u/jlassen72

This city map presented challenges that were different from the reginal maps, but I think I ended up with a nice stitched up version of this map. Displayed on this post are compressed jpgs of the map, the map with full frame and text, and the source scans, so you can see what this started out as.

At this link, I have high rez versions of The Map itself, The Text Descriptions portion of the map by itself, and a layered .psd file that has the Border, the map and the text as separate layers. It also has high rez versions of my previously posted Regional Maps 1 and 2 from the Spellbound box set.

The text is just barely readable, and my archaic copy of Adobe Acrobat didn't do a very good job of OCRing that text.

Ideally, someone (Me? Probably not.) should just have the names and place numbers listed below the map, sans description, and shrink the frame so the otherwise pretty map (I love the reginal inset in the top right corner) isn't dominated by a giant wall of text.

Here is the second regional map in the Spellbound box set.

HiRez Link

Like Map 1, these panels didn't line up squarely and needed a lot of tinkering to get stitched together. The water had a lot of color drift and compression artificing in the original source images (also pictured above) so I added color mask over that, as well as a mask for the the clear land. I wasn't able to do much about the color drift across the forest areas... but ultimately I think this one came out pretty nicely.

This is goes with Map 1 which I had previously cleaned up and posted. While there is some overlap on this map and map 1, given the significant areas in which the overlap, its clear these were always meant to be two different maps (even though only 1 of them has a key) and not necessary stitched together, though of course you are welcome to try. :)

I wanted to try and clean up a more obscure set of 2e maps this time, and chose the maps form the Spellbound box set.

Here is a link to the High rez version of this map.

This map source started out as a bit of a mess, due to scanned source (from internet archive) not being exactly square (or at slightly different scales. Not sure why it was such a mess) and needing some micro-tinkering to line up properly. But In the end it came together nicely (mostly because it is such a sparce map.) These 2e map colors popped nicely after establishing baseline blacks and Whites.

A new technique I used for this one was to have matted overlay over the "clear" terrain to normalize some of the color shift on the different panels and at the seams and folds. This version is using a 49% overlay which still gives a sense of the scanned paper texture and age-artifacting, but does away with most of the stitch and fold color drift between panels and along the folds and edges.

This quality of scan is never going to let the small text lines display nicely, but they are almost readable! so that feels like a bit of a victory.

I've included a jpg of what the original panels looked like, side by side, before I stitched them together so you can get a sense of the source scans. [EDIT: FIXED LINK TO HIGH-REZ MAP]

Here is my attempts to clean up and stitch together the 2e maps from the 2e Moonsea supplement:

Hi Rez copy

Location Index with wiki page links

Honestly between the low contrast names on the map, and the poor quality of the source scan, I'm not terribly happy with how this one came up. But it will have to do...

I don't really have any interest in digitally reproducing these maps using AI or whatever. I feel the original art and style has its own value, and the more I "clean" and futz with a map, the more I am moving away from the original maps...

But I am trying to figure out how we can put together a "2e Maps Remastered" project. Someone somewhere has the original maps, and if we could get a modern 300DPI 24bit scan of those individual map pages from the supplements, we can actually make some nice color corrected, cleaned up, poster sized maps. Which would be nice. DM me if you have any 2e supplement map scans of decent quality... I'll stitch 'em to together and clean them up. And if you know of a collector with copies of the physical maps that wants to contribute to the community... Please put me in touch with them.

I was looking at this map 2nd edition map from the Vilhon Reach sourcebook and comparing it to a newer 5e one, and wanted to share my stitch up and cleanup of it.

Enjoy.

EDIT Here is Link to a high rez version.

EDIT2 Here is link to my location Index.

I have been running the Doom of Daggerdale for my party.

Some changes I ended up making in Doom of Daggerdale for it to more seamlessly tie into Sword of the Dales, and for the villain to seem like less of an Incel-Mage (A problem with a lot of mage-villains from early 90s tsr content, it seems).

#1) Have a better reason for Randel Morn to trust the party investigating the sleeping sickness. I had a “Meet cute” scenario where Randel was captured by a Zent patrol  led by Captain Eli Marshking (from subplot table & I made him a Paladin of Cyric) but it was unknown to the patrol that they captured  Randel…. They are “ just” executing rebels, and the party is  brought in  to stage a rescue… but of course the easily rescued prisoners and public execution  were  a trap by the Captain  to draw in more rebels…  Once that meet cute scenario was done, it made more sense for Randel to entrust the safety of Daggerdale with the party.

#2)  Have a better “entrance to dagger falls” method.  I had a convoluted scenario with both the Goblins and the zentish caravan from the subplots table… The Zent caravan that is attacked and has to turn back… the players need to ingratiate themselves with the remaining caravan guards and leaders and protect them as they turn back to Dagger falls,  so they enter Dagger Falls and are seen as allies to the Zents and its goals and rule in Dagger Falls. This then sets up the constable reaching out to them and having them investigate the temple.  The Freedom Riders setup the goblin ambush in the first place in order to setup this opportunity to insert agents into Dagger Falls.

#3) Have a little better operational security than just “Show up at the known rebel bar and ask for a guy.”  At least have a password. Maybe a couple of blind drop sites. Etc.  Make the rebellion seem real, and make the rebel contact be part of the investigation. Bring details about Eagles Eyrie  back to the contact mid investigation, etc. I went so far as to increase the town NPC roster and have a table  with a rebels, collaborators or  unaligned" status indicator.  The info players get was informed by NPC allegiances, and  if players let something slip to wrong person, it could impact their relationship with constable.

#4) Play up the Cyric vs Bane rift in the Zenturium.   The cleric who started this mess? She was trying to usurp power in town for the Cyric faction.  Our constable is aligned with the Bane faction in the Black Keep.  Have the  players aware of this  political rift somehow - I Had  the constable note the disappearance of the cleric during their initial conversation, and he told the players he didn’t trust her (platning seeds for a player choice down the road – see below).

#5)  Have Colderan be less concerned with resurrecting his dead wife and more concerned with consolidating rule in Dagger Dale.  When the players finally got face to face with my players in his tomb, he invites them to be allies in the struggle against Zentish Occupation, and sets up a bunch of campaign options by saying:

• I’ll take control of the dale, and get rid of these Zents… and Randel can learn a thing our two about ruling by my side. He can be my heir…  
• I can help Randel secure The Sword of the Dales…  during my lifetime I was working with another mage… a tinkerer of sorts, who was forging The Sword of the Dales. I suspect the sword is still in Shraevyn's tomb… Randel will probably find this sword convenient.  With it, he could be the spear point by which I could rule over not only Daggerdale, but also Shadowdale and beyond! 
• I’ve discovered that a faction of Drow elves are collaborating with the zents and providing intel on the movements of the freedom riders. I’ve sent word to some of my Drow contacts whom I worked with when I ruled… There are factions opposed to this… We can work together to depose the Drow faction that is working with the zents. Once I'm allied with the Drow, I'll have the power I need to conquer neighboring shadowdale.
• Sorry I have to break a few eggs to Marshall my forces in dagger falls. The sleeping sickness will be a temporary affliction to the citizens of my dale. Once the Zents are sent packing, Randel and his freedom riders can replace my Night Shade minions.
• That silly Cleric of Cyric thought I would be a puppet dancing on her string.  Well the tables are turned.

 

My players backed slowly out of the tomb with their hands raised when confronted with this wall of information and options, and then had to  decide what they wanted to tell the constable (and then get this info to Randal in some way… they didn’t want to immediately kill Colderan because they assumed Lich lord and probably party killer)

They basically told the constable that the priest of Cyric was behind the sleeping sickness an they could get to the root of it, but were still working on it.  After a deception  check, I had the constable latch onto this explanation, and reveal that he wasn’t sure where the party was in their allegiances, but since they are clearly against the Cyric forces, they are obviously on his side, and he won’t have them killed. Instead they have free reign to kill the Palidan-captain of Cyric who was ALSO recently weant missing and thus clearly aligned with her and up to no good.  (LOL the captain whom the party already killed in the meet cute scenario), and and any other cyric aligned zents that might be behind the sleeping sickness.

They told Randal about the Sword and the offer to work with the Undead Mage as his subordinate and Randal was basically “wait… he said he was my great great grandfather and you just believed him? LOL no. I’m not working for some undead thing that claims to be my ancestor. Kill it  and stop the sleeping sickness by any means necessary.  But that sword does sound cool… and good intel about the drow… we will have to do something about them.”

That’s where things stand now.  Now the party needs to go back down into tomb and kill the mage. But once they do…  I’ve got:

•  Some Drow underdark action to investigate -- could also tie into Beneath the Twisted Tower adventure.
• I can move  quickly & easily into events of Sword of the Dales.
• If the players want to get up in the Zentirium civil war,  and further ally with the constable, who now sees them as allies there are many opportunities to the north: [Snowmantle(revise existing Felled Hope scenario)  /  The Flaming Tower (totally homebrew) /even more esoteric stuff from the “Black Keep” supplement]