Map Folio I is a collection of maps meant for a fantasy game. The maps are done by Robert Lazzaretti and Todd Gamble and have been featured on Wizard’s of the Coast Map A Week website.
That is the problem. The maps have been available for free. Who wants to pay for maps already online? One thing different about the maps is that they are printed with full color borders. This gives them a better sense of style then the normal ones on the website. I’m a little undecided about the paper itself. It’s one sided and seems thin but I’ve used a few of them and haven’t ripped any yet. It’s non-glossy too. Outside of that, these maps are pretty much the same as those found online.
For those who haven’t checked out those maps, what’s included here? Well the first thing I thought they made a mistake with was the packaging. The Deluxe Character Sheets have a nice folder with pockets while this is just a nice sturdy cover with some interior maps. It’s nice but doesn’t hold the maps together so keep this in a place where you can keep loose-leaf paper.
My personal favorites are those that most resemble dungeons. There are a few varieties that allow the GM to quickly whip out the map and populate it with his own monsters.
My next favorite would have to be the Hidden Coast set. This covers a small stretch of coast, the village Poisson, Misty Bay and the Drunk Duck, a ship tavern. The ones I least liked, were those illustrating the Githyanki Citadel. It looks very computer drawn. There’s a scale for measurements, but I just don’t get what I’d do with it. There are no grids and I really have no idea how everything would tie together, even though there are side views and internal views. This might’ve been a good case for putting some game notes, even just wandering encounters, on the back of the paper.
For contrast, the Sorcerer’s Tower doesn’t have a lot of information on it. It’s an old looking piece of paper, but it has notes. I can kind of figure out what to put in the observatory, sleeping quarters, library and study, sorcerer’s laboratory and the entryway to the reception hall. Those things are a little more standard in a typical fantasy game.
Part of it is I just like the maps that have more of a drawing feel to them. The Cavern Port, a small loading dock underwater, is a nice standard map with picture. The map of Poh Toc Lah Village with its typical dwellings is similar; an illustrated picture of the trees and the homes under them, and a map. The Tunnel Bridge picture, showing this worm like segment bent into an upside down ‘u’, looks good, but the map itself looks too fancy and not at all useful.
This is a niche item for sure but the price isn’t bad at $9.95 for 32 full color pages. Not for everyone and not all maps share the same utility, but something that time pressed GMs who keep their game materials close will appreciate.
