I can't wait for this one to hit my mail box.
I can't wait for this one to hit my mail box.
You, sir, are a man of discerning taste. I have printer proofs of the first two sitting right here, and - having worked on nearly 50 of these now - think these are some of the sharpest looking Pathfinders we've ever put together. I know I'm TOTALLY biased, but I like to think giggling with sinister glee over some of this stuff is a real good sign.
I know I'm TOTALLY biased, but I like to think giggling with sinister glee over some of this stuff is a real good sign.
Well, it certainly makes me feel better. But then again, I'm running it, not playing in it. >=]
Wish I could help, but I didn't really understand your post.
Hello
Me too I waiting Carrion Crown, my players wait that translate in French for to play.
It seemed seeing abstract in the website. Would you link ? I speak abstract of parties in play test of Carrion Crown.
Thank you in advance.
Sorry for my poor English, my native language is French.
Ionisa.
Are you looking for an example of a play test for Carrion Crown? If so, Dave Gross has one on his Facebook. Link
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I can't wait for this one to hit my mail box.You, sir, are a man of discerning taste. I have printer proofs of the first two sitting right here, and - having worked on nearly 50 of these now - think these are some of the sharpest looking Pathfinders we've ever put together. I know I'm TOTALLY biased, but I like to think giggling with sinister glee over some of this stuff is a real good sign.
Far more importantly, it's the finest reading and best plotted Adventure Path intro piece since the change-over to PFRPG, imo.
It is channeling spooky vibes, mystery, and gothic horror throughout.
While one's "favorite" or "best" is inherently subjective, I personally think The Haunting of Harrowstone is the best issue of Pathfinder since the change-over in the rules from 3.5. Some may prefer Richard Pett's The Six-Fold Trial, but I prefer The Haunting of Harrowstone.
I think Mike Kortes, Wes Schneider and Rob McCreary did an amazing job on this. I am very much looking forward to running it this weekend -- and I am hopeful that the high-bar set with The Haunting of Harrowstone can be kept up throughout the AP.
So take a bow Wes. You and your crew earned it.
I think Mike Kortes, Wes Schneider and Rob McCreary did an amazing job on this. I am very much looking forward to running it this weekend -- and I am hopeful that the high-bar set with The Haunting of Harrowstone can be kept up throughout the AP.
So take a bow Wes. You and your crew earned it.
Wow, thanks man! James gets credit in there too, as he developed this one. High praise indeed, though! So glad your enjoying it... and just wait and see what else is in store!
Oh, and if you REALLY think all that and have a min, tell folks about it in a quickie review here!
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I think Mike Kortes, Wes Schneider and Rob McCreary did an amazing job on this. I am very much looking forward to running it this weekend -- and I am hopeful that the high-bar set with The Haunting of Harrowstone can be kept up throughout the AP.
So take a bow Wes. You and your crew earned it.
Wow, thanks man! James gets credit in there too, as he developed this one. High praise indeed, though! So glad you’re enjoying it... and just wait and see what else is in store!
Oh, and if you REALLY think all that and have a min, tell folks about it in a quickie review here!
I'll leave the review for the Podcast -- but I'll link to it there when we cover it, I promise.
And yes I really do think that. The haunts are extremely well done and there is a lot of room to add things or build in hooks for other directions -- which is very nice. The story is engaging without being overwhelming and the funeral is a great In media res beginning. The Order of the Palatine Eye also has my complete interest. :)
Only real problem I can see in the module is the battle with TSM. That's an episode of TPK Theatre, right there. But, given that it is so obviously a potential problem, my expectation is that a few choice items placed elsewhere in the module will attend to that. (Yes, broach of shielding, I'm looking at you).
My One Complaint
My one significant complaint has nothing to do with the adventure or the module or the art itself. Still, that complaint probably is actually best addressed to you Wes, so here goes:
My complaint has to deal with the way you guys process your map images. The issue is the pixel width consistency of your map squares. It may be that Jared Blando delivers a perfect map turnover (proportions wise) -- and maybe not. If he isn't, a simple request to your cartographers to ensure that they do will go a long way to dealing with this problem.
But if Blando's work is technically correct, then your layout scaling here and there to make it fit on the page "better" is messing it up for those of us who try to use these maps to play the game digitally.
When that map is then exported for use in play with a VTT like d20Pro, the uneven widths in the pixel count that creep into a map grid hopelessly screws with the Fog of War features built into virtually all VTTs. This issue is, without a doubt, the most difficult element encountered when prepping to run a Paizo adventure path using a VTT. I recently interviewed the developers of d20Pro for the podcast and they agreed with my observations, too. They get the same complaints from users and it is very difficult for them to address after the fact.
We are going to be broadcasting our Carrion Crown sessions on the Podcast while using d20Pro to our Justin.TV channel. In a few weeks, I'll post you the link and show you how maddening this can be to play with and I'll highlight it with the digital equivalent of police tape and a chalk outline on the computer screen.
The best solution? Just make sure the cartographers make sure the middle of all exterior and interior walls all end up on the same width grid. If there is some valid artistic reason for them not to? Then that's fine as my guess is that it won't happen too often. Then, assuming they've got it right? *Don't mess with it in layout*. A few pixels here and there really does matter.
In terms of image processing, it would be most helpful for Paizo to add the "grid" overlay to your maps as a layer on Photoshop the same as you do for your room number legends. Please don't flatten the image. That way, the grid layer will be stripped out effortlessly when using Some PDF Image Extractor, the same way the Room Key and room features (pits. etc) are stripped out by it right now. (And all of this is done by the utility without the necessity of having to otherwise interfere with the .pdf file security itself)
If that is at all possible for Paizo to do? Every GM trying to run a Paizo AP in the future via D20Pro or Maptools will be extremely happy with that technical change to the way you create your .pdf files and finish the cartography layout of the APs.
Hopefully, we'll get to reviewing The Haunting of Harrowstone by Episode 016. (We are finishing up Ep 013 right now).
In terms of image processing, it would be most helpful for Paizo to add the "grid" overlay to your maps as a layer on Photoshop the same as you do for your room number legends. Please don't flatten the image. That way, the grid layer will be stripped out effortlessly when using Some PDF Image Extractor, the same way the Room Key and room features (pits. etc) are stripped out by it right now. (And all of this is done by the utility without the necessity of having to otherwise interfere with the .pdf file security itself)
Seconded on the grid as a separate layer!
And adding Fantasy Grounds 2 users in there too. :)|
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Seconded on the grid as a separate layer!
And adding Fantasy Grounds 2 users in there too. :)
Aye, that as well. I omitted it only because the overt commercial support for Pathfinder is not present as a pre-packaged rules bit for FG2. Though, in fairness, the framework for Pathfinder in Maptools isn't official either.
Whatever the case, some more love for VTT users (in the sense of just not breaking stuff) would be greatly appreciated.
To be clear, I don't propose Paizo do something "extra" per se, just take some different steps in terms of their technical art procedures so that compatibility and ease of use is maximized for VTT users to the extent that it reasonably can be. That's it; that's all.
None of this detracts from the content of The Haunting of Harrowstone itself, which, I want to repeat, is absolutely top shelf.
If Pathfinder RPG is the console? This is the Call of Duty: Black Ops that makes owning the console so awesome.
Many science words from the future.
Whoa. Okay. This is new technology for me, but I know several folks out there are doing exactly what you're doing. I'll kick this over to the art team and let them muse over how best to handle this. I know this sort of bonus utility is not foremost on their minds when they're trying to create artistic elements for print products, but if there's an easy fix that makes things more useful for folks out there it sounds like a worthwhile endeavor. We'll talk and see if we can't come up with something. Thanks S.W.!
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Seconded on the grid as a separate layer!
And adding Fantasy Grounds 2 users in there too. :)Aye, that as well. I omitted it only because the overt commercial support for Pathfinder is not present as a pre-packaged rules bit for FG2. Though, in fairness, the framework for Pathfinder in Maptools isn't official either.
Whatever the case, some more love for VTT users (in the sense of just not breaking stuff) would be greatly appreciated.
To be clear, I don't propose Paizo do something "extra" per se, just take some different steps in terms of their technical art procedures so that compatibility and ease of use is maximized for VTT users to the extent that it reasonably can be. That's it; that's all.
None of this detracts from the content of The Haunting of Harrowstone itself, which, I want to repeat, is absolutely top shelf.
If Pathfinder RPG is the console? This is the Call of Duty: Black Ops that makes owning the console so awesome.
Can it be Mass Effect 2 instead? Because that's the game I bought my console for :)
Read Through the adventure and think it's great.
The only complaint I have is that the interior Harrowstone map is 10 ft. scale. I realize the space concerns to keep it one page, but it makes it a pain to get it to 5 ft. scale
Read Through the adventure and think it's great.
The only complaint I have is that the interior Harrowstone map is 10 ft. scale. I realize the space concerns to keep it one page, but it makes it a pain to get it to 5 ft. scale
My big concern? Paizo keeps making huge maps!
I can fit the Harrowstone Prison on about... five smaller, more permanent maps, though. So that should be fine.
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Many science words from the future.Whoa. Okay. This is new technology for me, but I know several folks out there are doing exactly what you're doing. I'll kick this over to the art team and let them muse over how best to handle this. I know this sort of bonus utility is not foremost on their minds when they're trying to create artistic elements for print products, but if there's an easy fix that makes things more useful for folks out there it sounds like a worthwhile endeavor. We'll talk and see if we can't come up with something. Thanks S.W.!
I would like to see a map gallery made available to subscribers where you could download the jpegs of the maps, preferably without room numbers secret doors and hidden traps showing. I would happily pay a little extra for this facility so that I could quickly import into D20pro or print out as battlemaps for face to face games.
A start, Wes, would be to leave the mindset that you are creating
print products
behind. You are not. You are creating content, which is consumed by your customers in 101 different ways, including being printed on paper.
I've raised this topic before, when talking about why Paizo doesn't offer PDF subscriptions. I personally believe that certain high-ups in the company are far too wedded to the idea that they are publishers, producing books.
Hopefully, Wes, this topic will help you realise that your content is consumed by your customers in many ways, and that it would be great if you can take as many of their needs into account when producing your content as possible.
I would like to see a map gallery made available to subscribers where you could download the jpegs of the maps, preferably without room numbers secret doors and hidden traps showing. I would happily pay a little extra for this facility so that I could quickly import into D20pro or print out as battlemaps for face to face games.Many science words from the future.Whoa. Okay. This is new technology for me, but I know several folks out there are doing exactly what you're doing. I'll kick this over to the art team and let them muse over how best to handle this. I know this sort of bonus utility is not foremost on their minds when they're trying to create artistic elements for print products, but if there's an easy fix that makes things more useful for folks out there it sounds like a worthwhile endeavor. We'll talk and see if we can't come up with something. Thanks S.W.!
I would have to agree as it would be nice to have the maps available but what about in flip map or even tiled version would be nice. then you could scan your own tile to manage a map for d20Pro. I'm currently running my group through the carrion crown Harrowstone but I'm using a wet erase battle mat and it is a pain to wipe it every session and re-draw it out. I have went as far as grinding a poster board for the 2nd level and then wet erase the 1st floor, we haven't ventured into the basement yet but I imagine I will end up poster-boarding the rest of the map. Great adventure by the way and hats off to the mastermind(s) behind the curtain.
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Man, I have given up trying to scale the maps @_@
Take Ascanor Lodge, for instance. Taking the map out of the pdf its anywhere from 29 to 32 pixels for the width of each grid column. Also, the gridlines, when you zoom in, are sometimes 3px wide and sometimes 2px wide. Are these maps not drawn initially at a consistent scale, or are they just compressed in a manner from their base images that distort the gridlines?
The end result of these maps is impressive, but as someone who does cartography as about 1/2 of their work requirements, scale is very important. The apparent lack thereof across all three carrion crown books I've ran just seems contrary to the production quality of the rest of the products Paizo releases.
If anyone has any tricks on how to get these rectangular gridded maps into a VTT like Maptool or Fantasy Grounds with ease, please, let us know.