Thursday, May 28, 2020

QA06 - David Bezio style map

I picked up David Bezio's latest release Gatehouse on Cormac’s Crag a few days ago and I really enjoyed reading through it, but something hit home with the maps. Not my usual style but man, did they ever make me think of the good old days of gaming. I used to draw maps, then take a Sharpie-style marker and outline the map to show where the dirt was, much like I do today with hatching.

Which got me thinking as I drew this. I do like hatching, it adds a certain feel to a map and makes it more 'art' if you will, and are willing to make the leap from RPG map to art. Which is great but frankly I have been drawing hatching maps since....the early G+ days, around the fall of 2011. Darn near a decade of the same style....don't people ever get tired of it? And yes, I am looking at you. I am kinda getting tired of drawing the same style all the time. 

This was fast, fun, and best of all relaxing for me. I like the amateur feel, how it looks like some kid drew lines on a piece of paper. Maybe it is nostalgia, but fuck it, whatever, I like it. You nu skoolers can go fuck off and play your silly little skill based tactical game with photo realistic maps and pretend you are playing D&D. blech. 😝

Also, check out Dave's adventure, it really is a great, old school adventure module and probably long enough for a handful of sessions to take your little meat bags through a couple of levels.





PDF:

#EliteLevelMapping

13 comments:

  1. I like this style of map. As a DM it is easy for me to read and gets the point across. I honestly don't like the "New" full color maps put out in gaming books today, too hard for me to read.

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    1. I agree, the color maps - especially the photo-realistic maps - are far to hard for me to comprehend easily with a quick glance. This is one reason, and you may have noticed, on my color maps the colors are almost always washed out, someone called them 'water painting' style. That faded colors make the map more clear for me to understand at a glance.

      The only problem I see with the above style is home printing....gonna need an extra black ink cartridge! Or two!

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    2. Well, black ink is cheaper than color. And not everyone has a color printer.

      I find dark, monochromatic maps easier to read too. Things can get lost when there are too many colors.

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  2. This is a really great take on grubman's style. You captured it very well with this one.

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    1. "Grubman"? Not familiar with the name, but thank you!

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    2. Aha! Duh. I did not realize Dave went by the name grubman. Gotcha, thanks!

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    3. Yeah, that's his regular handle - he has had a very long forum presence, and I assumed everyone knew him as such. :)

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    4. I do not tend to hang around on forums much these days. In fact, if you asked me to find one the only one I can think of off the top of my head is EN World and I would not be caught dead there. ;-)

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  3. Great work, my friend. Straight outta 1985.

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    1. Thanks! Stay safe out there in the war zone!

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  4. Regarding Hatching:
    hatching = Dirt/Clay
    Solid black = stone/masonry
    That way you can make interesting areas where characters might find the ceiling more likely to collapse, Ankhegs and such are more likely to burst for from the wall, or locals might have dug out foxholes and trenches and such in the dirt.

    Plus it can make the map a bit more interesting to look at.

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  5. I know you don't like my maps I use on my stream, but I still like yours...

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