As exploration of the city is continued in the future volumes of this AP(from what I understand, at least), are we going to see more sample maps for the city in later books like those on p. 12 of City of Seven Spears?
Creative Director
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As exploration of the city is continued in the future volumes of this AP(from what I understand, at least), are we going to see more sample maps for the city in later books like those on p. 12 of City of Seven Spears?
There will be in part 5.
What do people think about the concept of reprinting map pack and map foilo images in a Pathfinder AP? I'm torn; on one hand I prefer new maps, but on the other I like how it encourages folks to think creatively and not be afraid to use what maps they have on hand for encounters if an adventure doesn't provide them.
What do people think about the concept of reprinting map pack and map foilo images in a Pathfinder AP? I'm torn; on one hand I prefer new maps, but on the other I like how it encourages folks to think creatively and not be afraid to use what maps they have on hand for encounters if an adventure doesn't provide them.
In general: very, very badly. I definitely prefer new maps, and would be horrified to see map pack/folio/flip map/recycled images showing up in an AP except under very tight, restricted, specific circumstances.
It just so happened that I did like the maps that showed up in CoSS, because:
- it was appropriate for that type of adventure (explore a GIANT CITY!)
- it only took up 1 page
- it was helpful due to the fact that we realize that an AP still has limited page count (and there's a GIANT CITY the PCs have almost free reign in) - and DMs needed something.
I wouldn't want to see it anywhere else except under very rare circumstances (like what I'm talking about above; another example: massive Underdark campaign, in which a couple of geomorphs would be helpful for the DM when the PCs explore long, winding tunnels and caverns.) (To be honest, I wouldn't expect an appropriate circumstance to show up again for many, many APs.)
What do people think about the concept of reprinting map pack and map foilo images in a Pathfinder AP? I'm torn; on one hand I prefer new maps, but on the other I like how it encourages folks to think creatively and not be afraid to use what maps they have on hand for encounters if an adventure doesn't provide them.
I was actually quite disappointed by the maps in The City of Seven Spears. I understand that it would be difficult to map every location of the city exploration but I find that a few dedicated maps go a long away to convey the mood of a place. I much preferred how this was handled in Kingmaker, for instance. I was just skimming through "Blood for Blood" and realized that, even though there were mainly dedicated maps there, you had also squeezed in a few generic, small-ish maps designed by the same cartographer, to be used when needed (a creek, a pool, a lair). I thought that was a great idea.
I also prefer new maps to using flip mat maps or map pack maps because these already tend to appear in Pathfinder Society scenarios and don't bring me much for my own games (we don't use flip mats and miniatures, but I use the maps to project on screen so every map of a PF scenario gets used).
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I like the idea of a product tie-in up to a point. I was glad to see so many extant products that could be used in this AP, and making the best use of map-packs and flip-mats like this is great, but on the other hand, I'd hate to think that in order to run any given AP as written that I'd feel I'd need to buy another $100 worth of suplimental maps.
A seperate map-pack would be preferred for my game (which is the only one I can comment on).
Especially if said map-pack was already appropriately sized and ready for use (the squares are 1-inch, and the secret doors are missing, etc).
I would prefer to see a tighter tie-in of Gamemastery supplies with APs in general. To get off topic: I wish the Item Card decks faithfully represented the specific treasure that was available in the AP. That appendix in CoSS? All of those should have a card! With the stats faithfully printed on the back!
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I, for one, am *loving* them. If I could buy PDFs of the Map Folios or Map Packs, then I might be a little more 'meh'. As it is, because of my projector setup, I often have to find my own maps or make my own in Campaign Cartographer if the Pathfinder issue does not provide me in. I was very VERY happy when I looked into the Pathfinder issue and saw maps for 'generic encounter locations'.
Please keep these up! If you ever plan on stopping, I'd still be happy if I could buy PDFs of the Map Packs or Folios. :D
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To get off topic: I wish the Item Card decks faithfully represented the specific treasure that was available in the AP. That appendix in CoSS? All of those should have a card! With the stats faithfully printed on the back!
The magic items in the Treasures of Saventh-Yhi appendix do correspond with the Serpent's Skull item cards. Unfortunately, we couldn't reprint the art from the cards in the appendix due to space restrictions, but rest assured, there is a card in the deck that matches each of those items!
We also made an effort to put other magic items into the AP that match a lot of the other item cards as well.
As for stats, we want the item cards to be usable by people running other adventures as well, not just this AP, so the backs of cards are kept blank for that reason.
What do people think about the concept of reprinting map pack and map foilo images in a Pathfinder AP? I'm torn; on one hand I prefer new maps, but on the other I like how it encourages folks to think creatively and not be afraid to use what maps they have on hand for encounters if an adventure doesn't provide them.In general: very, very badly. I definitely prefer new maps, and would be horrified to see map pack/folio/flip map/recycled images showing up in an AP except under very tight, restricted, specific circumstances.
It just so happened that I did like the maps that showed up in CoSS, because:
- it was appropriate for that type of adventure (explore a GIANT CITY!)
- it only took up 1 page
- it was helpful due to the fact that we realize that an AP still has limited page count (and there's a GIANT CITY the PCs have almost free reign in) - and DMs needed something.I wouldn't want to see it anywhere else except under very rare circumstances (like what I'm talking about above; another example: massive Underdark campaign, in which a couple of geomorphs would be helpful for the DM when the PCs explore long, winding tunnels and caverns.) (To be honest, I wouldn't expect an appropriate circumstance to show up again for many, many APs.)
This sums up my position too - it worked here given the circumstances. Given it was only one "lost page", I didn't feel like I'd missed out on anything. For most of the APs I wouldn't have wanted even just a page of 'suggested map packs' - I use them and the flipmats extensively and don't generally need Paizo to tell me which ones suit.
Another exception which would suit me would be if one of the encounter locations was a keyed version of a flipmat (like the pathfinder lodge, the prison, the keep or something like that). If there was going to be a protracted series of encounters there it would also be useful, in my view.
As exploration of the city is continued in the future volumes of this AP(from what I understand, at least), are we going to see more sample maps for the city in later books like those on p. 12 of City of Seven Spears?There will be in part 5.
What do people think about the concept of reprinting map pack and map foilo images in a Pathfinder AP? I'm torn; on one hand I prefer new maps, but on the other I like how it encourages folks to think creatively and not be afraid to use what maps they have on hand for encounters if an adventure doesn't provide them.
I personally really liked how they used the maps in this AP. When it's for a small encounter location, using the map packs and flip-maps IMO add value to map line. If it's just going to be a small encounter, setting them up to use the pre-made maps can make a more visually appealing game table.
That said, things like the map pack dungeon for the Crypt of the Everflame has a limited reuse to me.
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It would be great if the Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Serpent's Skull Poster Map Folio had additional maps of the city that could be used. I recognize that space is limited in the monthly pathfinder books, btu the map folio is a perfect place to add generic maps that could be used in multiple spots along the campaign arc.
While I really like the AP, I wish there were more maps in volume 3, even if it meant skipping on some of the other art.
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Creative Director
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It would be great if the Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Serpent's Skull Poster Map Folio had additional maps of the city that could be used. I recognize that space is limited in the monthly pathfinder books, btu the map folio is a perfect place to add generic maps that could be used in multiple spots along the campaign arc.
While I really like the AP, I wish there were more maps in volume 3, even if it meant skipping on some of the other art.
Not only is space limited... but we've moved away from doing one-sheets in those things. It's all poster maps now. Also... it's already at the printer.
I actually would have LOVED to have had maps of specific buildings in volume 3... but for various complicated reasons that wasn't possible.
Volume 4 is all about the dungeon crawl though.
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It would be great if the Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Serpent's Skull Poster Map Folio had additional maps of the city that could be used. I recognize that space is limited in the monthly pathfinder books, btu the map folio is a perfect place to add generic maps that could be used in multiple spots along the campaign arc.
While I really like the AP, I wish there were more maps in volume 3, even if it meant skipping on some of the other art.
Not only is space limited... but we've moved away from doing one-sheets in those things. It's all poster maps now. Also... it's already at the printer.
I actually would have LOVED to have had maps of specific buildings in volume 3... but for various complicated reasons that wasn't possible.
Volume 4 is all about the dungeon crawl though.
Why not do a 3-4 page free Web Supplement? This way you can do maps, art and content "cut" from the main adventure.
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Creative Director
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Why not do a 3-4 page free Web Supplement? This way you can do maps, art and content "cut" from the main adventure.It would be great if the Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Serpent's Skull Poster Map Folio had additional maps of the city that could be used. I recognize that space is limited in the monthly pathfinder books, btu the map folio is a perfect place to add generic maps that could be used in multiple spots along the campaign arc.
While I really like the AP, I wish there were more maps in volume 3, even if it meant skipping on some of the other art.
Not only is space limited... but we've moved away from doing one-sheets in those things. It's all poster maps now. Also... it's already at the printer.
I actually would have LOVED to have had maps of specific buildings in volume 3... but for various complicated reasons that wasn't possible.
Volume 4 is all about the dungeon crawl though.
Because the only place we save time on with a Web Supplement is in printing. Which is to say that producing a 3 to 4 page web supplement takes exactly the same amount of time it takes for us to produce a 3 to 4 page article. But WITHOUT the benefit of a budget (so we have to lose money making them, essentially) or a schedule (so all the time we need to produce it has to come out of us on top of our full time work, which basically means working late or weekends, which is rough since we're already doing that for the print stuff). And none of those maps were ever created in the first place, so it's not like we have material that we're sitting on that we haven't published for Pathfinder AP #39. There was CERTAINLY no "cut" material from this adventure. In fact, we had to add a significant amount of content to it to get it up to size (hence the three authors credited on the cover).
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I would love more tie in with flip-maps and map packs and APs.
I lean more toward flip-maps personally. I have all the map packs but I do not like them as much as I do the flip-maps but that would not stop me from using map-packs if they were designated in the adventure path.
Loving everything you guys do. Thanks.
Tie-ins with the flip-mats and map-packs ads value to those purchases for me.
Before the Dawn #1 was a great PFS scenario for me to run because I had all the maps used in that adventure.
More use of existing map products gets my vote.
Not a complaint, but CoSS is going to be sooo much more work for me. I'm a MapTooler, and if there aren't appropriate maps published, I'm going to be making them. For me, that is not about markers on vinyl (I wish it was that easy!).. that's hours of work and only being satisfied about half the time.
I'll get through, but it be a labor of love. I've already got a lot of time sunk in Souls for Smuggler's Shiv. :/ At some point the benefit of using an AP ("saved time") falls to the wayside, and becomes "just more detailed than I might do."
So I'd love cross over products.
Oh, and definitely in PDF. Otherwise I have to scan them. I don 't mind buying a physical copy to get a PDF though.
This be the future.
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Creative Director
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Not a complaint, but CoSS is going to be sooo much more work for me. I'm a MapTooler, and if there aren't appropriate maps published, I'm going to be making them. For me, that is not about markers on vinyl (I wish it was that easy!).. that's hours of work and only being satisfied about half the time.
Honestly... the lack of more detailed area maps was a pretty big disaapointment for me, and I really REALLY wish we had been able to provide some. But for various reasons I don't need to go into here... that wasn't an option. The next best solution was to re-purpose the map packs and flip mats like we did.
In any event, using map tiles and flip maps to "stand in" for proper area maps isn't going to be something we do often (although it happens to a less disappointing extreme in the penultimate Serpent's Skull adventure).
As exploration of the city is continued in the future volumes of this AP(from what I understand, at least), are we going to see more sample maps for the city in later books like those on p. 12 of City of Seven Spears?There will be in part 5.
What do people think about the concept of reprinting map pack and map foilo images in a Pathfinder AP? I'm torn; on one hand I prefer new maps, but on the other I like how it encourages folks to think creatively and not be afraid to use what maps they have on hand for encounters if an adventure doesn't provide them.
James,
I may be in the minority here, but I actually liked how in CoSS the maps were from Map-Packs and Flip-Mats products (which I have as a subscriber) and so its ideal for me as I get "more" use from these accessories. Although I also have (14-15 of the Basic Flip Mat) and that was very handy (especially during part 5 of "Legacy of Fire") so I get plenty of map drawing fun too (where "new" maps are provided, but there aren't existing products to represent them).
Just my two coppers.
And for any dragon to give up a portion of its horde... that's a big deal. :)
Honestly... the lack of more detailed area maps was a pretty big disaapointment for me, and I really REALLY wish we had been able to provide some. But for various reasons I don't need to go into here... that wasn't an option. The next best solution was to re-purpose the map packs and flip mats like we did.
In any event, using map tiles and flip maps to "stand in" for proper area maps isn't going to be something we do often (although it happens to a less disappointing extreme in the penultimate Serpent's Skull adventure).
Just to make you feel better, we played last night.. and the players are having one helluva good time with Souls for Smugglers Shiv. I'm seeing a joy and excitement that I haven't seen since way back in Burnt Offerings.
Of course, I'm a better GM than I was in Sept 2007! But it's a good adventure and I thought you should hear some positive feedback.
I'm going to make it work because the base material is rock solid.