Geoffrey - Feb 07, 2008

Please be patient with this review.  I have to give a bit of historical background before I can properly review this map.

I have long loved Judges Guild's old Wilderlands campaign maps.  Back in 1977-1980, Judges Guild published four products detailing the campaign world of the Wilderlands:

1. Wilderlands of High Fantasy
2. The Fantastic Wilderlands Beyonde
3. Wilderlands of the Magic Realm
4. Wilderlands of the Fantastic Reaches

All together, these products included eighteen of the best maps in FRPG. Each map was 17" by 22" on textured tan paper.  The scale was 1 inch = 11 miles.  A hex system was superimposed, with 1 hex = 5 miles.  Each hex had a little number in it.  The booklets accompanying the maps described what was found in some of the numbered hexes.  Here is what a quarter of one of the maps looked like (though the scan doesn't do it justice): CampaignMap16

In 2005 Necromancer Games released a boxed campaign set with new black-and-white versions of the maps, which improved in readability but lost a bit in character.  (Here is a scan of one of the maps: Necromancer Games Lenap Map ).  The maps were re-numbered so that when the maps are laid out in order, the numbers also go in order (rather than being haphazard, as originally published).  Overall, though, the original maps and the 2005 maps are essentially identical.

Now in 2008 James Mishler's RPG company, Adventure Games Publishing, has begun selling a new version of map #16 (old number)/#18 (new number), which is of the region of the Wilderlands known as the Southern Reaches.  Before I say anything further, this picture of a quarter of the map is worth a thousand words: AGP01251

Compare that with the image (linked to above) of the old Judges Guild map of the same region.  Not only is the new map prettier and in color, but it has a lot of additional information on it as well.  One can immediately see that the new map is packed with information, and this quarter of the map is the least packed quarter since so much of it is water.  The other three quarters (particularly the two western quarters) are even more dense with information.

James and his calligrapher (Peter Bradley) have managed to do what I thought was impossible: They took one of the finest large-scale D&D maps ever published, and they made it significantly better.  All the information on the earlier versions of the maps is present, plus a whole lot more.  Many more natural features and villages are named.  The forests are given a "spottier", more natural look.  The whole map is a thing of joy and beauty, with layers of visual texture.

The names of features are particularly easy to read, being printed in black with a very thin outlining of white.  Close inspection will notice that all natural features are slightly italicized, while villages, castles, and such are not.  Different symbols are used to differentiate between villages, small towns, large towns, cities, castles, citadels, and ruins.  This is yet another improvement on the already great older versions.

Simply put, I've never seen a FRPG map that can compare with this.  It is, easily, the best such map I've ever seen.

Seeing the teasers of this map on the internet sorely tempted me to shelve my current campaign and start a Wilderlands campaign.  Holding the map in my hands and seeing it in its full glory resolved all doubts.  I am henceforth going to conduct a Wilderlands campaign set in the Southern Reaches.  This map inspires the imagination and begs to be adventured in.

"But it's just a map! What about the written information that accompanies it?"  Well, in the near future James plans on publishing a couple of books (one for players, and one for Judges) giving precisely that.  But the books are not as important as the map.  The maps of the Wilderlands have always been the best part of the Wilderlands.  The Judge then takes the bare-bones descriptions and fleshes them out to suit his whims.  I already own the original Judges Guild booklets, as well as Necromancer's Wilderlands boxed set.  I plan to also purchase James's books.  But all these books are merely inspiration.  I am going to fill this map up with my own ideas, using the published ideas as springboards rather than as straightjackets.  And this is precisely as it should be.  To quote the old Judges Guild proclamation of Bob Bledsaw: "All within is merely inspiration for the active and pontifical judges of the guild.  Please alter, illuminate, expand, modify, extrapolate, interpolate, shrink, and further manipulate all contained to suit the tenor of your campaign."

(For what it's worth, I plan on conducting my Wilderlands campaign using the Holmes basic D&D rules as a complete rules set: Dragonsfoot forums )

I almost forgot to mention that the back of the map is an exceedingly bare-bones black-and-white players' version of the map.  It has the numbered hexes, along with the shoreline and a handful of features sketched in--but it's mostly blank.  What you do is photocopy the back and hand it to the players to map on as they explore the region.

As the great religions and philosophies tell us, perfection is not to be attained in this world.  While this map comes close, it inevitably falls a bit short.  First of all, the numbers in the hexes are not as readable as are those in Necromancer's version of the map.  Please, James, see if you can increase the clarity of the numbers in future maps.  The numbers are indeed readable, but they could be better.  Even if you feel the map isn't quite as beautiful with clearer numbers, I hope you still do it.  Utility trumps beauty.  (Though I do not think the two are necessarily exclusive.  I suspect with further thought and tinkering, you'll be able to increase clarity without sacrificing any beauty.)

Second, there is a single typo: In hex 2122, Elvensiege is misspelled as "Elvenseige".  But that is the only typo I found after hours of poring over and relishing the map.

The best news is that James and Peter (sounds rather biblical!) plan on releasing further Wilderlands maps of the same high quality.  The next map is the map of the Roglaras, containing the famous City State of the Invincible Overlord.  I understand that they plan to release one map every two months.  With 17 maps to go, that means we should have the full set by the end of 2010.  James and Peter, you two have a serious obligation to D&Ders everywhere to complete those 17 maps.  There is no hurry, however.  The map of the Southern Reaches is so dense that one could adventure therein for years.

The map costs $5, and with shipping your total cost will be $7.50.  "For a map?" Yes, for a map. And for so much more.  How many $7.50 products can be the basis for a whole campaign?  It is a bargain.