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25 Quick & Dirty Map Tutorials Guide Book Kickstarter has launched!

Author/Cartographer: Michael K. Tumey
Publishers: Gamer Printshop
Product: Soft cover, full color interior printed book and PDF
Pages: (estimated) 248

Link to Kickstarter

Learn to create stunning RPG maps using any standard graphics applications (Photoshop, GIMP, Inkscape, Illustrator, Xara Photo & Graphic Designer, more...) You'll create maps quickly and easily using these simple step-by-step instructions.

Goal: $3,750 - 25 Quick & Dirty Map Tutorials Guide Book
Stretch #1: $7,500 - 25 Advanced Quick & Dirty Map Tutorials Guide Book
Stretch #2: $10,500 - Quick & Dirty Hand-Drawn Map Tutorials Guide Book
Stretch #3: $14,500 - Using 3D Elements in Maps Tutorials Guide Book
Stretch #4: $16,500 - Old West Hand-Drawn Map Objects Set
Stretch #5: $20,000 - Maps and Legends: a Guide to Fantasy Cartography by Schwarzkreuz
Stretch #6: $25,000 - Endless Terrain Battlemaps Tile Set

Please join us today to fund this exciting project and help spread the word!

Michael

On day 8, with 90 backers, the project met goal! (woot). Got 101 backers now, 119% of goal, $4,466 ($7500 to next goal).

I've added some map object sets as additional backer levels (and the most popular levels, apparently).

A Quick Overview on the Stretch Goal Products:

25 Advanced Quick & Dirty Map Tutorials Guide is really the second half of the first book. I originally planned on writing a 50 tutorials guide, but after I figured out the page count to do 50 tutorials, plus sample maps and all the discussion chapters that would have been a huge book (500ish pages) and if that were to be sold on a bookstore shelf as a full color interior book, it would cost like $80 which is too much, so I split the concept into 2 books.

Hand-Drawn Map Tutorials Guide is less quick and dirty, my plan is to offer hand-drawn work on 3 different map types - regional map, city map and an encounter scale map (castle or something) and as many steps as necessary to present them - perhaps 20 or more steps each, using my digital-to-hand-drawn to digital workflow technique. Then several tutorials for hand-drawn detailed map objects.

Using 3D Elements in Mapping Guide - I often use 3D to create detailed map objects, detailed portrayal of complex shadows, use to prepare an isometric/orthographic view map, and rarely 3D terrain. To give you a better product I may add a couple additional authors to write a chapter each. I invited Anna Meyer who uses Bryce 3D to create her 3D versions of the domains of Greyhawk, as Greyhawk maps is her productline. Anna is the one of the few pro female RPG cartographer I know - most cartographers seem to be guys. Waldronate (that's his Cartographers' Guild nickname, I don't now his real name...?) Waldronate is a software developer. He created Wilbur and Fractal Terrains which is an extension of Fractal Mapper, Wilbur is the more complex version of that. He's an expert of true 3D terrain - a real techie. But I think he can bring something good to a book on 3D mapping.

While I have a couple more stretch goals, the above is the main stretch goals.

I really, really want to fund these stretch goals at least! Let's see what we can do to get them into pledger's hands.

Just an update: on Day 8 goal was met, and now it's Day 18 and less than $230 to the first stretch goal for an Advanced Tutorials Guide. We want to try to fund 3 more tutorials guides before it's all over.

At varying backer levels there are Map Object sets: 2 at 100 objects & 250 objects both photo-realistic, and 1 set of 250 Old West Hand-Drawn Map Objects. So there's more than just tutorials guides here.

We have 165 backers, please consider joining them to help fund this project. If you already have, "Thank you!" Please spread the word!

Michael

Pretty big day! The first stretch goal is funded and unlocked - woot! Apparently the next stretch goal: Hand-Drawn Map Tutorials Guide book has something of a following. Once the 1st stretch goal was surpassed, within hours over $700 in 2 hours!

Thank you, pledgers! We've come far in a short time, with 11 days left, and 3 more stretch goals to go - is it even possible?

Update #11 - Stretch Goal #2: The Hand-Drawn Map Tutorials Guide Book is UNLOCKED!

Only 5 days left, and sitting at $10,722, on $3280 to the 3D Elements in Mapping Guide.

Thanks everyone for getting us here. If you haven't joined please do, and help spread he word!

Thank you.

Michael

Already developing some additional products born out of this one, such as a Starship deck modules - for sci-fi maps, instead of creating a fully developed deckplan, I'm creating individual chambers as modules in multiple versions, so gamemasters can choose which ship's bridge, crew quarters, engineering section, medical bay, then place connecting halls to form a deckplan layout to whatever best fits their need.

I haven't done a lot of sci-fi mapping, but some of my contributors are sci-fi fans, and I need to cater to them as well.

A couple starship modules:

32 hours left, and only $322 away from funding the final stretch goal. I didn't think I'd be able to fund all the guides, but it looks like a sure thing. Today was the biggest pledge day, with $2610 in a single day - wow! Thanks everyone who contributed. It's been a great ride!

Michael

Funding period is over: it was an overwhelming success! Thank you all contributors and those who helped spread the word, you people are awesome!

Final Tally:
Pledged: $23,289; Backers: 456; Funded: 621%
Original Goal: $3750; All 4 Stretch Goals: $16,500

Which means almost $20,000 over the original goal!

It's been a great experience.

The guides, map object and digital map tile sets will become available to the public once released.

Thank you!

Meeeeh.
I went in Kickstarted to fund it and... saw that it end. Well, good luck anyway Michael. If you make any digital map packs for sale (and they're cheap ) I would be glad to either support in Kickstarter (hoping it would be more than 1 month so I can do it in time) or afterwards.

@alhoon - I've been accepting pledges from several other people who missed the Kickstarter, by doing a Paypal money transfer to my account for the amount they wish to pledge. PM me, if you'd like to do that, otherwise, yes, all products digital and print will be made available to the public once complete.

Michael

25 Quick and Dirty Map Tutorials Guide book has been released to the public for sale at DTRPG.

All KS backers who received the pre-editted version will be getting download links to the update over the next days and weeks. Any KS backers who did not, need to send me a PM on Kickstarter with their most current Email addresses so I can send them their product.

Monday, I will send the final version to the printers for hard copies.