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Town of Griffon Falls
Nice looking map reference here upon first glance.
there is a compass rose and scale present on the map.
Good use of page space.
Nicely drawn and colored, everything is very easy to see here.
I would enjoy working on this city map, it is well thought out.
I do recommend this map to progress to round 3
Contributor
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The Good
This is a town map, so extra points for taking a more difficult route.
This is a well-labeled and clearly drawn map. I could turn this into a final map with no additional information. The color-coded tiers go a long way toward communicating the landscape.
The town layout and streets feel fairly organic.
It has a scale, compass, and key and makes good use of them all.
The Bad
Built as it is along a river on a steep incline, I'm shocked to not see the riverfront lined with mills.
There's only one road in or out of town, and it's not very big. Why is this the end destination from only one place?
My Judgement
A decent town map with a little flavor, communicated well. I weakly recommend this entry for advancement to the next round.
Modules Overlord
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Drawing from my blog on maps, and the rules for the round, I’ll judge the maps on a number of questions.
Is It a Full Page Map?
Yep.
Does The Map Have A Compass Rose and Scale? Are They Used Well?
Yes, and probably. A waterfall that runs exactly north-south is odd, but not impossible. The town has buildings in the roughly-20-foot size range, so I'd need to know its population to know if that's reasonable.
Is The Map A Place I Want To Adventure?
Yeah, it is.
Towns can be boring. Town adventures often work best when there is some hook to hang them on. This town has multiple platform tiers, and a huge waterfall. It also has evocative names for some roads (Clerk's row), some sections of town, and even a keep. That's plenty to spice up any adventure set here.
Is the Map Clear?
Yes, and the color-coded tiers helps with that a lot. Also, every building can be accessed from a road, which is good.
Is the Map Detailed?
In addition what everything a town has to have, there's a memorial park, trees, terrain of various heights – plenty for a cartographer to illustrate and gamers to play with.
Is the Map Imaginative?
The buildings themselves are a bit dull and uniform (a few odd shapes and curves would spice things up a lot), but the core concept itself helps elevate the whole map.
I do recommend this map to advance to round 3.
I think this one is the best of the town maps this round. I've done plenty of settlement map turnovers so I know its difficult to make an interesting and flavorful settlement (plus, I personally hate drawing all those buildings). This map is nice, clear, and well-labelled so I can get a sense of the town. Nice work!
It looks bustling. I love the overbuilt, mixed-use neighborhoods along the river.
RPG Superstar 2014 Top 16
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Marathon Voter Season 7, Marathon Voter Season 8
aka Jrcmarine
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I put on my Wanderer's Coat the other day and ended up in the Town of Griffin Falls. It seemed to be a happy little town with a lot going on. The panhandling should be good. I was confused by the lack of Griffons anywhere in the town but one of the locals straightened me out on that point. I usually only spend a day or two in a town before donning my Wanderer's Coat and teleporting away, but the Town of Griffin Falls captured my attention and I stayed for much longer than I normally would.
Great job, DQ. Town maps are hard and you did a very nice one. Kudos!
24th map I have seen, your current rank is 9th.
I was expecting almost all encounter maps, so I'm impressed at the risk you took in doing something else.
I'm torn, though. I think you've done a very nice village town, especially considering the multiple levels. I feel like there are things I could learn about mapping by looking at this map and wondering how I can incorporate into my own village maps.
That said, at the same time, there's nothing about this map that makes me say I want to set an adventure here or have my PCs find their way here for some reason. It's a very competent village, but it's not exciting me. I see small glimpses (The Witch's Watch, for example), but overall, I don't know why I would need this map over any other village map.
I'm on the fence on this one. Right now, I think I won't be voting for it, but I am curious about what else you would do, DQ, so will be happy if you advance and may vote for it based on that (depending on how many other maps I end up feeling strongly about).
Challenge: Is this map difficult to execute? Does it in my opinion demonstrate the characteristics of a Superstar designer?
Technique: Did the designer show some skill and consideration in the choices made on the map. Are the words used in the key wise choices that add to the overall utility of the map?
Utility: Can a GM/cartographer make sense of the map and make immediate use of it?
Overall: I'll rate the Map as an A for strong recommends B for weak recommends C on the bubble D for weak rejects F for Do not recommends
Challenge: Settlements are easy mode and need something special to raise them to superstar.
Technique: Color is helpful, you went less basic with layout and there are clear points of interest. You used your key and what little word available to convey story expertly.
Utility: I could totally make use of this map and may well do so. I would not find it a difficult art challenge.
Overall: +C as in upper end for the bubble for me. If I had 16 votes this is in but I have 8... there's in my eyes 8 maps that out compete it which unfortunately puts it in jeopardy. Best settlement map for me.
My favorite thing: You chose to do a town and you did it really well.
Other things I like: There are lots of details and multiple levels and it's all very clearly presented. You obviously put a lot of thought into this little town.
My least favorite thing(s): I think the grey colors could be a little more different to make the levels more obvious, and there is a section in the top left (above the cemetery) that appears to be a 5th color grey and I have no idea what its elevation is.
Will I vote for it: This is a tough one, because the location isn't super exciting but it is very well done. However I appreciate that you took a risk, and since this is easily the best non-encounter are map, I think you'll get my 4th vote for being best in group.
This is a solid town map. I like differences in terrain and that the town's layout has a very organic feel to it. I can almost see a time lapse of its growth in my mind's eye. The important themes--government, commerce, religion--have their designated areas, and there are little unique touches (pilgrim's stair, witch's watch) that give the place its own flavor. Good job, and best of luck in this round.
Almost all the buildings are rectangular which isn't awesome. But the town feels very real, with the cramped lower town and the more spacious upper town for the rich. I really like your use of different colours to indicate relative height.
The concern others have about not enough roads is one I share but could be easily fixed by expanding the road west and having a road head east just south of the bridge or something indicating a crossroads off the map to the south.
I could easily see this as the location the PCs operate out of and occasionally have adventures in.
There is a lot going on in this map and yet it can be clearly read. It has places that are clearly lower, middle, and upper class with a number of points of interest. I really like how the different elevations are handled as well.
No inns or taverns are delineated which is a bit of a wonder. These are important spots for adventurers, even if they are hackneyed. Still, in a more expansive encounter key those could easily be shown. I think my only real issue here is that unlike many of the other maps, there doesn't appear to be much of a story. This could be a setting for an interesting adventure, but there isn't much here that is fantastic other than a somewhat spectacular water feature.
I would have voted for this entry, but I am limited to eight and there are a number that I like more. So I won't be voting for it.
Feels cluttered, and overall rather uninspiring. Could be any town from any fairly nondescript campaign setting - the name is kinda dull too. Even has the usual outlying mystical location.
It all makes perfect sense socio-economically for the layout, and the Pilgrim's stair is a nice touch. It's logical, just not very interesting.
Nice details and I actually see two roads leading into the town. One from south, one from west. I'm more confused about there being no buildings on the other side of the river. The town feels so clustered that you would think someone would want a bit of their own space to stretch their arms properly. Then again, there's only one entrance into the upper town that looms over the poor so it just might be that no one has permission to build on the other side of the river. Who knows.
All the names are very evocative and especially The Pilgrim's Stairs and The Witch's Watch are good adventure hooks. All except the town's name itself, which is clichéd, but sometimes that's not a bad thing. At least it's easy to remember.
I could have used a bit larger map key and more explanations about where the important locations are. And if you're going to name one street, name all the major ones at least.
All in all I do like this and think it's the best non-encounter map we have this round. Very strong maybe from me.
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Modules Overlord
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Official Round 2 Note: On Map Resolution
We’ve had some comments on legibility of smaller type on the maps, and the contestants are (by the rules of the contest), not allowed to clarify anything, so I want to make a general statement about maps and resolution.
When we required all contestants to present maps at a specific dpi and size, we did so because in past years we’ve had some issues with maps (for the encounter round) being sent to us in different sizes, resolutions, and dpi, making it difficult to give them all a high-quality presentation for the contest. We found that asking for a higher dpi than we’ll use in the end allowed us to create a standard of presentation that kept all images crisp and clean. For encounter-round maps, this has worked well.
Unfortunately, since this round requires all text be provided on the maps themselves, many contestants used the dpi and size standards we required as the basis for making sure their text is clear, and otherwise tried to keep words as small as possible so as to not clutter their maps. This was done in the (reasonable) belief that the maps should look good at the size we asked for, rather than in any different size we might present on our website. When resized for smaller, high-quality images, this can result in words that aren’t clearly legible.
We’ve made a change to rescale everything to the higher end of maximum image size for uploaded images for all maps that were entered this round. This should allow for better legibility for voters when selecting their favorite maps to advance in the contest. It is our fault that this process was not properly communicated to our contestants, so consider this when adjusting or finalizing your selections.
Obviously, we’ll explain what is going to happen to the images of maps, and how to allow for it, more clearly in future rounds (and future contests). My apologies to any contestant with a map that has suffered as a result of how we handled scaling in this round.
RPG Superstar 2012 Top 16
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Star Voter Season 6, Dedicated Voter Season 7, Dedicated Voter Season 8
aka FaxCelestis
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http://i.imgur.com/YA6hgYc.jpg
Here is how your map appears to a colorblind end user. Unlike most of the other entries, your map's visibility seems to increase for a colorblind user. Are you colorblind yourself?
Here are my ratings for this map:
First Look: A
Good looking town map
Interest Level of Location: B
A fairly typical fantasy town. Very well executed. The details make me want to explore it.
Tactical Depth: NA
I am not rating this category for maps that are not of a tactical scale.
Adventure Potential: B
This town has every location I would need to build an adventure, but there aren't many true adventure hooks in the map.
Clarity: A
Easy to interpret.
Logic: A
Very realistic town.
Overall: A-
I am critiquing this without having read others' first:
Colorful, but it is actually a little distracting in this case.
Useful key.
Nice use of color to indicate elevation, but I'm sure it would be done differently in a final product.
I'm really surprised there is no back wall on Highcliff.
Residences and shops and such and parks all clearly marked.
Weird that a river is called the Pilgrim's Stair. Oh wait I see the outline now...that's hard to see as the background elevation color distracts.
It is a city...I think that a city map is a trap for this round. It is pretty hard to make a city interesting and superstar.
Overall, this is very middling for me. It is a good map but I just...don't really care all that much about it. There's not much interesting going on, there's not a story, and city maps don't entice me to adventure there.
I thought this map was good and interesting. There were just too many maps that I thought were better. Just missed my top-16.
Good Luck
First off: Congratulations on making Round 2, and the best of luck in the votes!
Coolness: Do I look at this, and want to use it in a game? Does it provoke wonder or amazement? Does it hold potential for interesting encounters, adventures or roleplay? How much mileage does this map have in it?
Usability: How usable is this for me as a GM (being that GMs are actually the primary audience of most maps)? Is the legend clear and in logical order for play? Does it give me enough information to easily visualize the parts and wax poetic about the varied locations? Does it have the necessary details for me to run with it on the fly, or will it involve a lot of improvisation? Does it have any glaring oddities that stop me mid-breath to go "what the hell is that?!"?
Craftsmanship: Is it clear, legible and containing all the necessary bits and bobs? Does it make good use of the space? Is the scale appropriate for the detail (and visa versa)?
(I suppose you could also call them "Creativity, Functionality and Skill", but I like my terms better :P).
Coolness: B+
- Positive: What makes or breaks a town map is the details, and here we have plenty of it, and it is well thought through, bringing the town to life in my eyes. I can see this being a home base for the heroes, or the setting for a small urban adventure, or even a 'defend the town against the horde/monster' adventure. It's got scope, it's got character, it's got detail. Even the little details like the shrine to Pharasma and graveyard being outside the city gates is just awesome.
- Negative: It is a great town map, but it lacks that little bit of creative mojo to make me want to find any excuse I can to use it. Instead it's an old classic done brilliantly and with a keen eye for detail. My only wish is a couple more unique locations; An inn, an iconic store, the residence of an important individual, etc.
- Verdict: B+ It's a brilliant town map, but by shooting for practicality over creativity, not as inspiring as it could be.
Usability: A
- Positive: Named roads and wards, with notes with regard to function, and easy to read details on elevations make this easy to use. As icing on the cake, ensuring that "What you see as you come in the gate" is provided for the GM to give the all important first-impression of the place. Awesome.
- Negative: As mentioned earlier, there are a few extra named and labeled buildings I'd want, including an inn at least.
- Verdict: Definite A.
Craftsmanship: A
- Positive: Scale is logical, detail is abundant, usage of page space is excellent and all information provided is clear and legible.
- Negative: The woods on the other side feel a bit empty and unused, but that's my only complain here.
- Verdict: Another definite A in my book
Overall: A-
A very well done city map. A risky choice, too. Nothing really here that makes me want to have or run an adventure here, though.
Life is still crazy, but internet is finally working well again, so here's some feedback:
Griffon Falls - Great town, professional quality, interesting hooks, want to use it for my game...
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Great job! This map got my vote. :)
Thank you for inspiring adventures in my mind!
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Thanks all for some very valuable feedback, both specific praise and specific questions/suggestions/criticisms/"why didn't you do this...?" is incredibly helpful, and I'm flattered to hear some of you want to use this for some of your games.
I will address specific concerns later (on a quick lunch break--and well, may not get to it if I get into the top 16 for awhile). I am also tempted, once I have time, to redraw the map in CC3 for a final version (this is handdrawn with digital colors in case that's not clear), as long as that's okay with Paizo (since they own the rights to the design [CC3 licenses finished maps to the creator so that's not an issue in and of itself]).
I will answer one question now -- no, I'm not colorblind. :) I think I got lucky--I suspect the neutral gray background helps the objects pop even if the color tones can't be perceived accurately (but I chose the color because it was supposed to be a rocky environment, so that result is for better or worse coincidental). I did make sure the problematic colors (red and green) were assigned to distinctly different shapes (houses and trees). I'm glad it worked out, and I'm glad to know about the online tool to check for the future.
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Okay, monster's submitted, trial for jury duty is over, the day is ending.... let's address some more.
First of all, thanks all for all of your feedback -- positive, negative, indifferent, all is informative and helpful.
I sat down at one point writing a point-by-point response to various concerns and I realized the majority came down to one lesson:
Label more stuff. Label houses, label random things, label inns, label the highways, label the hunting grounds across the river, label more points that could be adventure hooks, label label label.
Why didn't I label more?
First, this was my presumption, but I felt like since this was supposed to be a focus on the design itself, and I didn't want too much text to be distracting. Perhaps not the right choice. The parameters were so wide, I found gauging how much information to provide to be quite difficult. How much to explain and how much to leave to imagination? I guess based on responses, the answer is don't leave anything to the imagination at all. Draw for a specific gazetteer or encounter, not for a map folio. (Note: I feel like the above may come off as complaining or begging off---I am not complaining. Just trying to explain my thought process and that I understand where I went wrong.)
Secondly, I was concerned about legibility. I hate looking at a map where the font is teeny teeny tiny and I can't read anything (often indeed because it was designed for print but presented online). There was a particular challenge here as we were asked for a screen-ish resolution (if a larger one) but a print size, and with only some amateur experience at graphics production, I wanted to err on the side of caution. I opted for larger font that would be readable on as many screens as possible. But this meant that I had to include less text.
Unfortunately, I had no way of knowing that my efforts to ensure readability wouldn't matter as they would fix that issue later. So it goes. (I do hope next year the judges specify a size good for monitors in web resolution.)
I probably could have better prioritized what information I did label. Of course I should have marked where the inn was (for the record, it is two blocks to the east of the memorial park, the backwards-L shaped building and the little shed next it). I was more concerned about conveying more governmental logistics for some reason--and that probably makes sense for city design in general, but I of course should have prioritized conveying what is useful for adventure design.
A few other things -- there was a textile mill in my first draft. It disappeared. I expect the griffon fell on it. (Seriously, somehow I forgot to re-add it in subsequent drafts. Major oversight.) There are two highways but I probably could have highlighted them more and also made sure they hooked up better. I forgot to label the very highest level of the cliff (the blob above the cemetery is Woodcliff; "Highcliff" is where the temple to Gozreh is, the area above that I forgot to key/label because there's no buildings on it save the witch's hut). I should have made it clearer Cliffshadow was carved straight into the cliffside, which I hoped would make it an intriguing possible adventure site (maybe even then, that's not enough). Houses aren't terribly varied in shape because I was afraid in a hand-drawn map odder-shaped buildings might just look like unidentifiable anomalies (but in the hypothetical universe where I'm handing this to a pro cartographer, I'd say if he wanted to vary up the buildings as his artistic heart led him, to go for it).
I dig that some folks ain't that into town maps, and others like them. I knew I was taking a risk there--and I guess it paid off! :) Me, I love city maps more than any other kind of map (Cityscapes is my favorite 3.x supplement). I had some overlands, encounters, settlements all to consider for what to finalize and submit. I chose the town map because drawing town maps IS hard, but more because I LOVE town maps and I could only hope I might be able to convey that love through my work. I'd like to think I was at least somewhat successful on that part. Also, this let me save my encounter map ideas for round 4 if I get that far. :) And if I gained anything from this competition so far--beyond of course a gajillion great pieces of advice about Pathfinder design--it's that I really like maps and drawing them even more than I realized.
I'm very happy many of you liked this--that it looks bustling is a terrific compliment, as is James's delightful narrative involving my very failed wondrous item from last year. :) And to hear from Robert Lazzaretti that he would enjoy working on this -- WHAT a compliment. Thank you very much. And thanks again to all of you for your support and feedback.