The maps in the core book were pretty good but the lack of a complete map sucked. But then I saw the maps in the War of the Lance book. Those really sucked. Sure they're nice enough, if you have a magnifying glass to see them. Why couldn't they just have devoted two pages for a full world map? To find any given region I need to page through the book just to find the map.
Anyway, back to the original question. Who did the 5th Age maps? And why don't they hire him/her at Sovereign Press.
Sean MacDonald came in and saved the day, creating all the small maps you see in the final product in almost zero time. While disappointment that there isn't a larger map in the book is understandable, at least know that it's a minor miracle there is as much as there is. Personally, I think the maps in WoTL are great. Not as great as a big poster would have been, but when the powers that be send lighting and heart attacks, there's only so much that can be done.
Sean was the cartographer for the 5th Age poster map (and all the others) in Tasslehoff's Map Pouch, by the way, which IMHO is an outstanding set of maps.
I actually think we have one of the best cartographers in the industry at the moment, but then I'm biased.
Cheers,
Cam
I actually think we have one of the best cartographers in the industry at the moment, but then I'm biased.
I'll definately second that!
A2Z, check out the Tasslehoff's Map Pouch: Age of Mortals by Sean Macdonald. It is absolutely incredible...and it's cheap. And not only does it have a lot of neat little maps of specific places, but it has what I consider to be the best damn Ansalonian map ever created. But like Cam, I'm proably a little biased.
There is one thing consistently bothering me about the new Dragonlance products, and that is the complete lack of adequate maps in the books.
You're talking about two or three books out of the entire line. I'm not sure you can make that claim about all the products. But I have to agree that a number of people thought they were lacking.
The maps that came with the 5th Age products were gorgeous. Especially the ones that came after the first box. Maps like the one of Northern Ergoth and the grounds surrounding the Tower of Wayreth were really great and I'm really feeling the lack of the same in the new products.
I totally agree those were some awsome products and they filled in a lot of places that have never been detailed before.
The maps in the core book were pretty good but the lack of a complete map sucked.
Yup, that was a major complaint by a number of people. The entire map was available online from wizards where you could download it. It should still be there somewhere if you could find it.
But then I saw the maps in the War of the Lance book. Those really sucked. Sure they're nice enough, if you have a magnifying glass to see them. Why couldn't they just have devoted two pages for a full world map? To find any given region I need to page through the book just to find the map.
I think Clark described it best. It was all planned out. A full sized poster map was set to be developed for the War of the Lance book. There were no plans to develop regional maps. Then there was a terrible accident(s) and cartographer was unable to fill the order. So the plan was to go to print with a massive geography section and no maps at all. In the final hour I said that I could turn around regional maps in a very (I mean very) short space of time and I did. It was that or nothing. It was just one of those "act of God" type things that didn't go as planned but we did our best to make up for it.
Anyway, back to the original question. Who did the 5th Age maps? And why don't they hire him/her at Sovereign Press.
I'm not sure who did those maps. But I have to agree they were very talented.
I hope you will take a look at some additional products and see if it changes your mind about the cartography. I've done the maps for Tasslehoff's Map Pouch (which includes the Poster Map you're looking for), Spectre of Sorrow and Legends of the Twins and with more time to spend on those products I think you'll see a major difference.
I'm not sure who did those maps. But I have to agree they were very talented.
Rob Lazarretti, Diesel, Dennis Kauth - the usual suspects.
Cheers,
Cam
You're talking about two or three books out of the entire line. I'm not sure you can make that claim about all the products. But I have to agree that a number of people thought they were lacking.
Yup, that was a major complaint by a number of people. The entire map was available online from wizards where you could download it. It should still be there somewhere if you could find it.
I totally agree those were some awsome products and they filled in a lot of places that have never been detailed before.
I think Clark described it best. It was all planned out. A full sized poster map was set to be developed for the War of the Lance book. There were no plans to develop regional maps. Then there was a terrible accident(s) and cartographer was unable to fill the order. So the plan was to go to print with a massive geography section and no maps at all. In the final hour I said that I could turn around regional maps in a very (I mean very) short space of time and I did. It was that or nothing. It was just one of those "act of God" type things that didn't go as planned but we did our best to make up for it.
I hope you will take a look at some additional products and see if it changes your mind about the cartography. I've done the maps for Tasslehoff's Map Pouch (which includes the Poster Map you're looking for), Spectre of Sorrow and Legends of the Twins and with more time to spend on those products I think you'll see a major difference.
The problem is I can't afford to buy every product I want. I buy certain things when I can afford them. At the moment I have the DL Campaign Setting, The Age of Mortals and the War of the Lance. Those are, I'm sure we can all agree, the three main products anyone would need to play in the 4th or 5th ages. Three books and not a single full map of the world in any of them. That really rankles.
I can understand the reasons publishers don't include pull out maps but all of them are at least including full page maps of the entire world. This way you at least have a sense of what goes where. The broken up maps might be nice for detail but they're usefullness is incredibly lessened by not providing a full world view. The online map at Wizard's helps but I don't have anyway to print it out except on a letter size page. It's something at least and I'd like to see something similar for the War of the Lance era.
Which brings us to Tasslehoff's Map Pouch. I'm sure the maps in it will be very nice but, one, I can't afford to buy eveything I want. Especially something I feel I should have gotten in the Campaign setting. And two, it still doesn't address the War of the Lance campaign. I'm left with having to go looking online for a map. Which still leaves me with the problem of printing something out. Honestly though, for the expense of the books I don't think expecting a map of some sort is too much to ask. And the consant lack of them is incredibly frustrating.
Which brings us to Tasslehoff's Map Pouch. I'm sure the maps in it will be very nice but, one, I can't afford to buy eveything I want. Especially something I feel I should have gotten in the Campaign setting. And two, it still doesn't address the War of the Lance campaign. I'm left with having to go looking online for a map. Which still leaves me with the problem of printing something out. Honestly though, for the expense of the books I don't think expecting a map of some sort is too much to ask. And the consant lack of them is incredibly frustrating.
When we wrote the Dragonlance Campaign Setting for Wizards of the Coast, a poster map like the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting was planned from the get-go. For reasons that are still unclear, the map was removed from the final product and turned into a web enhancement. As we were not the publisher, it was out of our control.
Fast forward to the War of the Lance sourcebook. It was always our intention to include a poster map with the product, and we hired a veteran cartographer to produce it for us. Luck was not on our side, as he literally had a heart-attack the same day his computer was struck by lightning--I kid you not! (Well, a power surge caused by lightning, but you get my drift.)
Sean Macdonald stepped up to the plate and produced maps for us with zero notice and time. We could not do a poster map for the book, but instead he produced regional maps ala the Eberron setting. Unfortunately some were so large that we had to reduce the size to fit them on the page, which made some maps' labels hard to read. But given our tight timeframe, Sean did an amazing job that impressed the heck out of us all.
That was the inspiration to create the Map Pouch products. An affordable bundle of maps using Sean's talents, they would include the material missing from those earlier products and then some. The Age of Mortals is already covered, and the War of the Lance era is being developed as we speak.
So there ya have it. Maps lost, maps gained. My Age of Mortals map hangs proudly in my office... I just gotta get Sean to sign it for me!
Jamie Chambers
Sovereign Press, Inc.