :)
Looks like this one is begging for a "Museum 2" flip-mat, with the wide stairs on the second floor leading to an unmapped "up", and narrow stairs on the ground floor leading down to an unmapped basement. :)
Guys, I have drawn this one twice, and the second time with as much care as I can because it is a phenomenal map, and a phenomenal scenario, and in spite of that time investment I still say thank you, this is AWESOME! I can't wait for season 7's return to Blakros! Blakros.
Um, I just opened up my copy, and I noticed something that could be either a lead in for a second section of the 3rd floor, or a glaring error.
On the 2nd floor map, there are 2 large staircases sit on the east flanking a display area that has several objects on plinths.
If the stairs lead up, then there is a 3rd floor, and i wonder what such a grand staircase leads to.
If they lead down, then their lower points don't have a location on the level 1 map, and that means that the only staircase up to the 2nd floor is a 5-foot wise one in the northern section of the museum...
Forgive me if this is explained already, or assumed, but I think the first floor sample map is upside down as posted (and labeled with the Pathfinder logo) here. If flipped 180`, the first floor short staircase (5'x20') and raised platform line up directly under the visible roof on the second floor map. I'd assume the double stairs "double back" over the first floor. So, to get from the first to the second floor, walk up the 5' flight of stairs, take a left or right, and another left or right and step up to the second floor. It would be nice if they were "drawn in" on the first floor, though.
Does that make sense? I tried to draw it here: http://imgur.com/eVCbGkC
I'll be ready to run some classic Blakros scenarios with this! Order's on the way!!!
FYI this doesn't fit the 0-2 season maps.
I would go so far as to say this is only for season 6+ there were some questionable (as in should you play with that strange artifact questionable) renovations to the structure just prior to the #6-02 Silver Mount Collection.
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Help me understand why the new layout being different is bad for the old mods? can a GM just at move the old encounters to new the new rooms? (Remember that players don't see the maps in the mods, so they don't have to know they don't match.). Or are there missing rooms or spaces that are too small for the old encounters?
There are indeed missing rooms and spaces. The new map cannot be used to accurately run the previous scenarios. Nor should it, in my opinion, as the early scenarios are classic and the original map iconic.