Undermountain maps - yeck!!

[Keith Robinson]

Wow. Those are really bad maps. Are you sure those are what's going to be printed in the final product?

I just got my copy through the post today and these are in fact what's in the final product. I tend to agree that the quality of many of the maps is disappointing (especially the dungeon level maps), with some very simple photoshop techniques that pretty much anyone could do.

The only difference between this map and the one used in the adventure, for example, is that the published one has the words The Dungeon Level on it. That's it.

Many of the detail maps are better (though still not fantastic), in particular those in the delve format.

 

[Dark Psion]

Well, I still have my poster sized maps from the original Undermountain boxed set that I can use.


My main question is where's the treasure?

One of the main things I remember from adventuring in Undermountain is the treasure you brought back (if you made it back).

And not just gold pieces; Harbor moons, Gond bells, trade bars and each gem was described by type and cut. (Even a King's Tear worth 60,000gp and it was not the best gem in the book)

The magic items were interesting as well, new ones from Blast Scepters to magical hair ribbons. Even the basic items were given little quirks, there was a +1 longsword that would never rust or break and a +1 dagger that was always invisible, except just after striking someone.

In many ways, the new book is just lifeless compared to the original, which BTW was only 128 pages compared to Expedition's 224 pages. There were much better "Steal an encouter" bits in the original.

 

[Vigwyn the Unruly]

Looked at this book in the store today, and I was just totally underwhelmed.

It's a shame too, because I was really looking forward to this. Expedition to Ravenloft was wonderful, and Demonweb Pits was also a strong outing. I wonder what went wrong here.

Oh well, I still have the old boxed set, so I guess I'll just stick to that. :\

 

[BOAZ]

Although I will get some use out of this product, I'm a little disappointed overall. After the first flip-through I have found typos and the maps just plain suck. Granted I can live with this, but when the map of the 'Yawning Portal Inn' doesn't show the' Yawning Portal' which should be the most important feature of the main room and the inn itself readers will get annoyed... If I spend $35 on a book I expect some proof-reading.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

I just picked this up ... hoping for a bit of coherence. I think the concept of a campaign based on a series of expeditions into Undermountain, which neither require nor expect the entire thing to be detailed, is a pretty good one. So I didn't come in expecting the entire mega-dungeon to be detailed.

But I'd at least like the product to be self-consistent, so when I start playing off the colored-in parts, it stands up. The maps are horrible ... the "ungeon Level" map doesn't correspond to the blown-up portion for the first adventure. The scales in later maps are wildly off ... the "Farm Level" is supposed to be huge, by the despcription, but by the map and scale it's actually tiny, but is dwarfed by a couple of sub-levels that are full=page maps at 1:20' scale. Maybe the farm level map is an excerpt, like the Storeroom Level excerpt ... but then it should at least say so. The map of the Yawning Portal Inn doesn't even have the Entry Well on it! Gee, you think you should put the primary feature of the entire building on the map?

At least the first adventrue is fairly well scripted, but the entry to the second is much less so. I've become so dissappointed I've given up reading for now. It's like the product was designed and built by committee, and they fired the editor part-way through.

Luckily, a few years back I bought pdfs of all the Undermountain products, which are much more coherent and have much more detail. I was hoping for a couple fo updated mini-adventures with a set of convenient interlinked maps of the whole complex ... and I've been disappointed.

 

[Vigwyn the Unruly]

The maps for Forge of War are now up on WotC's website... and they are absolutely beautiful!

I so wish that the Undermountain maps were even half that good. Argh!

 

[Hussar]

Humph, how can you tell how beautiful those maps are. You're eyes must be a heckuva lot better than mine. Bloody postage stamp images.

 

[Dark Psion]

I finally remembered where I had stashed my Undermountain poster maps and the Dungeon map on page 19 is only a fraction of the actual level (maybe a fifth).

Here's the full Level 1 of Undermountain

I sure hope Expediton to Castle Greyhawk is a lot better than this one.

 

[blargney the second]

Credit where it's due: the rest of the maps look a HELL of a lot better than the storeroom level. The skeletal platforms map is downright inspiring! It looks like there are a bunch of Chris West maps (yay!), but it's hard to tell without his West-centric compass rosary. *grin*

 

[Zaukrie]

In many ways, the new book is just lifeless compared to the original, which BTW was only 128 pages compared to Expedition's 224 pages. There were much better "Steal an encouter" bits in the original.

This is the point I was trying to make, there's nothing here that seems cool, unusual, different, unique, interesting. A HUGE dungeon, run by a lunatic, with lots of traps, moving rooms, strange encounters, interesting treasure - there is so much opportunity here for creativity, which we didn't get.