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Source Maps: Temples, Tombs and Catacombs (TTC) is a package of maps from Profantasy Software that details twenty-five individual locations. But this is not just another set of maps. The site maps in TTC are designed for use with Profantasy?s CC2 Pro map making software. The package adds a plethora of new symbols and templates for owners of that software and of course the maps in TTC can be edited and customized using CC2 Pro as well. If you own Perspectives Pro, you even get a set of new temple perspective symbols.
If you don?t own CC2 Pro, an installer is included for a viewer that can be used to navigate the included site maps. The viewer is pretty powerful and since the maps are vector drawn, they can be zoomed, layers hidden, etc. The viewer also includes a link to a series of hypertext documents that detail each of the sites. This material really adds value and might even justify the purchase price for those that don?t own CC2 Pro.
The hypertext documents provide a wealth of information. You get a complete adventure for each site, including stat blocks, background and adventure hooks. Three of the adventures are for the Action! System and the rest are OGL (for the D&D crowd). You also get several pages of historical information, as well as images for the real locations. Several of the locations, like the Dwarven Treasury are fictional and so of course there is no ?actual? historical information or images for them. Refreshingly, however, they are as detailed as the actual locations, like Stonehenge. There is even a complete OGL modern horror mini-campaign included that links five of the sites together and should take characters all they way to 12th level or higher. Finally, a resources page has links to websites that have interesting historical or mapmaking information.
Also of interest, especially for those that don?t own CC2 Pro, a 150-page PDF is included that contains all of the maps in the package. Each site has maps with a traditional overhead view, a ? perspective view and a larger-scale area view in most cases. The PDF has a table of contents, but it does unfortunately lack bookmarks.
My gripes with TTC are few. I wish the adventures and historical information had also been included as a PDF. It would have made them easier to print out for reference and play. Also, when I clicked the map links from the hypertext document, it opened a new instance of the map viewer each time, which was sort of irritating. Finally, I got a few errors with missing pages when I was clicking through the Help file.
Temples, Tombs and Catacombs is a value-packed package for owns of CC2 Pro. The added mapping tools, combined with the historical and game information for the various sites, makes the purchase price reasonable. If you are interested in detailed maps of real-world locations like the Acropolis, Macch Pichu and Stonehenge, you should still give it consideration. It?s not cheap, but it?s also not just another set of maps.
LIKED: The historical information, images and adventures make the package an excellent value for owners of CC2 Pro. The focus on real-world locations is refreshing and adds value for those that don't just play fantasy.
DISLIKED: I wish the hypertext documents had been included as a PDF, like the maps. It would have made for easier printing.
QUALITY: Very Good
VALUE: Very Satisfied
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