by Malcadon » September 14th, 2014, 9:48 pm
Mind you, the pictures above are just an outline of would I might do if I had the time and energy to paint working boards for the game. They are after all, the reference map used by the Dragon Master.
If I was to do it, I would start with black paper for indoor areas, and gray for outdoors -- I want to give them all a dark tone, but would have to make the outsides appear brighter, without look too bight. All-and-all, they would be striped of major or unimportant elements, leaving only random bits of debris. And all the maps would have a top-down view, so you would not see the sides of walls. Basically, I want it to look more like the HeroQuest board. Here are some additional things I would do for each board...
With Castle, I would make the large courtyard at the center an open area with dirt and loose bits of grass. It would look ruinous and overran by monsters. Debris would show a mix old discarded items (old cups and mugs, broken bits of lumber, etc.), with evidence of violence (blood, bones, body parts, broken/rusted weapons, etc.). Gaps (arrow) placed in some of the walls would allow figures to shoot throw them without being attacked. The entire castle is surrounded by a mote. It is recommended use aquatic monsters to keep Heroes form freely moving around the board by the sides -- although, the board should be widened to accommodate more moat area. The tiles that would be added specifically for the Castle are: busted/intact Drawbridge, Portcullis (as a free-standing doorway), differing types of Stares, and Battlements tiles for each of the towers.
With the City, I would make it look lived-in by people. The cobblestone streets would look worn and battered over high-traffic areas, while the edges of the streets along the walls or open grounds would be cluttered with grass and litter. Areas marking each square would look more subdued. Cracks, stone formations, irragualr gaps in the floorboards, bits of debris would help highlight the grid with it looking like a big ol' grid. Some extra items (tiles & 3d furniture) I would have for the board would include thin rug/carpet overlays, 3D furnishings, some tiles for the center of the piazza, 3D trading booths, 1 & 1x2 sq. 3D Tents & Huts and hedgerow tiles for the open ground at the north. I seen someone use overlays to make roofs to show want has been explored, and I like that! I would also do that, with an alternative tile that shows the building in ruins.
The solid earth within the Cavern would be solid black, and the tiled floors would look like they are adrift in an endless void, if not for the shadows rand the edges. The covers would look lived by monsters. Some of the debris would show signs of past violence, as noted with the Castle. Most other items would be rocks, rat bones, mold/fungus growth, etc. Add-on tiles would include solid black Blocked tiles (used like the Solid Black tiles in HeroQuest), Cave-in tile (like the Blacked tile, but is a pile of rocks), Speleothem Columns (think Stalactites and Stalagmites), Cubbyholes (a two square tile of a round cubbyhole with a narrow entrance), and water & acid pools tiles.
With the Valley, the roads would bland in better with the grass of the open fields overlapping on the edges of the road, and the road would bend and twist just enough to give it a more natural look. Same with the forest edges, but the edges of the forests would also extend a shadow over the neighboring squares. Just like the City board, I would try to make the lines that make the grid look more subdued. Added tiles and 3D features for this board would include: Forest tiles, Pond overlays (for small bodies of water), Campfire tile (yes, the game includes this, but I would omit the campfire from the board), Boulders, a Bride/Ford tile, 2x2 & 2x3 sq. House overlays, and Farmland overlays in differing sizes, as well as the 3D Tents & Huts and Hedgerow tiles noted with the City board.
Free-stand Doors, and 3D Furniture would be used with the Castle and City, as well as the House overlays.
If I did something like this, I would not use Photoshop! WotC make enough s@&%y Photoshopped dungeon tiles sets, and they look awful! Hand-drawn and hand-painted usually looks better. Even though Dragon Strike had painted boards, the game suffered form lousy-looking props in general!
Oh yeah, I would not make them double-sided, so that adventures can span across multiple boards at once.
