Originally published at: http://diehardgamefan.com/2012/04/03/tabletop-review-torn-world-presents-hand-drawn-dungeons-volume-i/

There is something special about hand-drawn maps that have always appealed to me as a GM and a player. I don’t know if it is the old-school feel or the knowledge that someone put a lot of planning and thought, not to mention work, into creating such a rich tabletop game aid.

The main file is a seven page PDF which is simply a scan of the cartographer’s rendering of seven linked maps. You can see where these maps were hand-colored, and there are even some notes on a couple pages. Included for download with the PDF are five 200 DPI .JPGs.

Usually hand-drawn maps are not made to battlemat scale, but after viewing these maps I sure wish they were. The PDF is great for GM use and the .JPGs would need to be scaled up 500% for a battlemat, which is really too much to ask of these files. By including the individual maps though, Torn World has given an enterprising GM what is needed to use them with a Virtual Table Top. I was able to remove the background and gridlines easily enough to import the map into my MapTools game with little effort.

There were only two minor issues that I had with these maps. The first were those very gridlines and background. If the maps were presented on a pure white background they would have looked much more impressive. I also have some difficulty trying to figure out how the maps connect together. Some transition points between the maps are easy enough to figure out, but not all of them. There is a small inset map that I cannot place and there was mention of a connecting waterway that I just don’t understand. Some notations explaining these connecting points, or even a smaller demonstration map would have been much appreciated.

Overall though, this is a beautiful set of maps that I look forward to using in my game.

The World of Torn: Hand Drawn Maps Volume 1 is actually 5 dungeon / cavern maps in one package. The are hand drawn by Alyssa Faden. I never heard of her before, but she draws a quality map. They are keyed with traps and flooded areas, but the DM has to stock them and figure out the history behind them.

My first issue was a difficulty matching up the connections between the levels (assuming you want to use them as one complex and not individual location). It took some studying to figure them out, and I'm still not 100% sure. I probably need to print them out and let them on top of another. For the next volume, these connections should be cleanly marked to cut down on the minor frustration factor.

The maps come both in a PDF booklet and individual jpegs, which should allow for easy integration into a VTT of your choice. Well, except for the fact that the traps are marked. This is my second issue. Maybe traps should be left out of the next volume, as the GM is more than able to add his own. Including them kinda defeats the whole VTT angle.

Overall its a nice collection of hand drawn maps.