Originally Posted at: http://diehardgamefan.com/2011/08/04/the-gazetteer-volume-i-issue-iv/

I’ll admit, I was shocked at how big this map was. 21 MB for only nine pages of content? I’ve played some video games that are bigger than that! I’m still not sure WHY City Apartment is that big as I have other full color maps that I have reviewed which are thirty plus pages and still smaller than that. Just a head’s up on the bandwidth this thing will take up.

Only six of the nine pages of the PDF are actually parts of the map. The first and last page make up the front and back cover and the second page shows how to put all three levels of the maps (first floor, second floor, and rooftop) together. As always, there’s a plus for any map that shows how to put things together. Remember, little kids or first time gamers might purchase your maps.

City Apartment is clearly meant for a modern campaign. You could use it in anything from Call of Cthulhu to the old TSR FASERIP Marvel Super Heroes game (which I miss dearly). The map has a lot of detail to it, from the hardwood floors of the apartment to all the furnishings any apartment would have (and then some) The rugs, stoves, beds, etc all have a lot of detail to them and everything looks great. I was really impressed with the design here. The map is in full colour and is grid based, which makes it perfect for miniature usage if your campaign uses them. This means as long as you are playing in a modern campaign, you can find a use for this map.

My three complaints about the map are minor ones. The first is that the apartment isn’t very realistic. It’s bigger than most houses and very few apartments have two floors. This is more like a house or townhome than an apartment. The second is that the cost of the map is three dollars which is kind of pricey for such small content compared to other maps we’ve looked at previously. Still, considering I used to game in the second edition AD&D era, four dollars is cheap compared to what we paid for maps when I was but a lad. Hell, I remember playing fifteen or so dollars for a D&D Minis map, but that also came with an adventure, was printed on high quality foldable paper and was nicely done. So checks and balances.

The map is a bit big and pricey, but it will fit any modern campaign perfectly. It’s still worth considering picking this one up if you are playing things like Chill, a modern era d20 campaign or the like.