Darkfuries Sourcebook Release

[Brian K. Moseley]

Hello Everyone,

I'm pleased to announce the release of Darkfuries' Temples & Shrines floorplans sourcebook.

Temples & Shrines showcases 30 religious structures detailed in 47 floorplans, each immediately usable in any campaign.

Temples & Shrines succeeds Inns & Taverns and Castles & Keeps as the third Darkfuries electronic accessory sourcebook. Darkfuries sourcebooks are HTML-format ebooks viewed with your internet browser.

Darkfuries sourcebooks are available at RPGNow.com.

More product information, product demos, Darkfuries news, upcoming products, weekly newsletters and free maps and floorplans are available at http://www.darkfuries.com.

Thanks very much!

 

[Kaptain_Kantrip]

Hi Brian!

I bought all the Darkfuries floorplans today from rpgnow.com and they are pretty good from what I've checked out so far. Some of the maps were certainly inspirational; I've already written an adventure based on Chapel 002 from Temples & Shrines. The Inns & Taverns were quite nice, too (love the "Dangerous Brothel," LOL, but then I love ANY brothel--more brothel maps, please!).

I'm still trying to figure out the Castles one. I can't seem to find the tower maps it shows in the preview... Well, I'm not the most technically minded, so I'm sure I'll find 'em in there somewhere.

Some raves:

1) Darkfuries floorplans seem to provide a very good value for $5 each; that's a few cents per floorplan! Even if there are a few maps you don't like, there should be plenty of ones you do, and Inns and Temples both provide a ton (including multi-level and one storey buildings).

2) If you love maps like I do, you'll never run out of inns and temples again...

3) The maps are very detailed with windows/shutters, direction doors open, direction stairs go in, upper, street and underground levels, furniture, balconies, railings, etc. all lovingly (and logically) included. This is a level of detail even WoTC doesn't provide in their maps and is much appreciated by any DM who has ever had a player ask, "What direction does the door open in?"

Some (hopefully constructive) criticisms:

1) The maps could be prettier (like on Crooked Staff's site linked from the EN World hosted sites home page--I'm referring to their B&W building interior maps not the full color dungeon tiles) and the fonts less dot-matrix looking.

2) Secret doors and areas should not be labelled on the map unless a player and DM version are included, or it blows the surprise if you're using the maps for 25mm combat with minis.

3) "As is" the map size is slightly too small for using 25mm or 30mm size figures directly on the map. I would have to go to Kinko's to blow them up to the correct size, or else resize them somehow but print them on multiple sheets of paper because if they were any bigger, they wouldn't fit on a regular 8.5"x11". As is, my printer cut off a tiny slice from the right-hand side of many of the larger buildings, forcing me to hand-draw in the missing details. Next time, I'll have to slightly shrink the maps before I print...

Anyway, good job, Brian, and I for one am glad you are providing this wonderful product line to us poor, map-addicted DM's.

 

[Brian K. Moseley]

Hello!

Thanks very much for your reply, I'm always looking for feedback - it's the best way to improve the sourcebooks. Your point about the secret doors is especially valid, I'll figure out a way to hide secret doors without leaving a tell-tale empty void where the secret rooms and passages are. I'll check out Crooked Staff's site too.

If you're having any trouble locating any image(s), please feel free to email me. I'll help any way I can. I might have to look back for which fortification images I used on the cover, but I'll get you an answer.

Thanks again!

 

[Kaptain_Kantrip]

Thanks for the reply; I'll get in touch if I have any more problems.

I also saw the secret door issue mentioned in a review of your product (not sure which one, but I think the review was on RPGnow).

It would be really cool if your next floorplans covered a bit more ground, like many types of different buildings one might encounter in a city: Shops, Houses, Mansions, Barracks, Open Air Markets, Sleazy Back Alleys and Sewers (just a street/sewer map, with the buildings not detailed on the same map but being labeled as to which of the included building maps to use for interiors), Gatehouses between quarters or at front gates), Brothels, Gambling Dens, Gladiatorial Pits (not a huge arena, but a "battle bar" where patrons get drunk, gamble and watch a small number of contestants try to kill each other in the pit below), etc.

A few more "obviously" evil locations may be in order, as that tends to be where most of the adventurers I know draw their blades and have at 'em, LOL.

Thanks again for the cool floorplans and product support!

 

[Brian K. Moseley]

The Next Sourcebook

Hello again!

Actually what you're describing is exactly what the upcoming city sourcebooks will entail. I've got three cities - well one is a large town of 220 buildings but still that will be the first three I create. These cities are from my Maelstrom Fantasy Campaign Setting, which I've been actively creating for 21 years. I have over 360 cities in the main continent, so I don't expect to run out of material anytime soon.

The next Darkfuries sourcebook will be Mansions & Manors. The floorplans will include color and b/w sets, fonts are less pixelated and the sourcebook will include d20 system characters.

After Mansions & Manors, I'm planning to begin the first city sourcebook.

Lots to do and lots of fun in the making!