Mapmaker extraordinaire Christopher West has just launched a new Kickstarter project for a set of poster maps. This one, however, is a little bit different.
Where we usually see images of his poster maps splashed around the Kickstarter page, this one is hidden from view, and it turns out there’s a very good reason for that.
This Kickstarter project is veiled in secrecy. Why? Well, because the maps I’ve created are intended to be part of a tournament at this year’s Gen Con in which players sit down to play on a map they haven’t seen before. If I reveal the contents, it spoils the fun for those players…
He’s looking to raise a minimum of $3,500 for the Kickstarter in a mere nine days. This will ensure that at least one of the maps used at the tournament will become available to the public. However, if he can double that original goal to $7,000, both of the maps will be released, and we have been told that they link up to form a single giant battle map. West has used this tactic before in several of his other poster maps, but it was never really called out in any official capacity. He would mention it in passing to people who purchased his maps from him in person and speak about it in interviews, but it never really went farther than that.
These are the details that he is willing to tell us about these maps.
• They are very clearly science fiction maps.
• They are double-sided, full color, and measure 22 by 34 inches.
• They feature a 1-inch grid, and fine colored lines to indicate different terrain types.
• They depict an interior location.
• The ship is parked somewhere, not floating in space.
• The ship is modular and expandable.
• The maps are also modular and expandable, so they can fit together in many possible configurations.
• The maps are similarly compatible with another map I’ve illustrated within the last decade.
• The sketches for three of these maps have never been revealed publicly, but they’ve been under development for *years*.
These maps come with a 1 inch grid on them, making them great for a variety of tabletop gaming uses, such as the Star Wars Miniatures Game as well as the Star Wars Saga Edition roleplaying game, both of which Mr. West did official cartography for.
Let me tell you, I own pretty close to every map that Christopher West has produced in the past few years, and every single one of them is worth every penny I’ve spent on them and then some. If you’re at all put off by the “blind bidding” on these maps, rest assured that you won’t be disappointed with these.
You can take a look at the project here, and you can take a look at some of his other work at his website to get a sense of the treat you’re in for. But I can tell you that the website doesn’t capture the feeling of holding one of his maps in your hands and looking at it.
Make your pledge quickly and help to spread the word! There isn’t much time to act!
About Ben Erickson
One of Ben's first vivid memories is being sat down in front of the TV by his father when Star Wars came on one night. Little did he know, that was his first step into a larger, geekier universe. When he's not spending way too much time thinking of how to work quotes from the films into his everyday life, he can often be found playing, writing about, or reading about tabletop RPGs, working through his far too large (and still growing) to-read list, or just chilling with his wife on the couch watching whatever they've got queued up on Netflix.
