Publishing and maps

[Unclmick]

Hi,

I have a question for anyone in the publishing world. As other RQ gamers, I have sought for used, slightly used and very used editions of my favourite settings and rule books. Some I cannot afford, specifically a boxed set of Pavis or Big Rubble. I know that they were reprinted in a large book, but what I consider to be a drawback is the lack of BIG maps. I am guessing that adding maps to these sets is a large cost to the publisher. I wonder if the reprints would sell better if they had a map or a code key to a pub site with a download section so you can download a large file and take it to a printer. Ok have to go again, son calling.

Mick

[Dredj]

I also second the publishing of big maps. Especially modern and topographical. I'm kind of wondering, myself, why there isn't more of them floating around? Especially good ones?

[Dredj]

I also second the publishing of big maps. Especially modern and topographical. I'm kind of wondering, myself, why there isn't more of them floating around? Especially good ones?

Is there any sites to go for for free city and town (modern) maps?

[Harshax]

If publishing large maps are expensive, and possibly marginal as far as profits are concerned, I wonder if ondemand printing could benefit publisher and customer alike?

You could buy the reprint of Pavis directly from the publisher, and optionally, go to LuLu and purchase the poster maps. (Not sure if LuLu offers that, but I think it's worthwhile to make an inquiry)

[Unclmick]

That's what I was thinking. If the customer opts to buy the reprint in its new packaging, give them the option of printing the map in large format on their own, the customer still pays the rights for the material, and then can decide to absord the cost of the large scale printing.

I love big adventure maps. Our old group had an enormous IKEA plastic frame that we would put our adventure map into, and use grease pencils to leave notes or tracks the moves, that even worked great with battle maps.

Recently I lucked out finding an old box set of Genertala for RQ on the cheap. It was in perfect condition. So to run the adventure I scanned and printed the map into 8.5 by 11 sections and taped it together and put it in the frame.

Mick

[Unclmick]

You could buy the reprint of Pavis directly from the publisher, and optionally, go to LuLu and purchase the poster maps. (Not sure if LuLu offers that, but I think it's worthwhile to make an inquiry)

By the way, who is this Lulu woman?

[Harshax]

By the way, who is this Lulu woman?

Self Publishing - Lulu.com

It does appear that lulu offers posters. So there you go. The publisher could put there big poster maps on lulu. While the service reduces an already marginal profit (I assume), it is still profit.

[Unclmick]

Well, I think that the pub could probably just house the sell point on their home site have people buy it online, that generates an order to an online printshop and then have an online printshop produce it and ship it in a tube.

I love tubes.

Mick

[Jason D]

Pelgrane Press has long sold high-quality maps for the Dying Earth RPG, and sends either them folded or in tubes.

Decipher's The Lord of the Rings RPG, however, really set the bar with gorgeous map sets based on key Middle-earth settings, done by the official cartographer for the film trilogy. These were actually boxed sets, one of area maps and the other of specific cities and forts.

Mongoose Publishing did a few Conan maps, and included maps in their boxed city sets.

Guardians of Order did a map of Westeros for the A Game of Thrones RPG, which they gave rolled to deluxe edition customers and folded in the book for the normal edition.

I've got a few more games with maps, usually stuck into the book inside the back cover.

Games Workshop put some very nice maps online for their Warhammer and Dark Heresy lines.

Something I've enjoyed doing is takiing any such maps to the local Office Max, where laminating can be had for around $2/foot (longest measurement). So I get these great maps flattened, laminated and available for gaming for a handful of dollars.

Additionally, my wife has a (somewhat) large-scale photo printer, so I'm often able to print online maps onto 11' x 17' photo paper and laminate them.

Either way, it makes a very nice centerpiece for a game, a huge map covered with a film of plastic and essentially indestructible.

[soltakss]

Fortunately, my last job was in an office with an A0 printer/scanner, so I managed to scan in all the RQ2 big maps - Pavis, Big Rubble, River of Cradles, Dagori Inkarth, Balazar and the Elder Wilds. They came out as medium resolution TIFFs but are pretty good.

If you have the original maps then any A0 Copy Shop will copy them for you. If you just have images then you have to find a copy shop that takes computer disks and they are a lot harder to find.

It would be great if Issaries made the old maps available to buy, but this is probably the wrong forum to ask for that

[Dredj]

Actually, I know a few copy shops that print right from computer disks. Around where i live, they're pretty easy to find. If you know of sites where I can download good maps, I would appreciate it.:thumb:

[NickMiddleton]

Fortunately, my last job was in an office with an A0 printer/scanner...

One of the (very few) benefits of my job is having access to a suite of A0 colour and black and white scanners and plotters... I'm still working on justifying the company buying a wide format laminator though, although we do often have A0 width self-adhesive clear film (sticky-backed plastic to UK gamers of a certain age...), which is how I made several hand crafted dry wipe battle mats with square and hex grids.

Cheers,

Nick