Fantastic Locations: Fane of the Drow map

[MerricB]

I've just had confirmation from Stephen Schubert that the Fane of the Drow map being used for the DDM Championships at GenCon is the one from the first of the Fantastic Locations series (Fane of the Drow).

Indeed, it also is one-half of the two maps that join together.

You can download it here:
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/mit/20050728a

Note: Fantastic Locations each have two double-sided poster maps (so that's four maps in all), two of which fit together to form a really big miniature-scale map.

The new starter set for DDM (War Drums, March 2006) will also have two double-sided poster maps.

Cheers!

 

[Felon]

Hmm. As fantastic locations go, it's not all that fantastic.

I was wondering how they were going to publish a dungeon as a couple of large poster-maps (instead of multiple smaller tiles, which would work a lot better), and here's the answer: you're not getting a dungeon, you're getting one big room.

I've been waiting a long, long time for a product like this. I'll definitely buy it to see the entire product and to vote with my dollars for continued efforts in this direction, but if its utility is going to be geared primarily towards DDM-style skirmish play rather than D&D-style exploration, it's going to turn out to be a pretty severe disappointment.

 

[Imruphel]

There's no way I'm paying money for a map as dull as that!

Oh well, Ed Bourelle's Skeleton Key Games continues to get all my map dollars....

 

[Thanee]

Yup, the map looks fine for a miniature game, but really that's about it.

Bye
Thanee

 

[philreed]

Yup, the map looks fine for a miniature game, but really that's about it.

Isn't Fane of the Drow a miniatures product, though?

 

[Thanee]

...but the maps were meant to be cool for P&P, too.

Bye
Thanee

 

[philreed]

...but the maps were meant to be cool for P&P, too.

Ah. Thanks. I'm sure a DM could come up with an adventure that required the sample map but whoever mentioned tiles was right -- tiles are just more useful for RPGs.

 

[MerricB]

Note that FL: Fane of Lolth will come with a 16-page adventure book, so we can see why the Drow don't believe in rooms...

There are actually a couple of rooms with doors there, and some very nice features on the map (see the area with all the webbed bodies!), but some of the walls just appear to be illogically placed.

It'll be great for DDM, but I hope the 3 other maps in FL:FoL are better for regular D&D play.

Cheers!

 

[Waldorf]

Hmm. As fantastic locations go, it's not all that fantastic.

I was wondering how they were going to publish a dungeon as a couple of large poster-maps (instead of multiple smaller tiles, which would work a lot better), and here's the answer: you're not getting a dungeon, you're getting one big room.

I've been waiting a long, long time for a product like this. I'll definitely buy it to see the entire product and to vote with my dollars for continued efforts in this direction, but if its utility is going to be geared primarily towards DDM-style skirmish play rather than D&D-style exploration, it's going to turn out to be a pretty severe disappointment.

Most of my encounters tend to be large rooms, but that's why I bought a large battlemat. I suspect most other people did, too. Does Wotc somehow think people haven't already ordered battlemats from Chessex? Do they think we sit around saying, 'Gee, I wish they would print up a big map so we have have more room to play'? Maybe this is their latest way of selling us the same product again and again. Lord knows I've swallowed that concept too many times to count.

But from what I have seen of the product, it sucks. It's hardly worth the time or the effort on the part of the designers. The background story, if you could call it that, counts for nothing, either. And as much as I like D&D and want Wotc to succeed, I can't be some myopic cheerleader for what is otherwise a terrible product, not to mention a blatant rip-off.

But hey, slap the word 'drow' on anything and I suppose you've got some automatic sales numbers to look forward to.

To be frank, I'd rather run D3 Vault of the Drow for the umpteenth time than buy something like this.

 

[philreed]

But hey, slap the word 'drow' on anything and I suppose you've got some automatic sales numbers to look forward to.

You know, maybe there's a chart somewhere that basically says:

D&D Logo +20,000 units
Drow +5,000 units
Fane +5,000 units
Miniatures-related +25,000 units