Mike Schley's MASSIVE Forgotten Realms Map From SCAG!

Cartographer Mike Schley has posted the enormous map of Northwest Faerûn from the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide. It's poster sized (10,200 x 6,600 pixels, or a 34-page PDF) or you can get the Artists Print version shipped to you in the form of a poster map. "This new absolutely massive map of D&D's Sword Coast and Northwestern Faerûn was commissioned by Wizards of the Coast to accompany their 5th Edition D&D game supplement Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide. lead your adventures through his exhaustive map of The Forgotten Realms' most Iconic lands and make sure to let it inspire some truly fantastic storytelling."
The print version ($10-$54, depending on size) is here, and the digital version ($10) is here.

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[Silthen]

For me it's not the opinion it's that the purchase was such a steep price for you and you purchased it sight unseen. I do think it would be great to have a pullout map, but I would have started a separate thread and not dumped on this one because I luvre that the digital is available. I do have sympathies for those trying to make ends meet. It's gotta suck.

A. I'm not the only one that "dumped" on this thread.

B. I think it's relevant and on topic.

C. The article realting to these posts is on the front page of EnWorld and I hope that someone from WotC looks through these posts and sees this.

 

[Jeremy E Grenemyer]

As awesome as this map appears to be in tablecloth form, I won't be satisfied until I can buy it as Christmas wrapping paper.

 

[darjr]

I hope the other map that covers more of the AL area of play fits this one. I'd love to print out a combined one or one that focuses on just the Adventurer's League area.

 

[pukunui]

I disagree, for only $10 more I got a shiny new PHB that was twice as big and used way more ink and paper than it would take for a map.

They're also going to be selling heaps more PHBs than SCAGs. That has a big impact on the cost/benefit ratio, so you can't really compare the two.

I reckon WotC would've looked into the viability of releasing a pull-out map with the book but ultimately decided it wasn't going to work for them. I'm not sure that the old box sets with several campaign books and loads of maps and other goodies were a particularly viable option even back in the 90s when TSR was pumping them out. They were part of the reason that TSR went under. Yes, WotC included pull-out maps with the 3e and 4e FR guidebooks but that doesn't mean we should feel entitled to expect the same now.

 

[Silthen]

They're also going to be selling heaps more PHBs than SCAGs. That has a big impact on the cost/benefit ratio, so you can't really compare the two.

I reckon WotC would've looked into the viability of releasing a pull-out map with the book but ultimately decided it wasn't going to work for them. I'm not sure that the old box sets with several campaign books and loads of maps and other goodies were a particularly viable option even back in the 90s when TSR was pumping them out. They were part of the reason that TSR went under. Yes, WotC included pull-out maps with the 3e and 4e FR guidebooks but that doesn't mean we should feel entitled to expect the same now.

No, actually it DOES mean we are entitled to those maps! When you sell a product for so long in a certain fashion, the consumer EXPECTS the same or better going forward. I wouldn't buy a new Iphone and be ok with it NOT having Safari included, then have to pay extra to download that app. I refuse to believe that a four-panel map would really cost them all that much to include for an already overpriced book. To be honest, I WOULD buy one of Mike Schley's maps and be done with it, but $136 for the size I wnat only adds insult to injury. Also, it looks like his map did have a scale on it, but it just got cut off on the map included in the book. How hard would it have been to include it somewhere? No one has really offered any information that is useful to me. If you guys are so smart, how about coming up with a solution for those of us without a FR map that isn't happy with the book and doesn't want to spend a fortune on a poster-sized map. I admit that I haven't read every single post on this thread, but those of you that have replied to my posts have been less than helpful.

 

[pukunui]

No, actually it DOES mean we are entitled to those maps!

No. It really doesn't. Just because you expect it doesn't mean you're entitled to it. WotC doesn't owe you anything.

No one has really offered any information that is useful to me ... I admit that I haven't read every single post on this thread, but those of you that have replied to my posts have been less than helpful.

If you do take the time to go back and read through the thread, you'll see some posters have mentioned that they've taken the maps to places like Staples or Kinkos or wherever and gotten fairly cheap prints. The $136 is quite high, but Mike himself chimed in by pointing out that zenfolio sets those prices, not him. He doesn't really have any control over that.

If I end up printing off the map (and I'm not sure that I will), I'll probably just get my wife or one of my friends to print it at A3 size, which they can do for free at their respective places of work.

 

[Silthen]

No. It really doesn't. Just because you expect it doesn't mean you're entitled to it. WotC doesn't owe you anything.

If you do take the time to go back and read through the thread, you'll see some posters have mentioned that they've taken the maps to places like Staples or Kinkos or wherever and gotten fairly cheap prints. The $136 is quite high, but Mike himself chimed in by pointing out that zenfolio sets those prices, not him. He doesn't really have any control over that.

If I end up printing off the map (and I'm not sure that I will), I'll probably just get my wife or one of my friends to print it at A3 size, which they can do for free at their respective places of work.

Yes, it DOES. I EXPECT a campaign setting to have the most basic of necessities: a map, just the same as I expect descriptions of locations, npc's, etc. The one page, tiny map with no scale included in the book is a joke and insult to the consumer, all in the name of saving a buck. If I didn't have to defend my opinion against less-than-helpful individuals every five minutes, I probably would have time to scour the 7 pages of posts in this thread for something constructive. Would it have been so hard to say, "Hey, I hear you're not happy with SCAG, here's what some others have done..." right off the bat? No, instead there's post after post of people on their high horses telling me and the others how wrong we are. At least you suggested Staples for me, I was unaware they could print posters.

 

[graves3141]

Schley's map is quite impressive even though it isn't the entire FR world map that we're used to seeing. I wish the map had been free (and I kind of expected it would be given past precedent set by WotC) but I suppose $10 isn't going to break me. I'll probably get it over the next week and maybe have it printed off locally (maybe get it in four laminated sections? I don't know yet what that might cost me but I'm going to find out).

Also, I've never bought anything from Schley's site before. Will the map be a flat $10 fee without tax? Just curious, I need to know the exact amount before I buy it. Thanks guys.

 

[pukunui]

[MENTION=6795434]Silthen[/MENTION]: I am sorry that you're disappointed that WotC didn't meet your expectations. I'll admit that I've been disappointed by WotC over the years. I've learned not to expect much from them. Even so, I do not feel entitled to have what expectations I do have met. If I don't get what I want, oh well. WotC has made it pretty clear from the start that 5e is the DIY edition of D&D. Looks like that includes the printing of maps.

Also, I've never bought anything from Schley's site before. Will the map be a flat $10 fee without tax? Just curious, I need to know the exact amount before I buy it. Thanks guys.

Yep. It'll just be a flat $10 for the digital files.

 

[Silthen]

@Silthen: I am sorry that you're disappointed that WotC didn't meet your expectations. I'll admit that I've been disappointed by WotC over the years. I've learned not to expect much from them. Even so, I do not feel entitled to have what expectations I do have met. If I don't get what I want, oh well. WotC has made it pretty clear from the start that 5e is the DIY edition of D&D. Looks like that includes the printing of maps.

Yep. It'll just be a flat $10 for the digital files.

I appreciate it. I skipped all of 4e and was really excited to start playing in the Realms again. I just want what's been included in just about every other setting resource since back when I played 1e, a decent map!