Free Map 009

I've already shared the basement levels of my adventure map, which is a little bit of putting the cart before the horse, but I liked those maps better than the above ground levels.

This map is the 1st floor of a private temple/residence of a High Priest of an evil god. The church's holy symbol is a closed, mailed fist and that symbol is used as the basis for this building.

The first floor is the temple portion which is used primarily by the
High Priest and his entourage. It is important to note that there was no attempt to make the well in this map placed accurately in relation to the stairwell. On this map I didn't see the point in wasting so much space.

The smaller version to the right has some numbered areas, but the larger version does not. I'm not a huge fan of this map if for no other reason I don't feel good about mapping out buildings in general.

Hopefully some of you might find this map useful......especially if you consider yourself as bad as doing buildings as I am.

Frugal GM Review: Plate Mail Games Background Loops

I've featured a couple different methods for putting sounds into your game and this last week I decided to go with a somewhat different track than I've played with before.

While I've been collecting sounds and music for some time I wanted something simple to use at the game table. Downloading an app and tweaking settings is more prep than I wanted. Nothing wrong with going that route if it works for you, but I often have enough going on that I don't want another "thing" to distract me.

Last week when I was browsing DriveThruRPG I came across this free Volcanic Cavern background loop from Plate Mail Games. Now I've been to the Plate Mail Games website before and wasn't particularly impressed, for a couple of reasons. They do have audio examples of their background loops, but some are a bit on the short side. I mentally filed them away as something to check in on later. When I got the full 10' Volcanic Cavern loop, well that was the "later".

Now I really don't think I'll get much use out of the Volcanic Cavern, much less a good portion of their current titles, but the sample did give me a good idea of what they offered. A quick purchase later and I had the Daytime Medieval City loop. At $1.50 I figured it would be worth checking out that night in-game.

All I did was transfer it to my iTunes collection and then my iPad. Coupled with a wireless bluetooth speaker I was able to toggle it on and off with a single press. Both loops are ten minutes long and if you set the player to loop you can have the background playing for as long as you like. The long length and varying noises doesn't give the soundtrack defining moments that make it seem like a file being looped.

I was quite impressed.

My only "extra" work for this was to play with my settings in iTunes to put all (both) background
loops into one album. As I add more tracks I'll add them to the one album just to make playing easier. Since I also use my iPad to look up PDF information I like how I can use one device to do multiple things. As long as the program I'm using doesn't compete for the speaker I can have the background loops going as I multi-task the device.

Plate Mail Games has a decent variety of background loop tracks and has just successfully funded a Kickstarter campaign for more sound effect tracks. I know I'll be picking up some more loops to use in my home game.

Free GM Resource: Handwriting Font Creator

A couple weeks ago I put up a free cuneiform-style font that I thought some folks might like. That was just me messing around a bit.

A couple of times I've used a custom font as a game prop. In addition to notes and letters in foreign fantasy languages, I've made a magical notation font so I can "write" spells out to form a spellbook of sorts.

Now, to make things easy I generally use English to type my stuff out and then use the custom font to simply change letters out. For example, if I was making a Russian-language game prop I wouldn't necessarily actually use Russian (Cyrillic) but instead have Cyrillic letters mapped out on the English alphabet. In this case I'm going more for a look rather than readability in the original language. Then, depending on the PC's language skill (and mechanics) I can simply change back some/all of the text back to English.

There are already a lot of custom fantasy fonts on the interwebs that you can download and use. This free online tool for creating your own font (from http://www.myscriptfont.com/) is real easy to use, but you need a scanner. There are only a few steps:

• Download & print the template sheet
• Fill it out with a good pen
• Scan the filled out template
• Upload the scanned file
• Download & install your new font

Creating your own fonts can go a long way in making it possible to put a personal touch on a lot of gaming projects. On hand-drawn maps, for example, you can dispense with having to label everything as you draw the map and instead scan it in and then use your font to type out the labels. Since you can manipulate the text, it is a lot easier than trying to incorporate it into the drawing.

Free Maps 007 & 008

This week I find myself still working on my tavern map. I'm having fun with it and don't mind taking my time. For some reason I keep getting interrupted, mostly by life and Call of Duty: Ghosts, but the interruptions are giving me breaks which inspire new thoughts on how to accomplish certain things more efficiently and effectively.

I really want to go back to some earlier maps and try these new ideas out....

Click for link to full-sized map

Speaking of earlier maps, this week I have two smaller maps to share. Both of these are part of the dungeon/tunnel complex of a small eeeeevil church. Last week's map was the 1st sub-level and this week's maps are the second sub-level and a smaller "sub level" of tunnel. That day's part of the multi-session tournament adventure actually ends descending into the depths below from this second section of semi-natural tunnel.

Technically this map lines up with last week's map, as far as the stairs and the well are concerned. The way I put this adventure together these pictures were tweaked and used to create stamps for use in my adventure template PDF. The end result is that the maps aren't at the same scale as printed. Luckily I did put graph squares in the maps so they should line up.

For some reason I still have my Photoshop (PSD) files for when I made these maps, which meant I might still have everything set-up on the original scale. I really don't want to try and fix the scaling manually because I know I'll get something off and it shouldn't be that big of a deal. Of course, when I went to go look at the PSD file I see I have little more than my original scan. I thought some might find it interesting because you can get a bot of

an insight on how I do my maps.

Almost all of my work is done with the computer. I usually draw my outline and all of the individual elements on drawing pads and then scan them at 600 dpi. I clean the scans up and then start adding elements from my resource files. I do not consider myself an artist in any way, shape, or form. My tolerance for drawing something out is quite low because I simply cannot make anything look like I want it to. Sure, I can envision something quite cool, but forcing my hands to produce something remotely accurate to what I'm thinking.....not really possible.

Fortunately I can attempt a reasonable facsimile by breaking down the task into smaller drawings and using the computer to stitch elements together. I end up with a simpler style that I think has a more pleasing aesthetic anyway. This is one of the reasons I'm a fan of Dyson Logos (seriously, I think you should Patreonize the guy). If I'm lucky I can come close (enough) to his style, which I like.

Click for link to full-sized map

I might put up the two maps for the eeeeeevil temple situated above these sub-levels, but I'm not very fond of that map-making effort. If I don't have my tavern map done yet I may just toss them up. Of course if I do get the tavern map made up, and it comes out better than expected I may have to keep it for a special project.

Free GM Resource: Storybook

This week's Free GM Resource is a rather interesting, if not small, stand-alone generator from the folks over at Treasure Trove.

Storybook is available online and as a download. The download has two versions, an HTML version and an Adobe Flash Player version. Basically they are the same because the HTML just opens up the Flash player.....the real difference is just the window the program runs in.

There are 15 different generators and a full set of RPG dice that you can click on to generate results. With the generators you get one result per click, but with the dice there is a small set of five blocks were you can indicate the number of dice you want rolled. Then you click on the die picture and that many dice are rolled.

All of the die results are quite short. For example, if you roll on the gem chart you would get a result like "Sapphire".  In my opinion some of the generators are a bit better than others, but the fact that you can download or run the program online might be useful.

Free Map 006

If there is anything I have learned in my map-making endeavors it isn't necessarily what I'm "good" or "bad" at making, because I think those are judgments for others to make, but I can say I absolutely suck at getting my ideas for interiors onto paper.

I've had this idea for a tavern map floating in my head for well over a week now, but I simply cannot get pen to paper in any reasonable fashion. I've tried playing with Photoshop, drawing things out free-hand, & even breaking out some graph-paper. What meager stuff I've come up with isn't fit to be shredded and added to my compost pile.

The funny thing is, even though I have a solid idea for a tavern, one of my attempts is actually starting to yield fruit. The map I'm working on now looks nothing like what I had in mind and this "great" idea I had is being pushed aside by an emerging concept that is coming together around the map I am able to get down on paper.

I don't try to understand these things......

This map is a basement level I used for an adventure a couple of years ago. The basement broke into a natural tunnel complex and that section was walled off, but not before a secret entrance to this complex was created. The well actually goes all the way to the surface. From within the tunnels it looks like a pillar made of river stone.

Click on either graphic in this post to download the high-rez map. It is 300 dpi and roughly 8" x 6".

Patreonize a RPG Artist

I've lost count of the flip-flopping I've done over the last year or two over Kickstarter when it comes to assorted projects. Of course my opinion usually depends on how this potential funding source is used.

Free GM Resource: Spotify

I have to admit that as much as I've talked about adding music and sound effects to my game I haven't done it very much at all. I still keep collecting sounds, music, and programs to get the job done.

The bad part is that at this rate I'll never use the stuff I'm finding, but the good part is that I haven't locked into a particular way of getting these audio files integrated.

In my search I came across the Skyland Games blog and their suggestion to use Spotify to add music to your game. There are several music streaming services to choose from and I'm sure there are advantages & disadvantages to just about every combination of free or paid music streaming services.

What helps put Spotify over the top in this instance is the fact that Skyland Games has a specific post listing more links to Spotify songs than I care to count. They've broken up the links into six main categories:

• Adventure
• Combat
• Creepy
• Exposition
• Travel
• Town

If you have an extra computer, tablet, or smartphone and the appropriate speaker you should be able to use Spotify to "music up" your game. If you are looking to actually purchase music for your use, then at the very least this listing could be used to get a head-start on useful songs/artists to acquire.

Just FYI: If you lose the link to the list a little too easily in this post, just click on the graphic. It is a monsterized Spotify icon by Nadja Hallfahrt (and used under license).

Frugal GM Review: A Nightmare at Hill Manor

I've never played anything from the New World of Darkness from White Wolf, but back in the day I did have a few Werewolf books and I did try to play their CCG.

Now that I think of it I also read a few of their novels. I remember really liking them.

As part of a Halloween promotion I was able to download A Nightmare at Hill Manor from DriveThruRPG. It is still available as a free PDF.

This 66 page PDF contains just about everything you need for a one-off of this game. Grab a bunch of d10's, some pencils, and you should be set. I was really surprised at just how much information about the system itself was in this download. The first half of the book is nothing but explaining the basic game mechanics and the additional information needed for players to understand what their PCs could do. It seems to fall just short of being able to create "full" PCs, but there are pre-gens and enough guidance for some quick-start PC creation, so the full instructions  aren't needed.

The adventure is somewhat free-form, which means the GM really needs to read all of the material thoroughly. With a story-teller system you'd want to be intimate with the background anyway.

I have only two minor qualms about this download, and I think at least one of them is just my personal preference. The first is the setup of the PCs into the game. There is nothing wrong whatsoever with the way the PCs are introduced, it is just that there is a small write-up of each PC that goes with each character sheet, but since the PCs are supposed to know each other quite well it would make sense to have at least a one-page overview of the other PCs from each PC's perspective. I've seen this done at D&D tournaments and it gives the player some background they should know about each other instead of having to figure things out unnecessarily.

My personal qualm is more of a wish.....

This is a modern day adventure and there is supposed to be a fun and/or "spooky" introduction to this
"World of Darkness" for otherwise uninitiated PCs. I think with a little careful tweaking of the player handout materials for players this introduction to the game could come from a "straight" source. Get a group of willing players to start what appears to be a modern game and have them get introduced to the supernatural elements along with their players. If the introductory materials for this game didn't have "World of Darkness", skulls, and other clues scattered throughout this adventure could make for a much more interesting one-off that ends up leading to a new campaign.

Overall I really liked this download because it was a lot more than I had expected. If I had gotten this in late September or early October I would have considered running it as a holiday one-off for my group.

Map Parts & Pieces: Buildings

I know I'm a day behind on getting this post out, but I wasn't quite finished with what I was working on.....and there is more, but why bother?

I'm busy working on my small city supplement and it occurred to me that I'd like to maybe polish it up a bit when finished and try to make it into a small something for other GMs to use. The big problem is that my map was made by a program developed by a unknown individual. There is no attribution in the program, just some hotlinks to defunct URLs.

If I want to assemble this and make it available for a buck or two I really need to have permission to  use that map and I'm not going to be getting it any time soon. This means I have to redo my maps from scratch and draw out all of the buildings of the town.

I am far too lazy to do that level of work, which is why Photoshop comes into play. I've made a series of buildings that I scanned and cleaned up. These assorted buildings can be re-sized and placed quite easily.

Coloring them is a cinch as well. I just use a photo filter

I've also made a brush with these building shapes to make laying them down as simple as tweaking a couple of settings. I got the idea from some of the Cartographer's Guild Tutorials I posted around this time last year.

My files are Photoshop PSD files, which you can open in GIMP if you don't have Photoshop. This link contains two PSD files with the buildings shown above as well as the brush preset.

Feel free to use these files for your own private or free products as long as you follow the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License. A head's-up would be nice as well so maybe I could point some folks your way.

Overall it took me a lot longer to work out these buildings than I would have liked, but at least now I have them to use for future projects as I want.

Free GM Resource: Pyromancers

This week's Free GM Resource is a bit of a twofer.

Pyromancers has two online programs that Frugal GMs might find useful for their games. The first is a simple browser-based mapping utility called Dungeon Painter and the second is a rather cool "map" sharing utility called Forum Scene Viewer.

The Dungeon Painter creates online maps that can be exported as two different picture files (PNG and JPG) and can be exported as a PDF for printing and assembly as well. They also offer a B&W export option, but I haven't played with that any.

One of the cool things about this mapping program is that the resources aren't static. When you build a floor tile, for example, the patterns swirl about some as you expand your flooring so the resulting floor tile isn't an obviously repeating pattern. The program creates layers for your objects and you can manipulate the layers somewhat like you do in Photoshop.

Overall think of it as an online version of Dundjinni.


The second browser-based program from Pyromancers is basically a way to share a map online, or more specifically to share changes to a map that is already online. It sounds a bit confusing but basically you start with a map online already, like in a forum post. You add links to your tokens and the program creates a custom URL that directs others to your creation of map + tokens. People can make changes, like moving their PC token, and creates a new URL.

Basically it is making a static map interactive for online forum or play-by-post games.

Frugal GM Review: Adventures! Monster Cards

This last week (or so) I've heard a little chatter about this ultra-light RPG called Adventures!, from Gramel Publishing. The draw to the game is that each book is supposed to be only two pages. The main game has a two page GMG, a two page PHB, and a "bonus" character sheet.

This download is a bonus creature card for use in the game.

Now I've made monster cards before and I'm aware that it can be a pain, but I'm also keenly aware of how they usually get used. Right off I have to admit I like the idea of these cards much better than the execution.

First off, the download is rather large at 9.59 MB....zipped. The card sheet itself is large at 1.48 MB,
which is HUGE considering what that file is made of......basically eight simple cards with cut lines and a header. No color, no form fields, nothing that warrants such a large file.

Please bear with me a moment because the size of the file is important unless you simply keep one copy on-hand and print them off as needed. If you want to keep a small library of filled-in cards to pull from as needed you really want a form-fillable PDF file. Depending on the program you use for PDFs you might be able to type in notes or create a form yourself, but it is best to start with a more efficiently-sized file.

While I'm at size, these cards come in at 2.44 inches wide by 3.61 inches (61.98 x 91.69 mm) tall. Standard trading card size is 2.5 x 3.5 inches or (64 x 89 mm).  This is important because if you want a library of these cards you may choose to protect them using standard card sleeve protectors. Since these sleeves vary a bit in size, it might not be an issue, assuming you are great at cutting these cards out. The wavy border along the edges looks cool on paper, but can become problematic when you go to use these cards.

The more math-minded of you might have noticed that there is a big discrepancy between the size of the download (9.59 MB zipped vs. 1.48 MB PDF). This is because there is a second file that I'm not quite sure of. It is a 7.91 MB picture that doesn't make too much sense. At first I thought it might be a card back of some sort, but it is a solitary PNG, not a series of the same pictures laid out side by side in another PDF that is ready for printing the card backs. This picture is nearly 12 x 18 inches at a resolution of 177.8 DPI.

While extremely useful for me making a small header picture, I cannot fathom a ready as-is use for the file.

Overall monster cards can be a great way for a GM to run a combat encounter without having to make a lot of notes or refer back to the source books too often. Done right, a series of monster cards can be created easily for one session and reused in subsequent sessions.