Rise of the Runelords via Virtual Table Top?

[Amzu Imdugug]

My GM just bought the hardback of Rise of the Runelords Anniversary Edition at Gencon, and now our group is super excited to run it. . . problem is we are Virtual Table Top (VTT) because we all live in different places.

Does anyone have advice or suggestions on how to get the maps from the hardcover into digital format for use in a VTT (we use I-tabletop).

I'm thinking about getting the map folio for him in pdf but reading the reviews it does not seem to be a complete map pack for the adventure path.???

He is really busy so would rather not make him scan all the images from the book.

Would it make sense to purchase the pdf of ROTHRL for $40 even though he has already purchased the hardback? Would this make it easier for him to get the maps and image assets he needs ? (sure wish Paizo would allow you add the pdfs to your downloads for free (or at least discounted) if you buy the hardback)

Any suggestions, insight, or advice on how to get maps and imagery from print APs into VTTs would be very appreciated.

Thanks!

Rob

[Hjolmaer]

Does someone else in your group have access to a scanner that could scan them in for him?

[sozin]

Scanning is incredibly laborious. Your buddy will blow more than $40 of labor time doing that. Easiest solution is to purchase the pdf and use one of the image export programs (Adobe Acrobat or Some PDF Export Export [free])

[Rob Dutkiewicz]

Yeah I figured scanning would be laborus. We all have scanners and i have more free time than him, if we lived closer I might do the scanning. But I also don't want to spoil the adventure for myself by having a preview of the battlemaps.

Good advice on the image extract tool I will check that out and tell him about it.

Does anyone know if the Rise of the Runelords map folio is complete with all the encounter/ battlemaps? If so I will just buy that. If not I suppose I need to buy the PDF of the whole AP for him (since he just spent the money on the hardcover).

[Haladir]

This thread should probably go in either the RotRL board or the Tech board.

You don't need to use a PDF extractor with the Paizo PDFs. You can right-click an image right in the PDF, and select "Save As..." and you can save the image as a BMP or JPG. You will need to use some kind of editor to split apart some maps, though. Honestly, you can just open the graphic, blow it up as big as you can, and then use Snipping Tool (in Windows 7) or Grab (in Mac OS X) to select the sections you need. Save them as separate files, then drop them in your VTT of choice.

Pulling the maps out of the PDF is one way to go. Scaling them so that the grids match up can be a pain, so some people prefer just using the drawing tools in your VTT to make your own interpretation of the map. You can then play with them a bit (or a lot) if you want to. Plus, if you draw your own interpretation of a Paizo map (even if it's functionally identical), you can post it on the Internet under the Community Use Policy. You can't share maps if you've included any Paizo artwork.

I've been meaning to clean up the maps I've drawn in MapTool that comply with the CUP, and post them to share. However, I'm having a tough time keeping up with regular GM prep, so it may be a while before I can do that.

[uriel222]

Also, before you do anything TOO drastic, if you can hold off for about a month, Paizo should be releasing their own Virtual Table Top, and who knows what kind of Runelords goodies might be available then?

[sozin]

Quote:

You don't need to use a PDF extractor with the Paizo PDFs. You can right-click an image right in the PDF, and select "Save As..." and you can save the image as a BMP or JPG.

This is also true. (Personally I find this too manual, but YMVW.)

For rescaling, the following trick works quite well.

Quote:

Does anyone know if the Rise of the Runelords map folio is complete with all the encounter/ battlemaps?

It is mostly complete. Some of the battlemaps have changed. For example, the final boss fight at the very end of the AP has a different map. I think there are a few others that are different, but I could be wrong.

[Rob Dutkiewicz]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I think we are going to just grab the AP pdf and extract the battlemaps from it and also grab the map folio. sounds like that will be the least prep work for my GM.

We're planning to start next Friday. Maybe the gamespace will be out by then.

Thanks again!