Fantastic Maps - Arena of Fire is Rite Publishing's latest offering of 2D terrain tiles. This set features a magical and mystical temple through which a dangerous river of fire and lava flows. This map set, like all in the Fantastic Maps series, features a single location in one inch scale to each map square. The entire map has a size of 34 by 44 inches, with each individual tile being 8 by 8 squares. Tiles overlap a small amount to allow for easy assembly. As this is not a generic tile set, it's likely quite difficult to combine it with other sets in the same series, and is best used as a single encounter, single location product. The product includes additional features such as MapTool files, a global image of the whole map for easy GM reference and assembly guide, and both color and black-and-white versions of the terrain tiles for printing.
The Arena of Fire is a striking map that offers lots of tactical opportunities. With loads of mystical, magical glyphs and symbols dotted around the map and a river of fire bisecting the map, creative GMs can make good use of the possibilities. Various areas offer different chances and opportunities at crossing to the other side, and with multiple entry points into the chamber it can be a fun scramble with good strategic and tactical nuances. The artwork is very good - I particularly liked the vibrant fire of the river, and the magical symbols themselves. The rest of the map is very clean in the sense that it doesn't offer any typical dungeon or temple features. A little bit of background featuring, for example, marks on the surface stones, bones and other small items would've made the map a little more realistic. The glyphs or symbols are useful to designate various magical zone in a radius around the glyph or to trigger various effects. The possibilities of these glyphs are left the GMs imagination. Overall, I thought this was another very good product in the Fantastic Maps series. If you're looking for an exciting and tactical map for a final adventure encounter featuring magical effects and a river of fire, this is a very good option. Good product.
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