Map Folio I Contents

Thanee · May 4, 2004

If I had to guess, I'd say the number of D&D gamers that actually use the maps-a-week is < 10%.

Bye
Thanee

diaglo · May 4, 2004

i would say less than 1% of the active visitors to the site actual use the map of the week. mostly b/c most of them don't even play DnD.

...tragic the slathering and pokemon and chiapet and homer simpson fans...

there are currently 77984 members on the message board side of wotc.

Selvarin · May 5, 2004

What can I say, I like maps on shiny paper for under $10.

Yep, you can buy dice, an adventure accessory...or a map folio. Ahh the joy of choice.

Typically, we buy something because of its utility. For those who have laser printers (or can whip up maps on CC in a jiff), this wouldn't be money well-spent. For those who can't duplicate the same thing at home, or who don't have the time, this can be of use. For me, $9.95 isn't much---and I can tell you straight-up I don't have a money tree in my back yard. I wouldn't buy it if it were $12.95, but at $9.95...I can order that along with something else I've been wanting (such as the D20 Excalibur book by S&S) and not feel gipped. I'd feel worse about paying $3 for a piddling comic than I would about getting the Map Folio.

MerricB · May 5, 2004

I've already been inspired by a few of the maps in the Folio - that makes it well worth my money.

I love the Mountain Cat Temple; I really want to give that to my PCs with the rumour of an ancient magic locked within...

Cheers!

diaglo · May 5, 2004

MerricB said:
I've already been inspired by a few of the maps in the Folio - that makes it well worth my money.

I love the Mountain Cat Temple; I really want to give that to my PCs with the rumour of an ancient magic locked within...

make them awaken the long sleeping/hibernating Cat People....

cuz DnD doesn't have enough Cat People.

travathian · May 6, 2004

Thanee said:
If I had to guess, I'd say the number of D&D gamers that actually use the maps-a-week is < 10%.

Does anyone know if they offer the maps as downloads in bulk? ie all the 2002 maps as a single download? I really liked how they consolidated all the Mind's Eye articles from a year into a single download, and wished they'd do that with more freebies on the site!

Psion · May 6, 2004

Selvarin said:
A) You don't have to pay for new ink cartridges for your printer because ~viola~ they're already printed out in the Map Folio I. (Printing in color will use 'em up, although I've done some in grayscale.)

This presumes, of course, that you want to print the map. I run from my laptop. I look at the map; the players rarely see it. And if the map folion is a perfect bound softback, I'm guessing I don't want to spread it out on the table even if there was one I wanted them to see.

If you don't have or don't like to use a computer at the gaming table, that might be a point.

B) Beats making your own maps on graph paper (or even using Campaign Cartographer) in most cases. They just look better than most print-outs.

Let's see... is the school of sorcery among those maps? (Quick look - yup) I think a faux vellum look is not a fair tradeoff for a nice crisp map with clearly defined grids and contents. I remember using that map and being aggravated by the fact that it didn't even compare, for example, to the detail of the map in Tome & Blood.

Plus what 3catcircus said on this subject.

Of course this is a bit of a strawman. The main reason one would question whether it is worth it is because you can get the maps for free from the WotC website.

C) It's only, what, $9.95 or so? A pittance.

That $9.95 would put me over my budget for the month. It's harder and harder to squeeze 4 gaming books into $100 these days. And if I did have the $10, I'd be tempted to save it for next month to go towards a product whose content I can't get free online.

Don't get me wrong, if you enjoy having these maps in a printed format, then more power to you. But for your practical reasons, I am not seeing it.

Psion · May 6, 2004

Maggan said:
That raises the question, does the majority of WotC customers have internet access?

I think it's a pretty good wager that anyone reading this thread does.

Psion · May 6, 2004

Henry said:
How many people I wonder have even SEEN the links to the maps, much less the maps in question? As a cheap recycle to garner extra income, it's an excellent idea. For us hardcore gamers who regularly scour the net for goodies of all sorts, it's a less important purchase.

This is true Henry, but the point being debated here is not if there is a market for it (unquestionably there is), but rather, is it a good buy. When the content is available for free, then I find it hard to consider it a good buy.

johnsemlak · May 6, 2004

Psion said:
This presumes, of course, that you want to print the map. I run from my laptop. I look at the map; the players rarely see it. And if the map folion is a perfect bound softback, I'm guessing I don't want to spread it out on the table even if there was one I wanted them to see.

If you don't have or don't like to use a computer at the gaming table, that might be a point.

I wonder how many people actually use a laptop at the gaming table? I can't be certain, but I'd think it be a minority. It certainly ain't larger than the percentage that actually have laptops.

I think even many who have a laptop and use it for gaming might prefer printed out maps.