A5 Gamers' Notebooks

The A5 Gamers' Notebook Kickstarter has got just under a week left to run. It's already funded and I'm now also doing some work on designs for the follow-up campaigns.

I'm planning two additional notebook designs. I'll run short Kickstarters for each of them in quick succession. The first one is a hex notebook with large 17mm hexes on one page and a smaller 7mm hexes on the other.

The large hexes are arranged as 8 columns by 10 rows making them ideal for charting Traveller subsectors. At this stage I'm not sure whether to add numbers to these hexes and would welcome feed back on this.

The smaller hexes are arranged with a larger 15 hex super hex outline and a marked centre hex. This is the same format that I use on my existing A5 hex pads.

The other version of the notebook that I'm planning has the same 7mm hex design as above but the left page will have a grid along with a lined section.

Both of these notebooks will have 50 sheets and will be printed on 120gsm paper. In the images the heavy black lines near the margin won't be printed and are just a guide to dhow where the wiro binding holes will extend to.

The Little Book of Dungeons Print Edition Out Now!

I've been working with Kristian Richards of Crooked Staff Publishing over the last few months and I'm pleased to announce a new print book featuring a collection of his excellent maps.

The Little Book of Dungeons is a full-colour A5 book, containing 19 maps (18 dungeons and 1 inn). Ideal for use in any fantasy role-playing game. The book has been professionally printed on premium silk art paper.

The book is priced at £5.00. Copies may be ordered using the Paypal buttons below (if all you want is a single copy then this gives discounted shipping). Wholesale enquires are welcome.

The Little Book of Dungeons

TLBoD UK £6.50 GBP TLBoD EU £7.00 GBP TLBoD Rest of World £7.50 GBP

Copies may also be ordered from the Squarehex site here:

https://squarehex.myshopify.com/products/the-little-book-of-dungeons

Free Printed City Maps

A few weeks ago I was toying with ideas for large format printed maps and decided that I wanted to do a test print run. I found a large, highly-detailed city map (it's a map of Galway from 1651 so totally in the public domain) and sent it off to the printers.  I removed the title from the map to allow it to be renamed as required for gaming purposes.

Today I got the test prints back. I only ordered 25 but they sent me a few extras. The prints are B2-sized which is 707mmx500mm (28"x19.5") and have been litho-printed on to 115gsm affiche paper. the paper has a nice smooth matt finish that is easy to write and draw on. The images below are photos of the finished prints.

If you'd like a free copy of the map there are 2 ways to get one:

1) Place any order at www.squarehex.co.uk and send me a note saying you'd like one and I'll include it free with your order. If you order a poster or map sheet that needs to be posted in a tube then I'll roll the map with it. If not, then I'll fold the map to the same size as the other items you order.

2) If you come to the Squarehex stand at Dragonmeet you can just ask for one, no purchase necessary.

Free maps are strictly one per person, and are only available while stocks last.

 

Postcard from Simon Forster

I'm a big fan of the maps that +Simon Forster posts regularly on Google+. This morning I got a very pleasant surprise in the form of a postcard from Simon with a very cool hand-drawn map. It would make a very nice little side trek in an adventure. The party make camp for the night in a ruined village, only to be awoken in the night by strange noise coming from the cliffs above...

LE9 Campaign Map

I've just rediscovered a map idea from a few years ago that I'd forgotten about. It is a fantasy campaign map centred on the village I live in (Desford, Leicestershire in the UK). I started with a standard internet map (doesn't look exactly like the current Google map but very similar).

Next, I began deleting hundreds of years of development to make the map less crowded.

Then I drew in the river, some roads and a forest. That's as far as I got with it, but I think I might do a hand-drawn version of it next, and maybe do some short write-ups. I considered changing some of the place names, but as I've already deleted the ones that I didn't care for, I might just stick with them.

Has anyone else given this sort of thing a try?

My gaming group also plays a contemporary, post apocalyptic game set in Leicestershire (where we're all from). That game not only uses lots of locations we know well, but also people we remember from our youth as NPCs.

Draft Mansion Floor Plan

I decided my little adventure (The Fella in the Cella) needed a ground floor mansion floor plan. A quick Google lots of images, so here is one I selected and tweaked a little to suit my purpose. For dungeon maps I often draw them in pen with little or no drafting, but when it comes to building plans with lots of windows and doors, a finished version in pencil is the only way to go. I'll get on with an inked version tonight and try and get it done before I have too many drinks.

Gamer's Notebook Campaign is Live!

I've just launched my new campaign to fund a print run of custom designed, hardback notebooks for gamers.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1730454032/gamers-notebook

The notebooks will be a compact A6 size (105mm x 148mm) with wiro-binding, thick recycled card covers, and 50 sheets of custom printed paper.

The sheets in the notebooks will be litho-printed in grey on both sides. One side will have a 6mm grid, and the other side will have lines for notes. This will make them an ideal tool for writing game notes and ideas wherever you may be. The notebooks would also make perfect campaign diaries, in which players can collate maps and other essential notes as a game progresses.

The front covers of the notebooks will be left blank allowing you to write your name, campaign title, etc. The back cover will have a Squarehex.co.uk logo printed on it at the bottom.

These notebooks would make great Christmas gifts for your gaming friends, and if you opt for a pack of 10, they work out at just £2 each including UK delivery.

Battlepad Map - Mountain Mine

This Battlepad map features a mountain path that leads to a small mine. while drawing it I imagined it to be run by a tough, mean gang of seven dwarves. 

The sheet used for the map is currently being funded on Kickstarter. The campaign has already met its goal and closes on Monday 30th June so there's just over 24 hours to go! 

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1730454032/a2-battlepad-by-squarehex

A2 Battlepad - Mountain Mine

A5 Pencil Plan - Mountain Mine

Battlepad Map - Borderlands Farmstead

This Battlepad map features a Borderlands Farmstead. 

The sheet used for the map is currently being funded on Kickstarter. The campaign has already met its goal and closes on Monday 30th June. 

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1730454032/a2-battlepad-by-squarehex

A2 Battlepad Farmstead

A5 Map Version

Battlepad Map - Dungeon Toll Point

This Battlepad map features a small section of an underground road. The road is blocked in the centre of the map by a cave-in. The only way to get through is by paying a toll to the Hobgoblin unit that have control of the passageway though. The Hobgoblins are highly organised and keep a series of strong steel gates in the area locked until they receive payment. 

The sheet used for the map is currently being funded on Kickstarter. The campaign has already met its goal and closes on Monday 30th June. 

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1730454032/a2-battlepad-by-squarehex

A2 Battlepad Version

A5 Map Version in Pen

A5 Map Version Scanned with Grey Fill

Parklife

I've been taking my daughter to the park a couple of times a week while the UK enjoys what is shaping up to be its best summer in quite a few years. As she plays, I sit quite happily on a bench and scribble gaming notes, ideas, and maps. Some days I come home with very little, but today I was rather pleased with my efforts.  I'll get a few of these worked up in pen and also do some A2 versions over the next couple of days.

Meanwhile, in Kickstarter land the Battlepad project has reached its goal and the 1st Stretch Goal. There's still 5 days to go, so it should easily make the 2nd Stretch Goal (less than £50 to go as I type).

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1730454032/a2-battlepad-by-squarehex

Dungeon Mapping Pad Kickstarter is Live

I've just launched the Dungeon Mapping Pad Kickstarter. This is my 7th Kickstarter and will add A4 and A5 grid pads to the Squarehex range. The pads will have the same 7mm light grey grid as my Pad of Geomorphic Intent (PoGI) and A3 pads.

The first stretch goal for the campaign will upgrade the pads to heavier 100gsm paper and double-sided printing. The reverse sides of the sheets will have a 3.5mm grid. This will make them a truly universal aid for creating all sorts of gaming maps.

Squarehex Sampler Pack

I've put together a sample pack of pads and accessories from the Squarehex range. It can be bought from the Squarehex site, or by using the Paypal button below.

The pack also offers a saving of over 20% compared to buying the items individually. The pack weighs just under 250grams to keep international postage as low as possible.

• A7 7mm grid pad
• A7 7mm hex pad
• A5 7mm hex pad with large hex
• Little Hexes mini-campaign setting
• Hex symbol card
• Pocket Guide to Dungeon Geomorphs
• Dungeon symbol card
• Dungeon symbol fridge magnet
• 7mm plastic card ruler
• Black fineliner pen
• Mechanical pencil

Delivery Options

UK Delivery £5.90 GBP European Delivery £8.90 GBP Rest of the World £9.90 GBP

Squarehex Launch FREE Fridge Magnets

I've now added the new A3 and A5 pads to the Squarehex webstore.  Also just in today, are some fun Fridge Magnet versions of our Symbol Card.

For a limited time, every order large or small will get a FREE fridge magnet and a FREE Pocket Guide to Geomorphs PocketMod.  Every order also comes with a FREE standard Symbol Card but that will be ongoing after the launch promotion.  If you want extra cards or guides they can all be bought on the site.

The new pads in the store are:

• A3 with 7mm Grid.
• A3 with 7mm Hexes.
• A5 with 7mm Hexes and a large hex.

There are also a couple of bundle deals containing the new pads:

• Bundle1 contains: 1 A3 Grid pad, 1 A3 Hex pad and 1 A5 Hex pad. It costs £7.90 which gives a saving of almost 20% against the individual selling prices.
• Bundle2 (pictured below) contains 2 A3 Grid pads, 2 A3 Hex pads, 2 A5 Hex pads, 4 PoGI pads and a Plastic Card Ruler. It costs £16.90 which gives a saving of over 20% against the individual selling prices.

Lines and Lines and Lines

Tenkar posted about map making yesterday and I got thinking about the paper I use for maps.  Nearly all my maps start on squared paper with a pencil.  And nearly all of that paper has 5mm squares.  However, I have a few sheets left in pad with 7.5mm squares and I find that's the perfect grid for my drafts.  I must have bought the pad years ago, and I wish I'd bought a dozen of them as 7.5mm doesn't seem to be a widely available size.

I've got a couple of ideas for printing projects with squared paper that I might try on Kickstarter when my current project (character sheets) is completed.  In the meantime, my favourite site for generating custom squared paper to print at home is: http://incompetech.com/graphpaper/plain/

7.5mm (left) vs 5mm (right)

And here's some words of wisdom about maps from Tubbs:  Edward and Tubbs - Lines