Map Folio 3D (merged)

[Romnipotent]

most insides can be furnished with, and you'll love this, Hero Quest stuffs, and a simple repeating wood pattern, wall panneling or wallpaper. Its probably wrong of me to say this, but you may be able to get something off a Sims2 screen shot, just throng it over a photoshop PDF with the same wall height and tile it across. Or alternatively paint the insides brown.
Most inside things are once offs anyway, and dungeons are better for short wall like structures made of resin and the like.
I'd like to have a fully constructable tavern though, with removable roof, rooms, bar and store room, well I better get some plasticard.

 

[Castellan]

It is illegal.

Actually, if we pick nits, it's not illegal. It is violation of copyright which is not a criminal activity (though a great many Associations of America want you to believe otherwise). Copyright violation is a civil issue.

Wrong. It is illegal. Available from the legal source, or not, it is illegal to redistribute something held under copyright by someone else without their permission.

Nope, sorry. See above. It's not illegal. Though there are (in the USA) some unconstitutional laws that are in various stages of introduction, the legal precedent is clear. This is an issue for a civil court and not a criminal one.


Now, all that said, keep in mind that if WotC catches you hosting the files on a private site, or emailing them around, they're perfectly within their rights to sue the pants off of you... And they'd win, too. Just because it isn't criminal activity doesn't make it right. Or even OK.

 

[TheAuldGrump]

Ummm, no it is still illegal, unless you have a very silly definition of illegal.

If taken to Civil court you will have been found guilty of illegal breach of copyright. Not just a civil suit, but an illegal action, please go to http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ1.html and http://www.copyright.gov/title17/

Merely because the matter is generaly handled by civil court does not mean it is legal - you can indeed go to jail over such matters.

Among the other associations that want you to think so is the U.S. Court system.

In other words the precedent is indeed quite clear.

The Auld Grump

 

[Romnipotent]

fun fact #3, local state laws here determine the law is broken where the message is received, and some state where the message is sent. Sets up a whole paradox of table tennis. ANYWAY for now WotC is still hosting so as I already dubiously and obviously unclearly said I wont need to email anything anywhere. the other thing is theres no actual trademarks or copywrites on the pdf's, doesn't change a thing. but legality isn't an issue anymore.

 

[pennywiz]

And?

 

[TheAuldGrump]

Naw. They have an obligation to retailers not to be overtly giving away for free what they have sent through the distribution channels. It's the same reasoning behind WotC not selling stuff in PDF format for less than in print, such as the recent releases through DTRPG. But I agree that the $9.95 price point is well worth it. Unless someone is ripping off their boss and using the printers at their place of employment, I doubt they could print 32 pages of color on cardstock as cheaply at home. For some I am sure it is a matter of convenience, like those who live overseas or far from a retail outlet.

Considering that you will need multiples of some of the models, and only one of the rest...

Yeah, not naw. It may be viewed as a poor way to treat retailers (though the Map Folio 1 sold very well, and those downloads were also available at the time, and for that matter still are.) But it is treating the consumer better.

Either contain a sufficient number to do the job or keep at least the downloads for things like walls and towers easily available as downloads. Or make a folio of just those parts you need in multiples.

The Auld Grump, either would work...

*EDIT* And just to repeat a point - I do think that the product is worth what they are charging, if I didn't have most of the stuff printed already I would purchase it, the 3d foldup terrain feature was pretty darned cool. But I would still have to print out multiples of a few items.

*EDIT 2* I have had most of the terrain built for over a year...

 

[Emirikol]

Yea, ok whatever...

Back to the topic: We are gaming in Sharn in Eberron. What would work best for the towers and bridges?

jh

 

[Romnipotent]

the towers and the bridges... literally

http://wizards.com/dnd/files/tower.pdf
http://wizards.com/dnd/files/towerPDF.zip and http://wizards.com/dnd/files/towerBONUS.zip
http://wizards.com/dnd/files/covered_bridge.zip

use the powers you have wisely

 

[JoeGKushner]

In my humble opinion, they should've charged $5 more and included a CD-ROM with detailed instructions, examples, and of course, PDF files to print off more buildings much like the good old Chunky Dungeons.

 

[Mark]

In my humble opinion, they should've charged $5 more and included a CD-ROM with detailed instructions, examples, and of course, PDF files to print off more buildings much like the good old Chunky Dungeons.

Ya know, I just don't see it, Joe. I did read your review, and obviously I put together the models with no trouble, so I'm confused why you had so much trouble. I'd as soon not waste five extra bucks on a CD that tells me something that was readily apparent from the brief notes on the pages and some dotted lines. Maybe the PDFs of the plans would have been nice, but scanning them from the ones you bought or photocopying them are possible, I suppose, though not as cheap in the long run as just buying another pack if you use most of the buildings (no real problem there, IMO). Do me a favor and take a quick picture of the models you built from the Map Folio 3d. I'd really like to see if they turned out so differently from mine.