This is the beginning of my campaign to FREE THE MAPS!
What am I raving about? I'm glad you asked!
I'm talking about the maps given as a 'bonus' that you can only see in the Maps VTT. So far I'm only aware of the ones from the 2024 DMG but I'm guessing there are a bunch where there are versions you can see through the Sources entry, i.e. the actual Dungeon Master's Guide pages, in particular the Appendix B: Maps, which are great and fantastic and no shade at all on them but then there are full colour versions of these maps which you can only access within the Maps VTT.
These are great maps. Very pretty. Much nice. I like.
But the Maps VTT is... umm... I mean, I have almost zero use for it. And it prevents any right-clicking so I can't even save the map to just use it outside of the Maps VTT. This makes those maps functionally useless to me and I'm guessing a lot of other people as well. Which in turn makes them feel much less like a bonus and more like a punishment. I now see these great, full colour maps that I would love to use at my physical table with physical miniatures and I can't, because they're locked in a virtual cage.
These maps deserve to be free. FREE THE MAPS!
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"Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else's opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation."
I think those extra maps (from the DMG and Dragon Delves and other sources ...) are supposed to be an incentive to use the Beyond Maps VTT instead of another VTT which I consider fair play, as they were always advertised as something you get on Maps. Those from the DMG especially would also compete with physical map releases from Beadle&Grimms (which has color versions of most of these I beleive), so depending on the license agreement they might have to stay in Maps?
Okay, but counterpoint: DDB's Maps tool isn't even in the top 5 best VTTs and shows no signs of getting there. A few exclusive maps will never change that.
Okay, but counterpoint: DDB's Maps tool isn't even in the top 5 best VTTs and shows no signs of getting there. A few exclusive maps will never change that.
I am quite happy with it and I know a lot of people have moved to it, mainly for the Beyond integration. When you are promised extra maps in the Beyond VTT in a bundle thats what I expect to get and it feels fine. With everyone now able to run games on maps even without a subscription those bonus maps are useful.
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This is the beginning of my campaign to FREE THE MAPS!
What am I raving about? I'm glad you asked!
I'm talking about the maps given as a 'bonus' that you can only see in the Maps VTT. So far I'm only aware of the ones from the 2024 DMG but I'm guessing there are a bunch where there are versions you can see through the Sources entry, i.e. the actual Dungeon Master's Guide pages, in particular the Appendix B: Maps, which are great and fantastic and no shade at all on them but then there are full colour versions of these maps which you can only access within the Maps VTT.
These are great maps. Very pretty. Much nice. I like.
But the Maps VTT is... umm... I mean, I have almost zero use for it. And it prevents any right-clicking so I can't even save the map to just use it outside of the Maps VTT. This makes those maps functionally useless to me and I'm guessing a lot of other people as well. Which in turn makes them feel much less like a bonus and more like a punishment. I now see these great, full colour maps that I would love to use at my physical table with physical miniatures and I can't, because they're locked in a virtual cage.
These maps deserve to be free. FREE THE MAPS!
"Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else's opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation."
― Oscar Wilde.
These maps?
Oh, I see now, the colour version of it.
Yeup. They're only viewable in the Maps VTT and you can't right-click to save them so you can't use them anywhere else but in the Maps VTT.
"Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else's opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation."
― Oscar Wilde.
These ones? Maps - Dungeon Master’s Guide - Dungeons & Dragons - Sources - D&D Beyond - if you own the DMG you can download from there, no need to go to the VTT. A couple are in the text of the book rather than the appendix though.
I think those extra maps (from the DMG and Dragon Delves and other sources ...) are supposed to be an incentive to use the Beyond Maps VTT instead of another VTT which I consider fair play, as they were always advertised as something you get on Maps. Those from the DMG especially would also compete with physical map releases from Beadle&Grimms (which has color versions of most of these I beleive), so depending on the license agreement they might have to stay in Maps?
Okay, but counterpoint: DDB's Maps tool isn't even in the top 5 best VTTs and shows no signs of getting there. A few exclusive maps will never change that.
No.
As I have said, there are full colour versions of these maps which are only viewable through the Maps VTT.
"Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else's opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation."
― Oscar Wilde.
I am quite happy with it and I know a lot of people have moved to it, mainly for the Beyond integration. When you are promised extra maps in the Beyond VTT in a bundle thats what I expect to get and it feels fine. With everyone now able to run games on maps even without a subscription those bonus maps are useful.