This is not at all like many of the other releases in the line. Some folks have already mentioned the less-than-handy random vehicle in the middle of the street issue- so that's not very helpful- but my biggest gripe is there's no grid! The second City Blocks release fixed that problem, but honestly this product is of zero use to me. How can these guys put out a map like this without a 1-inch grid or hex! I am sorely disappointed.

This is a quality product, but those purchasing should be aware that the file size of the VTT map is actually larger than allowed on the highest paid account on Roll20 (over 10 MB in size), so you cannot actually use it with Roll20 without modification (and a subscription). Just something to be aware of.

I expected battlemap size and quality product. This was a complete waste for me. However the city slums product by the same group was more what I was looking for.

This is actually a rather good product, but there are a couple glaring issues.

While the textures are of decent quality, there are a couple places where they don't really work, and there are a couple places where there are glaring blue blocks that could just as well be a glitch rather than an intentional decision.

My main gripe with the map, though, is the amount of busy additions there are. Rather than being a true blank slate with entirely user-driven customization, there are a few vehicles added, which are placed in the middle of the street in a way that could be pretty awkward to explain away to players mid car-chase or whatnot. In addition, there's a degree of noise added by what appears to be randomly placed debris, but this is notably absent from the bottom left sections of road, as well as a couple other sections. In addition, the roads on the bottom left don't have lines painted, which also sorta kills the immersion.

I hate to scourge it so heavily on a couple of errors; technically, there's a really good product here, but the built in vehicles kinda kill some of the versatility, and those blue boxes just don't mesh with the map. If they were removed, I'd have fewer qualms with giving this a perfect rating.

As a GM and miniatures gamer, there are certain things I look for. Many of these CITY BLOCKS offers. Some, it doesn't.

It does layout a map that is, as the name implies, a large section of city with buildings, streets and sidewalks/ patios. This is great!

There are some other things that I would have liked to see. These are:

_ Nowhere does it mention the size of the map (except in the other review here). I would have liked to know the exact size of the "finished" map, so I could have planned out the mounting a little better. According to the other review, it is 40 x 30, which is the size of two foamboard sheets. This would have been good information to have ahead of time, since I can't afford to blindly print out sheets that I may not be able to use.

_ Also, I couldn't find any reference to scale! I am guessing that one inch = 20 feet, but there is nothing to confirm this. That is pretty important to a GM.

_ Finally, the artwork is good, and you can see what it represented clearly (vehicles, and such), BUT there are "squares" scattered all over the map. Are these debris? Pixelation? I really couldn't tell... It made the map look a little "cluttered."

These are the things I didn't like about it. What I DID like about it was the fact that you get an easy to store city at a great price! Like all of the other DramaScape maps, it is well laid-out and features 3D renderings to show your palyers, "You face North, and this is what you see."

I couple small additions to the "heart" of the text and this could easily get all 5 stars!

First of all, let me say that GMs need more products, like DramaScape's City Blocks! As a GM, I go through certain phases of gaming genres. Currently I am in my Modern/SciFi phase. As 99.9% of my gaming is done online these days, I use battlemaps for my major encounters. I am always on the lookout for more products that can be used in a modern or scifi setting.

There are TONS of battlemaps available for fantasy-themed games, but high-quality moder/scifi maps are hard to find and City Blocks is what I have been waiting for! 15 cut-away section are offered here, that can be used seperately and- get this! The seperate maps may be joined together for one huge 40" x 30" map of 4 city blocks!

All maps in this 22 page pdf are in color and the maps are detailed enough to use as-is.

David's Gripes: Map resolution may be kind of a let down for online gaming, when zooming in for street-level token use.

Final Word: A great effort by DramaScape. I have purchased other products of theirs and have been just as pleased. Be sure to check City Blocks out.