Review: Vinyl Maps from Signs on the Cheap

First, the disclaimer: SignsontheCheap.com approached me a week or two ago with the offer of creating a free vinyl map or similar gaming related item in return for a placing a review on my blogs. However, there was nothing in the deal that suggested this had to be a positive review.

But it's going to be pretty damn positive anyway. Just take a look at this:

Although I never thought to include anything for scale, what you're looking at here is a 3 high vinyl map of the Empire and Kislev from the Warhammer World. Despite the quite considerable magnification to go from the original image here:

...to the image printed on the vinyl, all the place names, rivers, mountains and other terrain features are clearly discernible and readable, with only minimal blurring. Someone more pedantic than myself might consider tidying up the place names with a permanent marker but there's really no need. The map is entirely readable even in quite dim light and frankly, looks pretty damn amazing too.

You'll notice that the image printed here is slightly truncated north-south when compared to the original image. That's because the guys at Signs on the Cheap noticed that the original file I downloaded from the web-site was corrupt, and had a band of randomly coloured pixels just south of where my map ends (you can see it on the original image if you look closely). They kindly suggested a number of options and we eventually decided simply to end the map just before the corrupt segment.

Delivery was extremely fast and proofs were emailed promptly only a day after I sent the map image. Anyone considering such a campaign map should certainly give signsonthecheap.com a good look.

I'm even considering trying to commission a proper vinyl battle-mat or two just to see how they turn out. I have a lot of old Classic Battletech hex-maps that I'd particularly like to see reproduced on a material considerably more durable than paper or cardboard. Watch this space and I'll let you know how I get on.

The Expeditionary Campaign: Player Map

 Spoiler warning for prospective players. You might not want to scroll any further down than this.

Here's the player map (without GM only icons and absent features as basic as sources of fresh drinking water) for the Isle of the Earthshaker. It's a relatively small island (1 hex to 1 mile) but there will be several mega-dungeons, a few smaller dungeons and encounter locations, a ruined city, a temple complex and an inhabited village to explore.

Of course, I don't intend feeding my players all of this information regarding terrain at once. They will have a blank hex map of their own to record this stuff. And there's a very good chance I'll have altered this map considerably before the campaign begins (hint hint). But it serves to illustrated the basic outline and shape of the island.

Made with Hexographer. If any of you have ever been to the Canary Islands or to any volcanic island in the Med, then you'll have a fairly good idea of how the terrain on the map relates to real life. Lots of sharp, rocky badland areas and mountains higher up but with good soil, streams, and plenty of forest at lower elevations, with steep slopes throughout. Can anyone tell me the name of the real island it's based on? I know for a fact some of you can.