Hello, my name is Michael K. Tumey, I am a professional fantasy cartographer, having created dozens of map commissions for RPG publishers large and small, including all the maps for the Kaidan setting of Japanese horror by Rite Publishing, 189 map objects for the Profantasy Software Modern Map Symbol Set, the original hand-drawn map of the City of Kasai for Paizo Publishing's Jade Regent Adventure Path, and dozens more since 2007.
About 2 months ago, I began posting maps and map tutorials on the Map Making for Games G+ community. Responders to my posts there clearly state that the techniques I use could easily be adapted to many software applications, even though I created those maps and tutorials using Xara Photo & Graphic Designer - my application of choice. Many there asked if I could collect all these tutorials with more added and to create an instructional manual to help gamers create their own maps. It was they who suggested I run a Kickstarter to fund the project.
So, as of Friday, August 2nd, I started a 30 day Kickstarter funding period (going to September 1st) for the
25 Quick & Dirty Map Tutorials Guide Book Kickstarter, with the tag-line: create stunning, photo-realistic RPG and board game maps using any standard graphics software (emphasis on: Photoshop, GIMP, Illustrator, Inkscape, Xara Photo & Graphic Designer). As long as you have some familiarity with your application of choice, the techniques provided in these tutorials will allow you to create high quality game maps quickly and easily with professional results.
While the project's primary audience is gamers needing maps for their games. RPG publishers have shown interest as well, allowing them to create their own maps for their own products, or at least improve the workflow going from map concept to the freelance cartographer, in order to minimize clarifications needed to getting the map right in the first place, saving both time and money.
While the first book (goal) and second book (1st stretch goal) focus on maps using photographic textures, the third book (2nd stretch goal) focuses on my specialty which is hand-drawn maps. While there are several other books and map object sets as additional stretch goals, the first 3 books is really my goal of getting funded and published.
Even though this is my first Kickstarter run on my own, I participated last summer in a Kickstarter to fund the Gamemasters and the Players Guides to the Kaidan setting of Japanese horror (PFRPG) which is actually my published setting as an imprint under Rite Publishing. The books from that Kickstarter is scheduled for release in Oct/Nov of this year - and we're still in development. So I've done this before, but not on my own, as this time.
As of this moment, the project is more than 50% funded, sitting at $2161 towards a $3750 goal with 56 backers. I am definitely interested in spreading the word on this, and hopefully get funded and possibly reach some of the stretch goals.
Here's the link to my current
Map Tutorials Guide Kickstarter project.
Here's one of the sample maps that will be included in the guide, and the kind of map, these tutorials intend to teach you to create yourself: