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Old 15th August 2008, 09:09 AM   #3 (permalink)
Jan van Leyden
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Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Münster, Germany
Posts: 154
Jan van Leyden Goblin Sharpshooter (Lvl 2)
Apart from availbility, there might be another fundamental question: Do you want to create cool, good-looking maps with lots of details or are plainer maps concentrating on the information relevant for the gameplay sufficient?

If you look at the Dndjinni forums and the user-created maps shown there, you see real pieces of art, fit to be used in a professional product. But you'll have to invest time in each of those maps, even if you are a talented guy and have mastered the learning curve of the tool.

WotC's offer - if it really is published at some point in the future - will probably allow you to produce decent looking maps without so many possible variations in a short amount of time.

If plain maps are okay with you, you might also go the dummy way. Use a drawing program like CorelDraw or OpenOffice Draw, set up a 1-inch grid, draw your rooms, use a simple fill for the floor, and add several objects (rectangles, circles) for items like furniture. Ugly as the graphics of a 1980s Atari video game, but ready in 10 minutes. It only looks a little better than a battlemap drawn by hand, but meets the goal of being prepared beforehand.

Note: My Artistry skill bonus is at about -20. If you have invested skill points and maybe a feat into Artistry, your results will no doubt be better looking.

Huldvoll

Jan van Leyden
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