RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 32
,
Star Voter Season 9
|
Ice Wall – Carved with beautifully terrifying scenes of infernal glory
Ice Sculptures – Macabre carvings of various creatures. Some contain once living beings.
Slush Pool – Freezing cold water.
Ice Covered Chasm – Concealed by thin ice. Over 200 lbs. breaks through.
Ice Fort - Walls made of ice blocks.
James! Welcome back to the mapping round! It's everybody's favorite skill to put to the test, right? I can hear groaning from somewhere, I'm sure. Before I get into assessing your work this round, I'm making it a point to highlight for the voting public what they should be looking for in these map submissions. While some competitors will likely have access to snazzy computer software to produce a map that's almost ready for publication from the get-go, this isn't Cartography Superstar (though it'd be cool if that was ever thing, too, right?). Instead, the goal here is for a designer (someone usually more focused on writing) to pair his vision for adventure and encounter design with the rendering of a map which an actual cartographer can turn into a final map for publication.
That means, the designer needs to get enough into his or her map turnover that the cartographer can make sweet, sweet magic with it. And, believe me, there's nothing more amazing than envisioning a cool encounter in your head, writing it up, and then seeing a cartographer produce an amazing piece of mapping art to go alongside it. To make sure the cartographer can do that, you have to be clear with what you've drawn so they can interpret it correctly. If you're not clear, that makes your developer's job harder, as they have to go back in and correct things...consult with you on what those squiggles are meant to represent so they can inform the cartographer...or, in the worst of cases, completely redraw something if what you've given them is unusable or uninspired.
So, voters! Listen up! Please assess the maps these designers have provided as "first drafts" which a cartographer would then turn into a final map. Look for whether or not all the information is there to inform the encounter or location the designer has given us. Determine if the location would make for cool play at the game table. Rate the creativity behind it all. And, lastly, consider how well the designer used his or her 50 words of additional text to inspire or refine what they've given us. That's what I'll be trying to do in the feedback that follows.
Does the map provide enough information?
Yeah, mostly. It's a little hard to pick out, but we get a compass rose, a scale, and a legend. Lots of elevation indicators and icy terrain features. It's clearly the den of a ice devil given the title and the objects depicted on the map. So, I think we get the core idea behind it. One recommendation when doing maps. Draw it in pencil first, then go back and trace back over everything with bold, black ink. It makes the scanning come out much more sharply. Once you're done with that, go the extra mile and bring it up with image editing software. You don't have to go crazy trying colorize everything, but at a minimum, type in your labels, legend text, and map title so they're as sharp and crisp as the drawing itself. It'll help both with your own professional presentation, but it also make it easier on your developer and the cartographer.
Does the map provide a cool setup for a fun encounter?
It can. It's mostly a single encounter location. The presumable ice devil can likely stride or fly across the entire thing with relative ease, so the implied "zones" depicted on the map...from throne to fort...don't really have enough distance between them to make for a multi-location encounter. The ceiling is high enough for the devil's flight ability to come into play. There are hazards and obstacles to consider, as well as high ground to take. Anyone trying to counter the devil with fire is going to be in for a surprise if it's near the patch of brown mold. So, that's a nice touch! Could be fun!
Is the map creative and interesting?
Somewhat. There are a lot of neat nuances to the features inside this devil's den. The slush pool and throne, the macabre ice sculpture statues, the ice wall, the concealed ice chasm, the distant ice fort, etc. But, at the same time, the fort's wall thickness doesn't look very realistic and its size seems rather suspect. Even if it's populated with Medium-sized creatures, there aren't going to be very many of them inside. And I doubt the devil needs a fort all that much, and there doesn't seem to be a gate to keep anything out...or in. So, it's mostly just a great, big cavern for a probable fight with an ice devil wherein some of the terrain features will make for a memorable encounter, depending on how many the devil can use to its advantage.
Is the designer's extra 50-word commentary inspiring and useful?
Useful? Yes. Inspiring? Not quite as much, though I do get some strong visuals of possible ways the map features can impact a battle or general exploration. These words are mostly designer notes with a couple of extra details on the cavern's features.
Final verdict, the premise behind the map is sound, but I'm not sure there's enough room to do it justice. The various features of the locale could provide some entertaining elements to an encounter, though. But, as depicted, they come across like a grab bag of goodies to deploy against the players than expanding on the character of the ice devil's den. I don't know. I see what you're going for...it's got a lot of promise...and I'm sure a cartographer could go crazy with punching this up visually. So, I'm going to put myself ON THE FENCE but I'm about to fall off on the side of recommending against it. Regardless, good luck in the voting. You've got an uphill battle to draw people in with your ideas and the depiction of your map, but let's see if you get another opportunity to wow folks in Round 3.
But that's just my two cents,
--Neil
Hello there! I'll be one of the judges for this round, and I'll be looking at a couple of key points for your map: readability, usability, and how fun this would be to run as GM. For some background, I helped found the Wayfinder fanzine before I started working for Paizo, and have done work as a freelance cartographer.
Readability
The map is pretty small, and there's not enough line variation to make out the details easily.
Usability
Icy dens are always handy to have, and the addition of the brown mold spots is a nice hazard to face. The provided text definitely adds some nice elements, and this could easily be repurposed into a white dragon's lair. The ice fort feels a little tacked on, through, and I'm not sure why the throne is in the middle of the map.
Fun Factor
Changing the terrain always throws a monkey wrench into player expectations for an encounter, especially if they're not prepared for an slippery icy expanse.
Final Thoughts
The indistinct linework doesn't help make this map distinctive, though some of the text description helps make up for it. I do not recommend this map for advancement.
|
|
This is the second map I've seen submitted in small format. Unlike the first one, even though it is blurry when I zoom in, I can make out some of the map key. However, it lacks the crisp, clean lines of the other small entry, which makes the half of this that I can't read impossible to discern. Sadly, this means I can't vote for it, but I wish you good luck!
James! The lair of an ice devil. It's an interesting scene for a fight, probably the capstone to an adventure. I see a lot of terrain to play around with here, which is good, but... It's way too much for a single creature to make sure of. Barring a scenario where every time the devil gets hit, it teleports away, PCs will probably deal with only one or two of these in a fight, and the rest is extra, unneeded work. Perhaps this would have been better broken into several mid-sized rooms that could at least have different fights in them. It's even almost set up that way, ist with lines of statues and terrain features instead of proper walls.
I'm also sad to see your maps resolution is so small. Coupled with doing the whole thing in pencil makes it really hard to read. While a sharpie or a pass in Photoshop (or gimp, or even paint) would be preferable, even going over the map in pen would have made a world of difference.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I feel for you. The computer-fu side of this round terrified me, as I had NO IDEA how to convert from PDF to JPEG (Short answer: I create my maps in PDF, since I have no access to a scanner), much less size it at the appropriate DPI size.
I eventually figured out how to convert from PDF to JPEG, after a mass-email to everyone I knew, but I can imagine that you might have been in a similar situation, and not known how to scale the map size.
Unfortunately, the map IS hard to read. From what I can see, I feel that the "Ice Fort" should be more than just a wall. Give us rooms, furniture, whatever.
Tough luck.
|
RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 32
,
Star Voter Season 9
|
I feel for you. The computer-fu side of this round terrified me, as I had NO IDEA how to convert from PDF to JPEG (Short answer: I create my maps in PDF, since I have no access to a scanner), much less size it at the appropriate DPI size.
I eventually figured out how to convert from PDF to JPEG, after a mass-email to everyone I knew, but I can imagine that you might have been in a similar situation, and not known how to scale the map size.
Unfortunately, the map IS hard to read. From what I can see, I feel that the "Ice Fort" should be more than just a wall. Give us rooms, furniture, whatever.
Tough luck.
Thanks for the encouraging words Jason.
And good luck to you!
Not a fan of the lack of a secondary entrance.
You've got a classic title and concept. The map is tiny, and I wish I could see it better. Spending some time with it, I think I can make out most of it. I encourage others to do the same, it's possible!
It feels like you've put some thought into the idea. You've thought about what an ice devil might have in his den, what might make it unique and challenging.
The map itself seems a little random, though, with things in odd places. It really is one big room with some stuff scattered around it.
I'm not sure I get the ice fort. It feels small for a fort. Once you're inside, what you see is what you get and you can cover the whole thing very quickly. I think it might have been better to have left the ice fort off.
I like the thought behind the elements of the room, but it would be good to have more though into the flow of the players moving/fighting through it.
Thanks for the encouraging words Jason.
And good luck to you!
Thanks. I'm not actually in this round, though. I was doing the map stuff because I knew I passed all the culls, and the announcement was delayed 1 day, giving us less time to work. So I was just getting ahead of the contest, knowing time would be short. But I appreciate the "good luck" comment. Maybe next year. Good luck to you too.
My first and probably last day to look at maps before voting closes. So here be the short version critique.
Initial reaction: cool name... wha??
understandability: -+
visuals: --
adventurous: +-
inspired: is there a cold equivalent of lava? if so it should be here. Cool name, looks like a lot of stuff going on, but really struggling to see the faint lines though...
Vote: Probably not
Apologies, these critiques of maps and Top 32 items took too long, and I'm just not going to be able to do my full write up for your map.
I think you map, as it is, would not make a good flip-mat product. It doesn't have to, but I think a superstar would have done that AND had an evocative encounter hinted at.
The small size my be your enemy here, but the lack of details on the Ice Fort etc. just don't let me know if this would be worth it.
I’ll start by telling you what I think a good map does. It sparks the imagination of the viewer. It whispers stories of events yet to come and invites a GM to spread their toes in a sandbox of creativity. It presents mysteries that need to be solved and beckons players to open every door, delivering on each area’s promise that more adventure awaits ahead. There are some technical elements that can help.
Is it readable? I don’t expect I would have had a problem reading this if it were sized better.
Are there multiple choices for the PCs to make? If not, does the map present a path for the action to flow in? It depends on the goal. Defense of the Ice fort could lead to some interesting tactical discussions among the players. Trying to attack it seems pretty straight forward. It looks like there’s enough defensive features to create some strife though.
Does the map utilize the space well? Well enough, but the legend could have been scaled down a little more to make room for extra terrain features.
Are the elements presented well thought out and make sense for the environment? I can’t really tell what parts are where. The valley that ends with an ice fort makes sense though, and it’s clear you did populate it with features that work to the advantage of the occupants. The fort could do with some rooms, though I’m not sure they’re be space for it. Perhaps the that could be the opposite side of a flip mat, but then all you really need to depict on this side would be the outer defensive wall. Another consideration is that ice devils are CR 13 creatures, which means PCs would probably just fly over the defensive terrain features by the time a fight with one of them would be appropriate. Maybe fighting one isn’t the goal here though, and that could make for some interesting adventure ideas. It also might not be a literal "ice devil," which also gives rise to a few ideas.
Is this a map I would like to use more than once? PCs could take the fort, then defend it, so sure.
So, back to the initial question: does this map spark the imagination? It might. You have some nice core ideas and the environment is a rich one to work with.