25 Quick & Dirty Map Tutorials Guide Book

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25 Quick & Dirty Map Tutorials Guide Book



Author/Cartographer: Michael K. Tumey
Publisher: Gamer Printshop
Book: soft cover, full color interior printed book and PDF
Pages (estimated): 248

25 Quick & Dirty Map Tutorials Guide Book offers 25 easy-to-understand, step-by-step map tutorials using any standard graphics software! (Photoshop, GIMP, Illustrator, Inkscape, Xara Photo & Graphic Designer) by RPG industry cartographer, Michael K. Tumey.

Funding Goal: $3,750 - 25 Quick & Dirty Map Tutorials Guide Book
1st Stretch Goal: $7,500 - 25 Advanced Quick & Dirty Map Tutorials Guide Book
2nd Stretch Goal: $10,500 - Quick & Dirty Hand Drawn Map Tutorials Guide Book
3rd Stretch Goal: $14,000 - Using 3D Elements in Maps Tutorials Guide Book
4th Stretch Goal: $16,500 - Old West Hand-Drawn Map Object Set
5th Stretch Goal: $20,000 - Maps and Legends: a Guide to Fantasy Cartography by Schwarzkreuz
6th Stretch Goal: $25,000 - Endless Terrain Battlemap Tile Sets

Please join us today in funding this exciting project, and help spread the word!

 

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For those unfamiliar with my maps and my map tutorials, here's a rough draft version of my most recent tutorial that will be given extra textual explanation in the published version, along with specific instructions for doing this in several applications. I originally posted this to my G+ community for the Kickstarter.

 

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I just posted the First Update - includes a free Preview PDF download of the intended first book, a link to a blog interview of me and this Kickstarter, and a Q&A of what's the difference between a map object and a map texture - since it has to do with various backer levels, this question is important.

Check out the update, HERE.

 

[gamerprinter]

Goal has been met! 90 backers in 7 days, that's fast for a small project. I am very thankful of the community for it's support, continue to spread the word, let's see if we can get any of the stretch goals into pledger's hands as well.

 

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A Quick Overview on the Stretch Goal Products:


25 Advanced Quick & Dirty Map Tutorials Guide is really the second half of the first book. I originally planned on writing a 50 tutorials guide, but after I figured out the page count to do 50 tutorials, plus sample maps and all the discussion chapters that would have been a huge book (500ish pages) and if that were to be sold on a bookstore shelf as a full color interior book, it would cost like $80 which is too much, so I split the concept into 2 books.


Hand-Drawn Map Tutorials Guide is less quick and dirty, my plan is to offer hand-drawn work on 3 different map types - regional map, city map and an encounter scale map (castle or something) and as many steps as necessary to present them - perhaps 20 or more steps each, using my digital-to-hand-drawn to digital workflow technique. Then several tutorials for hand-drawn detailed map objects.


Using 3D Elements in Mapping Guide - I often use 3D to create detailed map objects, detailed portrayal of complex shadows, use to prepare an isometric/orthographic view map, and rarely 3D terrain. To give you a better product I may add a couple additional authors to write a chapter each. I invited Anna Meyer who uses Bryce 3D to create her 3D versions of the domains of Greyhawk, as Greyhawk maps is her productline. Anna is the one of the few pro female RPG cartographer I know - most cartographers seem to be guys. Waldronate (that's his Cartographers' Guild nickname, I don't now his real name...?) Waldronate is a software developer. He created Wilbur and Fractal Terrains which is an extension of Fractal Mapper, Wilbur is the more complex version of that. He's an expert a true 3D terrain - a real techie. But I think he can bring something good to a book on 3D mapping.


While I have a couple more stretch goals, the above is the main stretch goals.


I really, really want to fund these stretch goals at least! Let's see what we can do to get them into pledger's hands.

 

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I am the new Cartography columnist at G*M*S Magazine, see my first article posted Tuesday, helping would-be mappers in choosing the right software for their needs. Check it out, comment, and share.

The Cartographer's Table - Which Mapping Software is Best for You?

Coming articles will include industry cartographer interviews, map product reviews, map tutorials and carto-centric interest stories over the next few weeks.

This is for more immediate cartographic assistance while the Kickstarter books get created.

 

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First stretch goal: 25 Advanced Quick & Dirty Map Tutorials Guide is unlocked and funded! Thanks to our pledgers.

The next stretch goal and my favorite topic: Hand-Drawn Map Tutorials Guide Book - only $3000 away.

Michael

 

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This ended yesterday with overwhelming results! Thank you pledge makers, you guys are awesome!

Final Tally:
Pledged: $23,289, Funded: 621%, Backers: 456

This means that the final was almost $20,000 over the goal!

Now I have some work to do...

Thanks again,

Michael

 

[pindercarl]

Congratulations, Michael. You really closed out the campaign with a bang.

 

[gamerprinter]

Thanks, Pindercarl! It was an overwhelmingly successful Kickstarter project. Now I'm busy working on the tutorials to get all 25 ready, before I move onto the other chapters - I've got work to do!