Cartographers steal the spotlight in Vecna: Eve of Ruin with some of the best maps of this generation
For a game of Dungeons & Dragons you really only need a few things: a few dice, the tiniest idea of a possible encounter, and a few other people with characters in hand. So when I come to the game’s publisher, Wizards of the Coast, for one of their campaigns, I expect quite a lot for my money – an excellent hook, for starters, but also a long-lasting experience with plenty of extras to get out of my players inside.
Vecna: Eve of Ruinthe last adventure published for the original 5th edition ruleset is packed with extras like that, and by far the best parts are the maps.
D&D’s first adventures were little more than maps, carefully annotated on loose-leaf graph paper in three-ring binders by the likes of Dave Arneson, Gary Gygax, and a handful of the game’s original designers and artists. They were strictly two-dimensional affairs, presented from a bird’s eye view. An example of this is the infamous Tomb of horrors, a deadly yet concise arena originally created for tournament-style play. It is an extensive series of corridors and antechambers, most of which are on the exact same level of the dungeon.
Vecna: Eve of Ruin‘s cards are designed in a similar way, but they are anything but flat.
(Ed. remark: This story will spoil the most important elements Vecna: Eve of Ruin.)
Take for example the map in chapter three entitled ‘The Lambent Zenith’s Last Voyage’. Created by cartographer Francesca Baeraldit shows a magical sailing ship crashed into the side of a dead god. Here’s the official description, a version of which they probably had to work with in committee:
The stony mass is not a planet or asteroid, but a colossal creature that appears lifeless. Shattered ribs arch over the creature’s mossy spine, and the air crackles with rotting magic.
Among the bones is the shipwreck of a large galleon, divided into three large pieces: the stern castle, nestled in the hip bones of the corpse; the starboard portion, embedded in the ribcage; and the bow, stabbed into the hearts of the creatures.
To make that description visually understandable to the player, Baerald created an elevation display that broadly shows where each part of the ship is in relation to the others. You can see it on the right side of the map above. But each piece itself rests against and, in some places, in the dead god in a different way. Each of the three parts of the galleon therefore gets its own cross-section for extra clarity.
These are the kind of details that add even more immersion to an already excellent campaign. They also increase the value of the digital version of the game, available exclusively on D&D Beyond. This gives you access to a high-resolution version of the map: a 61.6 megabyte JPG file, displayed at 72 pixels per inch. It is so detailed that the texture of Baerald’s individual watercolor brushstrokes helps enhance the experience. All you have to do is print it out at the local copy shop.
Of course you can also support Baerald directly via her websitewith a link to where you can do that buy more of her work online. That includes maps of the recent ones Airplane flight And Dragonlance restart.
As Baerald’s color cards arrive Vecna: Eve of Ruin are real show stoppers, cartographer Dyson logosThe work is much more abundant and no less complex. My favorite comes in chapter four, “The Ruined Colossus.” It shows a huge bipedal war machine, as big as anything from the world of Warhammer 40,000, completely trapped in a mountain. To emphasize the adventure’s goals, a delicate stream of cerebrospinal fluid even drips in rivulets throughout the structure – like breadcrumbs left by wayward children.
Vecna: Eve of Ruin, D&D
Logos uses cheerful arrows to show how the different segments of the monster are connected, and he also adds an elevation display to help the characters orient themselves. Although the resolution is not as high as Baerald’s work, it is still suitable for printing directly from the digital version files.
You can find more work by Logos on his website website where there are plenty of other maps available to download. He also maintains one Patreon where you can support his work and purchase additional card bundles.
Of course, if you’re not interested in spending the money to print copies of these cards yourself, the main cards are printed on a double-sided poster card in the back of the physical book. The problem is that only one of them is large enough to support thumbnails. The rest is printed much smaller. In the meantime, Beadle & Grimm’s is working on a lavish box set that should contain most, if not all, of the best, plus plenty more ephemera. Just pay attention to the Price tag of $509 – and the fact that it won’t ship until August.