Saturday, September 8, 2012

Gaming Gear: Maps of Mastery, Christopher West


"Chris West loves gaming and expresses that love with an artist's eye. Luckily for gamers, he shares that eye with the rest of us."

Back in the olden days of roleplaying, maps were crude scribblings on graph paper, dictated to the players by the Dungeon Master. Mapping caverns by hand gave you a feeling of exploration; you used your imagination to fill in the details of the surroundings that the DM described. Unfortunately, not everyone at the table imagined those same details.

Arguments were common about who was where, what was in the room and how close that ogre was to the brazier full of hot coals. Savvy DMs and players slipped around the arguments and kept the game moving, but it was always the most frustrating part of a session. There are times that I miss those days, mostly for the nostalgia of making due with what we had. Well, the day has finally come where we don't have to make due. We have Christopher West.