Product Suggestion

[Herolover]

As stated, this is just a suggestion and I don't even know if it is possible.

I have noticed there are a lot of nice maps in several of the books currently published by HERO. Specifically:
Shades of Black
Viper: Coils of the Serpent
Champions Battlegrounds
Sharper Than a Serpents Tooth

If you could take the maps in these books, and any others that you have such as Fantasy Battlegrounds, scan them into PDF form you could create a PDF map product.

I really don't even think you would have to put any kind of information with the maps, just include the maps as is. I am sure you could sell it for 9.99 at least. I know I for one would be happy to buy it.

Just an idea.

[Steve Long]

Since we consider the maps one of the selling points of those books, we'd rather not offer them separately or individually. ;)

[Agent X]

How about a set of generic maps as a pdf? How about maps and layouts of hard to find buildings or vehicles? There is some talk about the lack of comprehensive floorplans for ships, for instance. It would be nice to have layouts of those huge starships that you give stats for.

Are they simply too expensive to have someone draw up to make it worthwhile?

[Steve Long]

We're not going to sell maps, generic or otherwise, as PDFs. Maps are expensive to produce, and PDFs don't sell well enough to justify the cost. If you want that sort of thing, check out RPGNow.com, which has several such products produced by people who have ways of doing it where they can either manage to make a little money, or don't care if they make money.

[AndyStaples]

One option would be to make your own maps. There are several RPG-orientated mapping suites available.

My own preference is for Profantasy Software's Campaign Cartographer 2 and its associated add-ons, which I'd recommend for anyone using Windows. It's as easy as pie to add a 2m hex grid to a CC2 map, and you can print out so that grid comes out as 1" hexes (though for a decent sized map you'll probably have to print onto several sheets and stick them together).

I'm sure other people will have different recommendations.

[Agent X]

Originally posted by Steve Long
We're not going to sell maps, generic or otherwise, as PDFs. Maps are expensive to produce, and PDFs don't sell well enough to justify the cost. If you want that sort of thing, check out RPGNow.com, which has several such products produced by people who have ways of doing it where they can either manage to make a little money, or don't care if they make money. Thanks for the response, especially the explanation. :)

[Derek Hiemforth]

Plus, at least for my money, if I was going to buy a book of maps just for maps, I'd like them to be professional quality. For example, if the map was of an office building, I'd like the map to be created by someone who understands architecture, building engineering, and so on, so that the map is accurate. Such people probably don't come cheap enough to do freelance mapwork for little or no money. :)

[AndyStaples]

I can probably do you something reasonably accurate for 9th to 15th-century England, and moderately accurate for other parts of the British Isles.

Hint 1: for wood-framed buildings, it all depends on the lengths of the timbers you can get.

Hint 2: for stone buildings, it depends on the building technology: pointed arches, rib vaults and flying buttresses give you a lot more flexibility.

Hint 3: medieval builders didn't have calculations for tensile strength and load-bearing ability. They worked either by knowledge handed down, or by trial and error. In the latter case, some buildings that stood up have survived to the present day, causing us to admire the sturdy, grandiose designs of medieval masons; however, the more daring buildings often fell down within a few years.

However, get to the great rebuilding of the 16th/17th centuries, when brick started becoming common again, and I'm as ignorant of the architectural principles as the next gamer...

[Herolover]

The reason I look for maps is I have a physical limiation.

Physical Limitation: Unable to tell distances.

This has caused me great problems. Unless it is related to a football field I have a hard time telling how long or wide something should be.

Example: How wide is a road? How wide/long is the normal building?

You tell me "go twenty feet" and I will look at you stupidly.