Four Maps Wanted, Similar to Dragon Strike's Game Boards

[Sharpe]

Greetings! Thanks for reading.

While I am technically looking for four images to use as "game boards," I don't think they would be any different than normal combat-scale maps with a hex grid.

Commission: I am happy to pay ~$50 per board (negotiable) for the maps via Paypal (that's ~$200 for the set of four). Please send me a Private Message to discuss rates.

Time Constraints: None except reason. Naturally, I'm anxious to have them.

Style: I am looking for four maps in the following styles: Four board game game boards similar to the four Dragon Strike boards from the 1993 board game. The boards will need a hex grid. I would like to make four 20"x20" boards: one of a grassy field intersected by a brook with trees and paths and rocks and a mountain cliff; one cave with tunnels and chasms; one castle tower with rooms; and one village with small, "roof-less" houses. Unlike the Dragon Strike boards, I wouldn't want any doors or much decoration at all. Doors and such will be provided in-game by cardstock "standies."

Description of Map: As stated, I would like four maps for use as game boards.

Remember that old TSR game, "Dragon Strike?"

Links:

• http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardga.../dragon-strike
  
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DragonS...8board_game%29

I want to create something very much like Dragon Strike, but instead of a board game based on an abbreviated version of D&D 2nd Ed., I want to make one based on GURPS 4e. I mean the full meal deal too -- professionally-printed boards, an instruction book (.pdf) with photographs and illustrations, an adventure book (.pdf), stand-up props and game pieces... everything.

Like Dragon Strike, I imagine four, 20"x20" boards: one of a grassy field intersected by a brook with trees and paths and rocks and a mountain cliff; one cave with tunnels and chasms; one castle tower with rooms; and one village with small, "roof-less" houses. Game boards are normally 20"x20", but there would probably need to be a slight border around the edge of the map.

However, there would be no doors on any of the walls (on applicable boards). Those would be placed on the board by pieces made from card stock, like the game HeroQuest. That way, the village and tower boards can be "different" every time.

I can provide a hand-drawn rough draft of all four boards that you can take and be as creative with as you'd like.

I have my heart set on an artist I like from deviantART.com to do the monsters, PC's, and NPC's on commission. He has a cartoon style that appeals to me, that fits my imagination well.

It would just be for my own personal table-top group. Not for sale or anything else. However, I hope the finished product -- if I ever get it finished -- will be quite nice. There's a company on the Interwebs that prints very nice Monopoly-style boards, but I don't think they makes double-sided ones like Dragon Strike. If not, I'll simply buy four instead of two. They aren't cheap, though. Far from it.

I plan to populate the game with monsters from my Compendium of Sapient Species. There won't be "orcs" or "goblins," but there will be gnoll-like canins, gourouni (short warthog people), cyclops (different than standard, but not much), gargoyles, harpies, minotaurs, Nyfitsa (rat people), ogres (fat, pig-like giants), savralaos (semi-upright crocodiles), and vorock (small, vulture people). There will also be the standard fare of undead: death knights, skeletons, skeleton wizards, and zombies. There will be a handful of NPC's as well.

There will only be one picture of each species (actually two -- front and back), but there will be an image of multiple weapons and equipment for each picture. For instance, one picture of a gourouni holding an axe, the same picture of a gourouni holding a shortsword and shield, etc., etc., etc. You'll just print however many you need or want.

Hopefully, the artist will take me up on my offer. They haven't replied yet.

Quality & Size

• [Professional / semi professional]
• [Required for print]
• [Dimensions of map: ~19 inches by ~19 inches]

Copyright - I will have the right to use the image for commercial purposes, the artist will have the right to exhibit the image as part of his portfolio but not to exploit it for commercial gain.


Thanks again for reading! Hope to hear from you soon!

[ravells]

Good luck with your commisssion Sharpe. Do you have a link to the company that prints game boards? Cheers Ravs

[NeonKnight]

Wouldn't mind doing this for you, but most folks do;t seem to like the CC3 style I do

[Sharpe]

Good luck with your commisssion Sharpe. Do you have a link to the company that prints game boards? Cheers Ravs

Thanks!

I don't have my Web page bookmark on this computer, but I think this is the place I decided to go with: http://www.boardgamedesign.com/pages/main_blu.htm

I've never used them, but somewhere lost on their cooky Web site is a good screenshot of the quality, and it looks 100% professional, like, up to Milton Bradley's spec. But, I could be wrong.

Wouldn't mind doing this for you, but most folks do;t seem to like the CC3 style I do

You're kidding?! Basic, colorful CC3 stuff is my favorite for overworld stuff. Have a link to your work? I'd search by your user name, but that will just pull up all your posts and I don't want to go through 1000's! Might consider putting one in your sig.

However, I'm not sure CC3 will fit this particular project.

I was looking at some of Jonathan Roberts' (torstan's) maps and saw some I really thought fit what I had in mind. His Bandit's Lair looks just like the type of thing I'm looking for.

I'll probably PM/e-mail him shortly and see if he's interested.

[torstan]

I'm glad you like that map. Unfortunately I'm too busy to take this on just now. It sounds like a great project though, and I'd love to see a photo of the end result. I'm sure you'll get a lot of interest though as this is an excellent idea.

[DevinNight]

I would enjoy working on this project.
My style is a bit digital a bit hand drawn.
If search doesn't turn up enough samples I can provide more.
Thanks.

http://www.cartographersguild.com/feature/cryptMap.jpg

http://www.cartographersguild.com/sh...warven-Highway

[torstan]

As search is currently a little hinky it's hard to search for threads started by a user. A good alternative right now is to use the Finally Finished thumbnails:

http://www.cartographersguild.com/sh...ed-Maps-Thumbs

[Sharpe]

PM's replied and e-mail sent to DevinKnight.

Thanks everyone!

I just got off the phone with Michael at boardgamedesign.com. He was really honest and very helpful. He said they are very happy with the quality of their work and that I would be as well, but that, no, they aren't Milton Bradley. He said any image format will be fine (though it says .TIF below) made by any program, but his Web site has some guidelines. I'll copy and paste them:

TIF should be in CMYK color mode, 300 dpi, 100% in size with crop/cut/fold marks. Files can be saved from Adobe PhotoShop, Adobe Fireworks, Corel PhotoPaint, or Microsoft Publisher. It is not recommended to have TIF files with fonts smaller than 8pt. text for legibility. A minimum bleed of 0.25" is suggested for all artwork, 0.5" for box artwork.


The live area of the board needs to be about 19.75"-19.5" square and he would like "crop marks outside live area."

I may not go this route. It's a lot of expense just for nostalgia. They also sell blanks, so I might just have a local printer print the map and I'll paste it on there.

Now, if I could somehow get SJ Games to let me buy copyright for their rules, then we're talking a whole new ballgame. But, there's no way I'm going to front the money for a minimum order of 500 games, so that's not a reality anyway... Ah, dreams.

Anyways, that's getting a bit ahead of the game right now. I just need to get some maps and then go from there.

[DevinNight]

I hope DevinKnight didn't steal this job from me that guy is always showing up.
Just in case you mistyped it, it's devinnight... as in dark with a moon.
Thanks.

[Sharpe]

Ah yes, my mistake.

It appears that at the very least, half of this job is taken, but most likely all four. I'm not going to run the Taken flag up the pole just yet -- if anyone wants to make this project go twice as fast by offering similar services for the town and outside battle maps (19.75 inches by 19.75 inches printed with 1-inch hexes), then by all means, let me know. However, DevinNight has first chance at both as he so graciously accepted the first two under such a humble commission.

I have every bit of confidence in DevinNight's creativity and artistic ability to do an absolutely wonderful job. I'm looking forward with great anticipation to see what he creates.