this one is great! i feel like i'm reading "the Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh" again. good stuff. keep it up!
this one is great! i feel like i'm reading "the Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh" again. good stuff. keep it up!
Wow NeonKnight, I love the modules' vibe. Excellent job on the maps, they bring back memories. I'd be curious to see how this thing turns out when done.
Although its designed for 3.5, if you decided to do a 1st or 2nd ed version, submit it for hosting to Dragonsfoot--they love that kind of module.
I laid out what you have thus far in the same style that TSR used for the modules as a pdf. After conducting a bit of research, I used the same typeface (or at least the available equivalent font) TSR used in the earlier modules (Avant Garde Gothic for the text, Helvetica for the titles). I also added a few details here and there to make it match some of the earlier 1st ed modules.
I hope you don't mind my doing this, and I was going to send this to you via email but you have that function turned off. I even picked out a nom de plume I found amusing. I cut and pasted your copy a bit but it is all your own words and pics...
Last edited by NeonKnight; 12-13-2007 at 11:22 AM.
Daniel the Neon Knight: Campaign Cartographer User
Never use a big word when a diminutive one will suffice!
Any questions on CC3? Post them with CC3 in the Subject Line!
MY 'FAMOUS' CC3 MAPS: Thunderspire; Pyramid of Shadows; King of the Trollhaunt Warrens; Demon Queen's Enclave
Very glad you don't mind. The program I used was InDesign, the current standard (far as I understand) for publishing. It comes with Adobe Creative Suite along with Photoshop, Illustrator, full Adobe etc. (best way to get it is with educational pricing if you can manage, even then it is a few hundred bucks... Luckily I constantly use it for my business and thus can take it off as an expense on my taxes).
Really? The numbers and text would be all sideways, plus it doesn't have the dimensions of a full page image. It did however have the perfect dimensions for a half-page and there was enough room as the text on page 5 only fit into one collumn without something else there (they usually had a peice of artwork to fill that space, alas...). I certainly agree it's a bit small at the half page size though.
And this is certainly not to say that I think it inappropriate to place the map as you indicate, in fact that would fit very well into the motif. The only problem "as is" is that this orientation doesn't fit and that puts gaps in for valuable space. By way of example, notice how the "front inside" of the cover, page 2, doesn't look exactly like the originals because of that blank space, TSR usually made certain to fill that space entirely. The map by itself (without the key) however is the right dimension for a full-page image, maybe with the key tucked into a corner by those trees or something. I'd still rotate the numbers at least so that it has the vertical orientation most folks are comfy with (the "Misty River" name is good as is, it follows the river and people don't expect it to be vertical). Just a suggestion, but maybe place the map on the second to last page (using the last page for a handout to photocopy or something), and on the third-to-last page (i.e. across from it) place the number descriptions with the key (unless it's already tucked into the unused corner).
The dimensions of the finsihed image are one of those things you have to get a feel for when you do published work. It isn't something you normally would think about when doing the map from a purely cartographic perspective. I probably caused more than one anuerism that way when I started out.
The style of the Town map was inspired by the map for the town of Restenford from the TSR Module L1: Secret of Bone Hill. (Available as a free down load from WotC's website).
The style of the map is seen here (Admin's not sure if this is deemed illegal or not, but it is a free download, so not sure).
OK, SO, yep, wasn't sure if it would be a no-no, so here are the links then:
Mod Text: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/files/l1.rtf
Inside/Outside cover: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/files/L1_cover.zip
Interior Maps: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/files/L1_maps.zip
Artwork: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/files/L1_interior.zip
Last edited by NeonKnight; 12-13-2007 at 01:37 PM. Reason: Removed 3rd party map.
Daniel the Neon Knight: Campaign Cartographer User
Never use a big word when a diminutive one will suffice!
Any questions on CC3? Post them with CC3 in the Subject Line!
MY 'FAMOUS' CC3 MAPS: Thunderspire; Pyramid of Shadows; King of the Trollhaunt Warrens; Demon Queen's Enclave
Er... I hope you didn't get your's using the education pricing.If they find out that you are using the educational version in a business, you can get hit with a huge fine. Just an FYI, and I know this because I have to deal with Adobe licensing at work, and they are not nice when they find out you have violated an agreement.