Annual 122 - Sort of?
Shessar
🖼️ 33 images Surveyor
Last month's Annual issue about updating old CC2 vector maps inspired me to pull out an older map that I hadn't updated much if at all. After considering the map for a bit, I decided that the vector symbols were rather charming on their own. In the end, I just moved the symbols to their appropriate sheets and added a few effects.
It hasn't made a huge difference, but thought I'd share anyway. I know everyone prefers the raster symbols, but I still am really fond of the original vector symbols.
Here's the original and the one with added sheet effects.
It hasn't made a huge difference, but thought I'd share anyway. I know everyone prefers the raster symbols, but I still am really fond of the original vector symbols.
Here's the original and the one with added sheet effects.
Comments
I really like this map, too! What a painstaking effort you must've made placing all those trees! I'm afraid I may have to steal this idea of yours, of a good-sized town completely surrounded by woods. It looks So.Good. I can't stop thinking of adventure hooks just looking at it.
I'm surprised that the sheet effects actually seem to add quite a bit, at least as far as contrast and legibility. Subtle things like the road outlines, river banks, and such are nice, particularly because they're subtle.
Brava, madame. Brava. Thanks for sharing this! *doffs cap*
Cheers,
~Dogtag
Nice map.
I for one would not mind if some of the atlas maps where vector maps (either one of the newer styles, or the more old fashioned ones)
It is interesting how much improvement adding a few sheets effects can do to a map though. They really do give renewed life to the old maps.
However, your updated map really does "pop", so to speak
Issue 122 of the annual has me looking through a lot of my old maps. Sadly, I've lost some of my old vector symbol catalogs with the transition from Win XP to 8 to 10. I can no longer install Campaign Mapper and CC2v5 and did not think to back up their symbols before hand. Many of the symbols are different than what ships with CC3. I think the modifications I had made to some of them are still sitting on an old hard drive in the closet too. This has inspired me to see if that old HD will spin up long enough to grab them and hopefully the older official symbols as well.
@Dogtag- Feel free to use the idea of a forest town. The secret to doing this many trees is copy/paste. Do a small section, copy & paste it to form a slightly larger area, grab a section of that and copy/paste some more. Switching up what you're copying adds more randomness. Then just fill in the smaller areas individually. It makes the whole process rather quick.
@Monsen - You have inspired me to do a number of maps for the atlas using vector symbols. Thanks! I may do the ruins for JimPs map using vector art. I think it would be fitting.
@JMunsonII - Yep. Sheet effects can even make a vector map come to life.
@Lorelei - LOL at using the maps from the Library. My players are as familiar with the map of Thrune from the library as they are with their real hometown. I don't remember who did that map, but it saved my DM butt one weekend long ago and has been used ever since. I will be eternally grateful to him/her. In time, our Community Atlas will serve the same purpose...saving DM's butts now and into the future.
Here's an image of my CD and Instruction manual, for nostalgia's sake and then an image of the mountain symbols that I would love to have again, just in case anyone knows of a product that is still around that uses them.
As for the symbols, you do know that a map and a symbol catalog is the exact same thing, right? If you have the symbols in a map, then you do have a symbol catalog with those symbols. Will not be organized as they were in the catalogs, but they are still there. Especially if you have multiple maps, you may have them all almost ready to use.
Anyway. I now have the symbols that I have been longing for. In the end, they were not from CC2v5 but are the Campaign Mapper symbols. What a wonderful set of vector symbols they are.
Issue 122 has sent me on a real nostalgic discovery trip. Thanks ProFantasy!
N4