Grasp of the Emerald Claw map gallery

[Wulf Ratbane]

From the front page:
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/eb/20050128a

Is it just me or are those maps way below the usual WOTC standard?

Is this a new cartographer?

Is this an Eberron "line look" they're going for here?

Or put another way-- are all of the Eberron maps about the same quality?


Wulf

 

[Flyspeck23]

Is it just me or are those maps way below the usual WOTC standard?

Definetly.

Is this an Eberron "line look" they're going for here?

Or put another way-- are all of the Eberron maps about the same quality?

No, and no - although there are some issues with the overland maps in the CS, at least the other maps don't look as if drawn by the writer themselves

 

[Fiery James]

From the front page:
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/eb/20050128a

Is it just me or are those maps way below the usual WOTC standard?

Is this a new cartographer?

Is this an Eberron "line look" they're going for here?

Or put another way-- are all of the Eberron maps about the same quality?


Wulf

Wow! I could have done those! If that's the new standard, then look out Ed Bourelle -- I'm taking over!

- James

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

Wow! I could have done those! If that's the new standard, then look out Ed Bourelle -- I'm taking over!

That's almost exactly what I was thinking (right down to invoking Ed's name!)

There must be some explanation for it, though. It's not like WOTC is working on a PDF publisher's budget.

It had to be a conscious choice.

Wulf

 

[Davelozzi]

Well, they may not be artsy, but they're plenty functional, and it's cool of them to throw them up as downloads.

At any rate, they're done by Dennis Kauth, and yes, that's about the same level of map quality in the other Eberron adventures. Maybe they think they're pulpy? Who knows.

The overland maps in the campaign book are a lot prettier.

 

[Desdichado]

I dunno; the maps are clean, clear and have a certain old school charm. It's not like they're actively bad or anything.

 

[Eremite]

The maps are functional, at least, whereas I'm sure that the adventure will suffer from basic design flaws that will require a combination of a John Cooper review and some reworking of key events before it is truly useful.

Edit: I bought this today and it's a rather good adventure. If I had known it was by Bruce Cordell I wouldn't have made the nasty comment that I just struck out....

 

[Wild Gazebo]

Maps and Eberron don't get along very well. Just feel luck there actually ARE maps in the adventure.

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

Maps and Eberron don't get along very well.

I gotcha. Like pig and elephant DNA.

 

[Desdichado]

Maps and Eberron don't get along very well.

I still don't even have a decent map of the campaign setting. I've got the completely unlabelled one in the campaign setting, that does little more than show where the countries are. I've also downloaded an 11x17 pdf that someone put a lot of effort into in creating a Khorvaire continent map in CC. But that one, ironically, does not list the countries, just all the other features. :\