A Chris West style Map of Mystery is on a level far superior to 99% of all adventure maps. It is thus, again, erroneous to imagine that _any_ adventure map can substitute/remove the need for a genuine Map of Mystery.
I personally don't use the maps of mystery and so am fine with them being gone or not featured as much (on the other hand I am not going to quibble about 1 page in the mag be it a map of mystery or a column by Wil Wheaton).
That bias stated, I fail to follow your logic here. From the statement above I would only be able to draw the conclusion that only Chris West maps (or those done in a similar style) would work as maps of mystery. So if this is true would adventure maps work for you if they were all done Chris West style (or by him) every time?
Just curious.
Sean Mahoney
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Wow, that's some high praise! Thanks very much, GVDammerung! :)
While I always try to put as much detail into a map as possible without compromising it's readability or utility, I do tend to treat Maps of Mystery a little differently, simply because I know that they need to stand on their own without any supporting text to answer questions about the content of rooms and things like that. I trust when you're reading an adventure that you'll be cross-referencing the map with the text to get the best understanding possible of the location. With a MoM, what you see is what you get, so it has to provide all of the atmosphere and relevant information that you would otherwise glean from the text.
There's also the point to be made that an adventure map is supposed to answer a DM's questions, whereas a Map of Mystery is supposed to suggest questions for the DM to answer. For this reason, I may tend to be more evocative with a MoM, or try to make them more intriguing.
Finally, there also tends to be a lot more artistic freedom when creating a Map of Mystery, since I'm not constrained by another person's design of a place. I get to put more of myself into the MoMs and flex some creative muscles that tend to lie somewhat dormant when making other kinds of maps.
It's really gratifying when people respond positively to them. I'm glad you like 'em!
Christopher West
Some folks like to say that any map from an adventure is the equivalent of a Map of Mystery - usually in support of their belief that Maps of Mystery should not be a feature in Dungeon.
This erroneous assumption has been repeatedly batted down but this past weekend another great beat down became available - the Shackled City Hardback. It contains a map book that features the maps of Christopher West almost exclusively, who as it happens has produced some of the most notable Maps of Mystery.
Leafing through the map booklet leaves no doubt that West's creations go far, far beyond the usual mapping found in support of an adventure. Their is, in fact, no comparison. A Chris West style Map of Mystery is on a level far superior to 99% of all adventure maps. It is thus, again, erroneous to imagine that _any_ adventure map can substitute/remove the need for a genuine Map of Mystery.
A genuine Map of Mystery is usually far more complex - to present "mystery" or suggest possibilities - in a way almost all adventure maps are not - most of which are comparatively simple and often serve only to provide the layout/scale for a combat.
Maps of Mystery cannot be effectively replaced by adventure maps. They are entirely different in their complexity and how they are presented.
They're friggin maps. While some look outstanding in the quality, the difference between a map of mystery and an adventure map shouldn't affect it's functional value. If you want print-quality art to frame and hang on your wall, well then OK. If you want random maps to fuel adventure ideas, the aventure maps are fine. Just remove all the keys and look at the base layout and you'll see that they are just as mysterious as something sketched on graph paper. If you don't see it, then your imagination is weak (not to be offensive). Don't forget the countless maps available on WotC's site or anywhere else on the Web, too.
Just out of curiosity, what did you do when you were a kid and didn't have a playset for your action figures? ;)
I've also always loved Chris' Maps of Mystery and used quite a lot of them in my game, most notably the Pirate Caves and the Dwarven Mine, and I'm still looking to find an oppotunity to put in the Village map. :-)
I'd love to see them back in Dungeon.
Maps are "eye candy". It's nice to show your players how it really looks like but ...... content is far more important! without content all you have is a pretty piece of paper and your players probably want more than that.
I draw my own maps, they may not be pretty but they get the point across and while I draw them I imagine how the environment looks and feels. This is stuff I can tell my players.
Good maps are nice to have but are not essential. Besides you just can't use the same map over and over again.
I've also always loved Chris' Maps of Mystery and used quite a lot of them in my game, most notably the Pirate Caves and the Dwarven Mine, and I'm still looking to find an oppotunity to put in the Village map. :-)
I'd love to see them back in Dungeon.
The town of Deepwatch is home for my group. The cryomancer's lair is slotted for use around level 13, and when my campaign hits the interdimensional stage...well let's just say it will be interesting to see how the group reacts to being gated into the middle of that bowling alley from the Global Positioning feature Chris used to do.
Thanks Chris,
GGG
Oh and thanks for the ubercool starship layouts for Star Wars d20 as well. Those rocked!
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And I'd love to get both.
In the 1st edition downloads of the wizards.com website, they have a "bait and trap" set of maps. One map is a player handout, while the other map shows the DM what is "really" there.
The very last link is "maps" and it is the kind of thing I'm talking about, but I'd love to see the production values Paizo would bring to such an undertaking.