Free Map 032: Strix Brook

Last week I was doing the usual link-hopping and came across an article concerning the top 20 scariest places on earth. One of these places was a rather peaceful looking brook in England.

I guess this brook is rather narrow in places, less than two meters, and looks quite deceiving as nobody who has ever accidentally entered the waters has survived the ordeal. Evidently the water is deep, with a fast current that swirls into severe undercuts and underground chambers. Where I live we have irrigation canals that look inviting, but are swift and deadly just below the surface.

While I don't wish to make light of this otherwise tranquil body of water which has taken far too many lives, the idea of a hidden danger struck home for this GM. I had to drawn a map of my version of the Strid, renamed the Strix. The locals know well enough to give the brook a wide berth, only traversing the water safely over one of the few bridges across. So deadly has this brook been that is forms a natural border between two counties.

Map032a

Perhaps the party wishes to avoid a toll for the bridge and decide to simply hop over the brook at a narrow point. Maybe they have come to investigate what sounds like a mysterious death. Surely a local didn't drown in such a small stream....there had to be a foul creature to blame.

Map032b

I've made two maps, both of which are quite large in size (20 inches wide at 300 DPI). I figure it is easier to reduce the size as needed rather than try to make it larger. The first map is just a section of the brook. The farmers on either side have blocked it off with large hedgerows. Where the hedgerows haven't taken hold they've erected small sections of pole fences to help keep livestock away from the rocky banks of the Strix. In this one area the farmer has been negligent and not fully fenced off his land, giving access to the waterway.

The second map is just an overlay of the caverns and tunnels beneath the fields.

Here are the links for the two maps:
Map032a
Map032b

If you find either one of these useful, please let me know.

Free GM Resource: The Forge (via the Wayback Machine)

I often find the best stuff when randomly thread-hopping on the interwebs, poking around the various nooks & crannies of scattered URLs.

This week I had the good stuff find me!

Last week I did a small review of The Cozy Hearth Inn. I was a little perplexed that it wasn't a lead-in to a larger product line, but I didn't put too much thought into it because I really liked it. The only dating for the product was the old 2000 Open Gaming License "stuff" and the last update on DriveThruRPG of September 2013. Imagine my surprise when I'm told a) this is over ten years old and b) The Forge is no more.......but.....

....Thanks to the Level 27 Geek I have a link to the appropriate Internet Archive Wayback Machine page to where all the rest of The Forges free goodies were kept! Honestly, I would have NEVER found this on my own.....heck I didn't even know it was "out there" to find!

I'm still going through the 14 downloads, but I'm impressed by what I've seen so far. Thanks to Level 27 Geek for this find!

Frugal GM Review: The Cozy Hearth Inn

I'll be the first to admit I'm not usually impressed with d20, but The Cozy Hearth Inn, from The Forge Studios, was a great little supplement easily adapted to any RPG.

For some reason I thought this was a free preview of an upcoming product series, but I guess it is just a free supplement. Too bad, because I really liked how this turned out.

Aside from the great exterior shot shown in this post's lead-in graphic, The Cozy Hearth Inn has three great floorplan drawings, one for each level of the building. There is a brief, but detailed-just-enough description of each floor as well as the four NPCs that can be found here normally. Sure, the NPCs are statted for d20, but that is easily remedied and/or ignored. A bonus is a quick encounter hook to get the PCs involved.

HUGE to me is the simple fact that the PDF wasn't locked down. I could actually pull out the graphics and manipulate them just enough to use in a VTT.

The only nit-picky gripe I could even come up with....and this was an effort on my part, was that there doesn't appear to be any means for the cook to....well, cook, in the kitchen. If you read the description on the cook you'd see why he wouldn't be using the central fireplace.

The Cozy Hearth Inn is a great little supplement that my players will be using at a future game. If this is any indication of the quality of product that The Forge Studios puts out, I'll definitely be adding more of their offerings in my online cart.

Free GM Resource: Hand Drawn Map Association

I like maps.....I like to draw maps.....the problem is I cannot draw worth a damn. Meh, I'll draw maps anyway. Maybe I'll get better, maybe I won't.

In-game I find two good uses for hand-drawn maps: For the GM and for the players.

As a GM I love a good map to go with my adventure. The whole "picture is worth 1000 words" rings true so often. In general I find my map needs as a GM are pretty strict because I need to use it as a tool to guide the adventure for the group.

As a player I really dig a map as a handout. Cool props make a game more interesting, as long as they aren't overused. Getting a prop/handout often requires a lot of effort on the GM's part, especially if they have to make one up during their prep time.

"A lot of effort" can mean time, but it can also mean inspiration. The Hand Drawn Map Association can really help. Essentially a large collection of hand-drawn maps that you can see online, they've just put out their first book (on their website, click on the source for the graphic above, or use this link).

I've found the HDMA a great resource for seeing different styles of (often) real maps. If nothing else, it makes me feel better about my own chicken-scratches......

Maps for Heroes

OK, this is just a cool idea and I have to share it where I can.

An Internet Associate of mine.....I don't have a better way of putting it, likes to draw maps. I like to draw maps too, but he's just much better at it. I used to be in the military, working with the Army, but he's actually in the Army. I like to think I do things to help others, but once again I find myself falling a bit short in comparison.

I'm OK with that as I've learned I have nothing to gain by comparing myself to other's standards, but enough about me.....

Matt Jackson has decided to put together a cool little fundraiser for the Wounded Warrior Project. It is a cool organization (though I wish they wouldn't limit themselves to just helping post 9/11) and Matt decided to organize a bunch of respected RPG map-makers to contribute a map for his fundraising campaign:

+Mike Schley 

+Carl Bussler 

+Gus L 

+Simon Forster 

+Monkeyblood's Model & Map Mayhem 

+Rob Conley 

+Logan Knight 

+Tim Shorts

Now putting together this effort is cool enough on his own, but Matt has also decided to donate any of the July proceeds from his Patreon campaign to the fundraiser as well. The goal is $1K, very reasonable.

I'll go one step further than just suggesting a donation.....I think you should donate at least $8. Eight map-makers, at least eight maps, at least $1 a map. Totally reasonable and it will only take 125 of us...maximum..to make that goal.

Come on....you do have $8 lying around, right? It is totally a Win-Win here.... 

Frugal GM Review: Gygax Magazine #4

This last week I've had the dubious "pleasure" of having to restore and attempt to re-organize a ton of my RPG files from a couple of backups after a computer crash. As I was filing away my collection of RPG Periodicals I discovered I didn't have Gygax Magazine #4...yet.

A quick trip to DriveThruRPG solved that issue and now I can review this latest issue.

Free GM Resource: Coat of Arms Designer from Inkwell Ideas

After playing with Inkwell Ideas' RPG Poster yesterday I decided to poke around their site some more. I didn't realize they made the Hexographer program, as well as a few other cool programs.

One program that you might not find frequent use for is their Coat of Arms Design Studio. There is a free version and a more robust paid version. I played with the free version a bit and while it worked fine, albeit a bit slow, for my needs that isn't the whole usefulness of this design studio.

If you've ever thought of designing a coat of arms for your campaign the various terms for the assorted aspects of a coat of arms gets real confusing fast. I don't know about you, but I don't necessarily need a comprehensive guide to the in-depth meanings of each individual aspect, I just need to know what they are. What the heck is the fess? A Sinister Baton? Do I want anything sinister....? I just need some basic explanations and there is a great drop-down primer on heraldry basics. Anything more and I can go straight to the source: A Complete Guide to Heraldry by Arthur Charles Fox-Davies and Illustrated by Graham Johnston, originally published 1909.

Frugal GM's One Day Sale!

Today is a "special" day for me....I'll let you guess, but for one day I'm making the Frugal GM's already inexpensive offerings 43% off at Drive Thru RPG.