kobold quarterly Archives - Fantastic Maps

Bundles of maps

Fantasy map pack bundle with kobold Quarterly

A couple of years ago I teamed up with Steve Russell to turn a couple of the maps that I created for the Rituals of Choice adventure path into map packs. The plan was to see whether people were interested in the maps themselves as a product separate to the adventures. The packs initially just included a multi-page pdf that allowed people to print them out at home and assemble them on the table, but quickly expanded to include high res jpgs, an A4 bundle alongside the US letter format packs, gridded and gridless versions of the maps and finally maptool campaign files for those of us who prefer to use virtual tabletops.

So did it work? With over 2200 map packs sold at the time of posting this I think I can say yes! Continue reading “Bundles of maps”

Castles, Kobolds and 3D terrain

It’s been quiet around here for a few weeks – but that’s going to change. There will be updates on all sorts of fun developments through the week – so keep an eye out for new things. To start the week – two new products that spun off from the same idea. I pitched some map ideas for the back cover of Kobold Quarterly 18. Out of the collection the one that got picked up was a Keep guarding a Watchfire on the outskirts of the city of Friula in the world of Midgard. There’s a bit of Midgard lore in there, but the core of the adventure is that the adventurers have to storm the castle and light the watchfire. It’s a capture the flag adventure with lots of ways in to the keep.

Just before I go on to talk a little more about the map, let me just spare a few words for Kobold Quarterly 18. That cover is just astonishing. That stands up to the best Dragon covers I can think of. The Kobold is growing some very sharp claws indeed. The content stands up to the cover’s promise. It’s a fantastic balance of fluff and crunch, and continues to walk the line between the different games it supports (now Dragon Age, Pathfinder and 4E) with deft aplomb. Above all, every article can be easily repurposed for use with your own game. A great game idea is a great idea no matter what you play.

For this Kobold I created the Watchfire Keep map for my adventure “Who Watches the Watchfires” that lies within the pages. Continue reading “Castles, Kobolds and 3D terrain”

What lurks in the shipwrecks of the briny deep?

Today sees the release of The Ship’s Graveyard map pack released in partnership with Kobold Quarterly. The pack details a huge underwater map (25 square feet when printed out full size) with walls of kelp, schools of fish and shipwrecked hulks. The perfect lair for a kraken or aboleth and their dark designs upon the world. When I used this map the players found themselves in the deep after their ship was destroyed by a kraken. At 6000px square (25 square feet when printed out at 1 square = 1 inch) there’s more than enough room for an epic battle against the horrors of the abyss.

Here’s a low res preview of the map in the pack: Continue reading “What lurks in the shipwrecks of the briny deep?”

New Map Pack – Necromancer’s Lair

It’s the first of the month, and that means a new Fantastic Maps map pack, in partnership with Kobold Quarterly! This month we go dark and dungeon-y with a Necromancer’s Lair. The map shows a large underground room with spiked pits, rubble, raised platforms, gargoyle statues and magic circles. Continue reading “New Map Pack – Necromancer’s Lair”

New Map Pack – The Sand Dragon Inn

It’s the first of the month – which means a new map pack is out! This month it’s the Sand Dragon Inn, once again in collaboration with Kobold Quarterly and the guys at Open Design. The Inn sits in the baking desert heat, a rare oasis of luxury amid the sand. The thick walls and some simple enchantments keep the air cool and the wine and meats chilled. Surely nothing bad can come from stopping here for a while? Continue reading “New Map Pack – The Sand Dragon Inn”

The Final Midgard Logo Revealed!

In the last Kobold Courier, the kobolds of Open Design revealed the final Midgard logo, completing the set. So here it is in all it’s glory. As befits a world born of fire and ice, this one is bitterly cold.

Ice Logo for Midgard

This was designed for use in print at 2.5 inches wide. The smaller scale meant that the dragon’s head needed to be scaled up so it would still read well at small sizes. This also meant that the central letters needed to be nice and large.

You can find out more about the world of Midgard here and get involved in building it from the ground up. You can find the rest of the logos for the world in my Logos and Heraldry gallery.

Midgard is here! More Midgard logos and some map teasers

We found out earlier this year that the world of Zobeck is really the world of Midgard, and the new material for the setting would be carrying the new branding in the future. I got the gig to design the logo, and this turned out to be not one logo but many. Now more of the logos have been revealed, I can show them off here (spoiler – there’s still one more to come).

Continue reading “Midgard is here! More Midgard logos and some map teasers”

Enter the world of Midgard

Some time ago there was a discussion on the Kobold Quarterly forums to decide upon a layout for the Midgard logo, the logo that would represent the world of Zobeck. This caused some interest (to put it mildly) and many opinions were presented for and against different designs. I was then asked to go off with these and make everyone happy. This was one that passed the cut:

Midgard Logo for the fantasy steampunk world of Zobeck The final logo officially appeared for the first time in this month’s Kobold Quarterly so I can finally share it with the world! This is actually one of the five final logos – but you’ll have to wait for the others.

Vertical Battlemap for Kobold Quarterly

The new Kobold Quarterly is out in pdf – and being shipped in physical form. It’s a beautiful creation with a very lovely cover. I was asked to do a map illustration for the interior for a vertical battlemap. Here’s a downsized (25%) preview of the map:

Side view fantasy battlemap of a castle tower

Continue reading “Vertical Battlemap for Kobold Quarterly”

The Wreck of the Goodwife

This was created as a personal piece and was then picked up by Open Design. It has since graced the back page of Kobold Quarterly #13 in glorious full colour and turned up in Sunken Empires – a sourcebook for underwater adventure. It can be purchased at full resolution – 100 pixels per grid – in the Kobold Quarterly store here.