![]() ![]() MAP: Exploring the World, Rosie Pickles and Tim Cooke, eds.Antique Map Reproductions: A Directory of Publishers & Distributors of Antique Map, Atlas & Globe Facsimiles & Reproductions (1998).The Piri Reis Map of 1513 (Athens & London: The University of Georgia Press, 2000).The Dieppe World Maps, 1541-1553, by Henry Harrisse (2002). The Johannes Ruysch and Martin Waldseemüller World Maps: The Interplay and Merging of Early Sixteenth Century New World Cartographies (2012).The Vesconte Maggiolo World Map of 1504 in Fano, Italy (2013 2015).The History, Debates, and Identity of the Northwest Continent on the Waldseemüller World Map of 1507 (forthcoming co-author: Donald.His articles have appeared in Imago Mundi, Terrae Incognitae, Mercator’s World, Cartographica Helvetica, American Neptune, and The Portolan. ![]() He has written four books, contributed chapters to six others, and has made more than three-dozen conference presentations around the world, inclusing in the USA, UK, Italy, Portugal, Cyprus, Turkey, Canada, Russia, and Jamaica. He is a well-known author in early modern exploration and cartography, particularly in the famous Piri Reis map of 1513. Philosophy (California State University) and a much diversified professional experience which includes aeronautical engineering, art gallery direction, and project managing. He formerly lectured at Piri Reis University in Istanbul. ![]() I guess you’ll have to chalk me up as a purveyor of map porn.Gregory McIntosh is a PhD Student at the Centre for History and Philosophy of Science, Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon, Portugal, researching maps and nautical charts between the 13th and 16th centuries, with support from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement n° 714033- MEDEA-CHART/ERC-2016-ST G). If you’re a strict, no nonsense, matter of fact gamer then you may well find the book too expensive and too esoteric for your tastes. Quite honestly it’s something you can take out and show friends. If you’re well off, if you appreciate fabulous cartography, if you’ve a special scenario coming up and don’t mind one or two eccentricities on a map, even if you’re just one of these things then Todd Gamble’s Cartographica will make a famous addition to your RPG collection. The colour and fine detail are some of the reasons why the Cartographica has such a wow factor but there are a few maps when you’ll find yourself squinting and holding the book up under the light just to see them. Sure, there are insides of castles and passageways ready for dungeon crawlers but there are the likes of graveyards, islands and orchards to. There is a fairly good mix of locations in the 64 bold colour pages. GMs can transfer the book’s wow factor to their game by taking a quality colour photocopy and laying the map down on the gaming table for the players to stare at. Let’s coin the phrase “Map porn” for the book. The thing is, Todd Gamble’s Cartographica isn’t supposed to be terribly efficient. An efficient set of maps would be a collection of black and white drawings, or in my opinion, an $8 PDF collection is better still – why photocopy when you can print off at whim and make changes with PaintShopPro? An index would be useless anyway since there aren’t any page numbers. There’s neither index nor table of contents so although that means you get an extra map it means they’re hard to find. The Cartographica isn’t terribly efficient. The maps are decorated with in-game paraphernalia like ‘wax seals’, GM notes (directions, comments) and decorative headers. There might be no risk of miniatures being used on them, not unless someone has a supply of miniature miniatures. The square grid overlay on the maps always smaller than the standard size for game use, often significantly so. Yet the maps have something of a handout feel about them too. The urge to photocopy the maps must also be perfectly valid since Green Ronin grant permission for personal photocopying up front at the start of the book. The maps are supposed to be used as battle maps the square grids on them are proof of that. You’ll go insane as you attempt to balance the urge to use the wonderful maps in your game against your instincts to protect the book. If you don’t have access to a colour photocopier then don’t go near Cartographica. Mind you, there’s no escaping the “Get your dirty minis off my lovely maps!” factor either. There’s no escaping Todd Gamble’s Cartographica’s “wow factor”. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |