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Heroic Maps: Graveyard & Catacombs $2.95
Publisher: Heroic Maps
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by Mike D. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 09/22/2013 12:49:26

Graveyard & Catacombs is a 10 square by 20 square overhead map of a graveyard, complete with gravestones, some freshly dug graves, a creepy looking statue and several mausoleums with stony interiors. About half of the map is a series of winding underground tunnels, presumably dug by ghouls or other undead. At one point in the map, one of the tunnels dead ends into one of the mausoleums, suggesting that maybe a ghoul broke into the tomb to rob the corpses, or maybe whatever was sealed in the tomb burrowed out. The overall vibe of this map seems inspired at least in part by the Ghoul Burrow tiles from SkeletonKey Games, also available on this website, and which I am actually thinking of using in conjunction with this map.

The artwork on the map is creepy and atmospheric, and little details like the statue, the fancy entrance to one of the mausoleums, the cobwebs in one corner of the tunnels, and the stash of bones in the farthest recesses of the tunnels all suggest hooks and adventures without being overwhelming or reducing the generic nature of the map.

This product is a pdf of the map divided into four A4 pages that you can print out and assemble into the final map. If you don't have A4 paper, I have found that legal paper works just as well. In constructing these maps, I have found that the pages fit together nicely with a small overlap that helps conceal any imperfections in assembly. There is also a title page and a couple pages showing what the assembled map will look like.

You will note that there are no doors or other openings marked on the map. If you used the map as is, there would be no way inside the tombs or tunnels. You can get 2D doors and cave openings from the publisher in the free “Doors” download, or you can find 3D doors by searching this website. Also, you might expect there to be coffins inside the tombs, but you are supposed to use tiles or 3D furniture for that. Again, lots of options are available on this website. The idea is that you can use the map whenever you need a graveyard, placing the doors, furniture and other items in different places each time, and it essentially becomes a unique map each time.

One of the challenges with these maps seems to be how to depict an organic, flowing environment. To state the obvious, the map is made up of squares, and that is required by the game for the placement and movement of miniature figurines. So perhaps it goes without saying that these maps are great for showing environments where there are a lot of 90-degree angles such as streets, buildings, dungeon corridors and rooms. If you have not already seen the Medieval City 1, Medieval City 2 and South Gate maps, do yourself a favor and check them out -- they are excellent. But things get more complicated when you’re dealing with forests, caves, caverns, etc. that start to look unnatural if constrained to a grid. Here, you might expect the ghoul tunnels to be crazier and more haphazard. Instead, they stick pretty rigidly to the grid, even though the edges of the walls are jagged and uneven, suggesting that they were scratched out from the earth. I like the balance that the publisher struck in this map between utility (conforming to the grid) and aesthetics (making the ghoul tunnels more twisting and insane), although I realize it is a compromise and everyone’s taste may vary. I think the best example I have seen of this approach is in the Dark Mines map, where there is a primary passage carved out through the earth, and little side rooms and areas that you can choose to use or ignore as you see fit. I think that approach could have worked well here too.

If I had a criticism, it would be that this map tries to do too much. I don’t think that every time I use a graveyard map I’m going to want half of the map covered in ghoul tunnels. I would have preferred to see one map for the graveyard, and a second map for the ghoul tunnels underneath, perhaps with underground levels of the mausoleums that match up with the above-ground levels. Maybe with some repositionable staircases and burrow openings that you can use to connect the upper and lower maps. I realize that the publisher has released Chapel & Crypt, which takes an approach similar to what I am describing, and I intend to check that out too.

I downloaded this map for use in a Halloween-themed game, and I think it will be perfect for that use. The combination of tombs and ghoul tunnels essentially suggests an adventure for the map. Unlike other Heroic Maps, though, I think there is less replay value with this map than if the graveyard and ghoul tunnels were on separate maps.

This is a great product line, and I look forward to seeing what the future holds for Heroic Maps.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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Heroic Maps: Graveyard & Catacombs
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