I've made a Map of all the different regions stuck together..
I can share it via Dropbox.
My email is in my info [click on the avatar or my name]
Or post your mail address here!
Invite sent
I'd love to see it.
I'd love to see it.
** spoiler omitted **
Sent
SentI'd love to see it.
** spoiler omitted **
That's awesome - exactly what I wanted. Now I just need to make a table of the distances between the major ports they're likely to visit...
Please! And thank you in advance. I do love seeing what others put together.
Yes, please. Me too.
Sent, sent, sent, sent...!
Enjoy!
If you're using any of the maps published in Paizo materials that is not in the Community Use Policy, you cannot distribute it. If they're original compilations of your own, that's different.
May I suggest that someone at Paizo look into splicing some of the maps in the campaign setting together so we can have an official map covering the costlines as well as the shackles area?
This would be exactly what the AP maps publication should have been...instead we got a blank map, a useless map and a blank map of Port Peril....What were you guys thinking?
*tumbleweed*
This would be exactly what the AP maps publication should have been...instead we got a blank map, a useless map and a blank map of Port Peril....What were you guys thinking?
Part of this was intentional. Part of this, in retrospect, we probably would have done differently and, to a degree, have.
For the blank map of Port Peril, that's how we typically do our city maps in map folios. Adding tags is, in many ways, adding spoilers and for a product many GMs will be using as campaign handouts and otherwise be putting in the hands of players, we don't want to undermine what the GM is keeping as a surprise. What is considered a spoiler is often a highly debatable thing - is putting the thieves guild base a spoiler (probably), what about the butcher shop that is home to an aranea (debatable), what about the totally normal tailor (probably not). But as we can't tag every building, as the status of spoilers is always a question, and as as we'd like GMs to have control over their games and what info gets revealed when, we tend to keep the tags for city maps in articles in campaign setting books and adventure paths. So that's the thinking there and i don't believe this is anything new.
As for the map of the Shackles, that was a tricky call. I believe the thinking was in part as above, competing with our completionist philosophies that lead us to prefer tagging either every island or no island (you can see which, for better or worse, won out here). The upside is the same as above, now the GM has complete control over revealing important information, and in a campaign as open as Skull & Shackles, that can be a serious boon (no GM really wants their PCs to sail off to Raptor Island instead of playing the second Skull & Shackles adventure just because it sounds cool and because they can). Additionally, the only maps we had of the region at the time were the one in Isles of the Shackles and the first three AP volumes, which means we didn't have all of the locations from Skull & Shackles yet (and, as that Adventure Path didn't complete until significantly after this map folio had to go to print, our production schedule caused some serious stumbling blocks there). So, rather than put out a map that couldn't be comprehensive, we put out one that followed our city map philosophies (again, for better, or worse).
Now, for the aftermath. First off, lesson learned. Before this was an issue for anyone on these boards this was an issue for us here at Paizo. Trying to put out an utterly comprehensive map tying together seven products at the busiest time of our year with our most seriously behind product line was not something we could handle or will be attempting again. And, with that in mind, we've made numerous adjustments in the structure of our development department and in our product outlining for future years - both to avoid this sort of burden and to assure the AP crew will have increased opportunity to aid in the creation of supplementary material in the future. Secondly, we put together this super tagged up free web supplement of the Shackles using the map specificly in question, which draws in hundreds of tags - nearly more than even a map of that high resolution can bear. It's a ton, and should give GMs looking to tour the shackles all the reference points and adventure sites they need and then some.
Ultimately, though, I know this has been an issue for a lot of folks and we're sorry for any problems it might have caused. Typically we don't like to let in-house production issues affect our readership, but I think this was a case where we made a call one way and should have made it another way - even if that would mean you wouldn't have this map folio until September. But when folks go out of their way to tell us they'd rather see something another way, we're happy to listen, which is why we put together that PDF, (in part) why we've adjusted the structure of our departments, and why we'll definitely be keeping the feedback here in mind for our next map folio.
Well, if my two cents are worth anything, there were two issues with the maps available.
1) The lack of tags and such. The web enhancement more than satisfied my needs there - it really is much better than I'd have even expected. Kudos
2) A single map should be available somewhere that includes all of the destinations which the PCs might visit since a large portion of the AP allows them to choose their own destinations. That means we need something (perhaps with only major ports listed) that covers the area from the the Eye and the Shackles all the way down the coast to at least Port Freedom (possibly further in both directions depending on where the AP goes after book 3). At the moment, the only such map in any product that includes all of these regions is the map of the entire inner sea region.
Thanks for the update and comments.
The Maps were a great let-down. Maybe I should allow my players only access to the blank map so they can fill it in as they explore...but to be honest that's kinda lame as some sort of map of the region would already exist.
Ideally I would like to have access to all the volumes before I DM an AP so I can see what is going to happen and which NPC's are important.
As I have chosen to run this AP before it's actually finished [available] I guess I should take on board what you have said. Maybe in a few months all the information required will be released and those running it at a later date will be better equiped. I appreciate that having all the info needed before the Maps are printed is difficult when some of us run the AP's straight from the get-go. You can't please all of us all of the time.
The Map I'm offering is exactly what Tem has suggested that we need.
It doesn't *spoil* anything. It doesn't publish anything trade-able, or sell-able. It just covers the areas above and below the Shackles.
Put it this way, no-one is going to use this map instead of buying the Inner Sea Guide! Without the purchase of the Inner Sea Guide and the AP editions, the map offers nothing at all.
Lyrrasarr@aol.com
A numbered hex-grid would make the maps more utilitarian, and allow DMs to know where everything is (with a simple reference sheet) while still maintaining mystery for the players.
I'd love to see some hex-maps from Paizo!
In a map-bound free sailing campaign a good (and spoiler free) map is... rather essential, since the players will be afloat and travelling most of the time. And it really should have been in the Player's Guide.
We use the net-version map, because frankly, most of the names are inspiring and invite for sidetrecks, as well as some ambiance. Nevermind the shipboard maps naming the islands for identification (and some fun scribbles by their previous owners
And without knowing which islands and ports appear as relevant parts of the AP, knwoing where an Island is... does not help much.
What would have been really awesome though, is would have be to combine the net-map with a more "mottled" appearance, similar to the cover background of the issues, some faded/burned edges, dark stains and perhaps some mysterious scribblings...
Because if anything is "piraty" it is an old, sepiad and inked map with dozens of strange names to pin on the wall^^ best splash some rum on it, too !
Don't sail there, there be Krakens !