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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[Radaceus]

This is very awesome

Mike is one of the coolest people do deal with. Use his stuff all the time for Roll20 ( granted I chop them up and homebrew them in Paint, but that's because i am pedantic and a masochist). I had emailed him about his work on 'Baba Yaga's Dancing Hut' because I wanted to use some of them, and he immediately uploaded it to his site. He really doesn't ask to much for his maps, and gettign the player's versions is worth the 1.25 considerign the time it takes to edit out all the DM notes

 

[pukunui]

Update: Mike says he's going to e-mail people who've already bought the map when he's got the update (complete with the missing city icons) ready to go.

 

[discosoc]

This is exactly the kind of thing that should have been included with the purchase of the book. It's these kinds of business practices that encourage piracy. I say that because you pay full price for a book, and then are expected to pay 25% more for the map (assuming just the digital version. way more for the print).

 

[LapBandit]

Update: Mike says he's going to e-mail people who've already bought the map when he's got the update (complete with the missing city icons) ready to go.

Where did he communicate this? I'd like to ask him a few questions.

 

[Nilonym]

This is exactly the kind of thing that should have been included with the purchase of the book. It's these kinds of business practices that encourage piracy. I say that because you pay full price for a book, and then are expected to pay 25% more for the map (assuming just the digital version. way more for the print).

Why should it have been included with the purchase of the book? It's not okay for Mike to get some compensation for his work? If he spent a few months making high-res versions of all the city maps, should those be free too? If an artist built high-res 3d models out of all the character art and offered those for sale under license, should those also be free?

I think it would have been very cool if it had been included. But should have?

I just don't understand where the cutoff is. If I think the book as it exists is worth the price ($23.81 online!) then I'll buy it and be happy. If I think the high-res digital map is worth $10, I'll buy it and be happy.

 

[discosoc]

Why should it have been included with the purchase of the book? It's not okay for Mike to get some compensation for his work? If he spent a few months making high-res versions of all the city maps, should those be free too? If an artist built high-res 3d models out of all the character art and offered those for sale under license, should those also be free?

I think it would have been very cool if it had been included. But should have?

I just don't understand where the cutoff is. If I think the book as it exists is worth the price ($23.81 online!) then I'll buy it and be happy. If I think the high-res digital map is worth $10, I'll buy it and be happy.

Either he was paid by Wizards of the Coast for the work, like artists have been for the last few decades of RPG games, or he did some kind of deal where he was paid little to nothing but retains the right to sell it directly. If he's been paid, he's been paid. If he hasn't been paid (or not paid much) then the books should retail for less to compensate.

Instead, it just sounds like people trying to squeeze as much money out of the playerbase as possible, and it's frustrating when it involves something kind of important to have, like a map.

 

[pukunui]

Where did he communicate this? I'd like to ask him a few questions.

On Twitter.

 

[mikeschley]

Hey guys,

Just a few quick notes.

1. Yes, somehow I missed that a few city icons were accidentally cut from the artwork. I've fixed the problem, updated the maps on the site and sent the new files to folks that already picked up the maps. Sorry about the error, I should have caught it sooner.

2. Although I'm not an employee of WotC, I've made a commitment to D&D because I love it. The system, settings, everything about it. I grew up learning to tell stories by playing the game and having some of my most memorable fun hunched over a pile of dice with my friends till the sun came up. As a result, I bend over backwards to make sure that the contribution I bring to the game is the absolute best that I can manage. This means that I put way more time into the work that I do than any rational being could expect. I feel that the game benifits because of this and even though the compensation in the game industry is significantly less than other illustration venues, it's a passion of mine so I do it gladly. My ability to sell copies of the artwork I create falls under the same agreement that allows other artists to sell copies their own work to fans. Since much of the game industry operates on a shoestring and utilizes work for hire agreements, this has been the historical way that artists in the field stabilize their income. I do my best but I've got to eat. Whatever your opinions about WotC or the gaming industry at large may be, the fact is that a purchase of artwork from my site directly supports my ability to make maps like this. Without you guys, I wouldn't be able to do what I do. That's the bottom line.

3. Long live The Realms!

 

[pukunui]

[MENTION=37399]mikeschley[/MENTION]: Thanks Mike for chiming in. I, for one, am happy to buy your maps. They're such fantastic quality, and I love how nicely they all line up. Have you got some kind of underlying template that you use to do all the various regional maps?

 

[jamesjhaeck]

Either he was paid by Wizards of the Coast for the work, like artists have been for the last few decades of RPG games, or he did some kind of deal where he was paid little to nothing but retains the right to sell it directly. If he's been paid, he's been paid. If he hasn't been paid (or not paid much) then the books should retail for less to compensate.

Instead, it just sounds like people trying to squeeze as much money out of the playerbase as possible, and it's frustrating when it involves something kind of important to have, like a map.

The book has a map in it. That map may be a cropped version of this map, but that's the map WotC felt was relevant to the Sword Coast for their Sword Coast. Adventurer's Guide. Mike's full map goes beyond what is relevant to the book and it's perfectly reasonable for him to sell his own work. I can't comprehend this level of cynicism.