# Ship map, plans



## TerraDave (Jan 6, 2011)

PCs will be taking an exciting voyage. They might even live through it!

Just wondered if there were any easy to use tactical maps around for a sailing ship. Something that allowed for printable battle mats would be ideal.


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## Ahnehnois (Jan 6, 2011)

Stormwrack had some ship maps which you could download and print. Might be something you can use there.


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## Asmor (Jan 6, 2011)

Ahnehnois said:


> Stormwrack had some ship maps which you could download and print. Might be something you can use there.




There's a nice ship flip mat, though that's really only an option if you are willing to spend the money and have enough time to wait for shipping.


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## Rel (Jan 6, 2011)

I typically use gridded sheets from a big pad that I purchased at Office Depot for my battlemats.  What I did at one point was to simply sketch out a few ship shapes and cut them out of that.  Then (because I like stuff that is a bit sturdier) I used some spray glue and put them on foamcore and cut them out of that.  Been using them for years.


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## TerraDave (Jan 6, 2011)

thanks everyone. The idea of "cut out" ships is a good one.


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## weem (Jan 6, 2011)

Here's what I did...

MATERIALS: Empty LCD TV Box, Long Wooden Ruler, Box Knife and a Pencil

1) Cut open box so you have the two largest pieces (the face and back) separated

2) Using the ruler, draw a grid on the inside

3) Draw out multiple decks of the ship

4) Cut them out with the blade

5) Set them on objects of varying heights to indicate which "floor" creatures are on

Some pics...


The ship and its layers...






One of my players rockin out...


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## Mark CMG (Jan 7, 2011)

Free deckplan downloads from Mongoose -

Mongoose Publishing


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## scruffygrognard (Jan 7, 2011)

Thanks for the link Mark!


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## Mark CMG (Jan 7, 2011)

cperkins said:


> Thanks for the link Mark!





You're welcome.  I, too, like to print them out and put them on foamboard.  I also have the Paizo flipmat and wish I had the Dungeon Tile boats, but I don't yet. 


Remember, it's neat to have a fleet!


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## thalmin (Jan 8, 2011)

Don't forget about these from Paizo


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## Zaukrie (Jan 8, 2011)

Not sure how you feel about building 3D models, but the best product that worldworksgames puts out is a ship....It looks incredible assembled. You could just buy the template, and make the decks on foamcore if you didn't want to build the ship.

I also use the toy ships from megablocks (no grid, obviously).


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## Momeeche (Jan 9, 2011)

On a related subject, what about zepplins? Got any plans for them? Or should boat deck plans just be modified?


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## Rel (Jan 9, 2011)

Momeeche said:


> On a related subject, what about zepplins? Got any plans for them? Or should boat deck plans just be modified?




I made one once for a game I knew I'd be running several times.  I wanted to have the gas bag too instead of just the gondola since that would allow me to have battle take place on both levels.

I used a 3 liter soda bottle and attached a conical party hat to each end.  Then I covered it with tin foil and used duct tape to keep that in place.  If I was doing it over today I'd just use the duct tape.

I used four short lengths of model railroad track as the supports to hold the gas bag above the gondola.  A bonus feature of doing that was that the bases of the minis I was using could slot between the ties on the railroad tracks allowing the mini to be part way up the ladder for movement purposes.

It was a fair bit of work and if I wasn't going to use it quite a few times then I would probably have just gone the route of the paper cutouts.  But it was pretty impressive when I put it out on the game table, that's for sure.


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## jaerdaph (Jan 9, 2011)

Rel said:


> I used four short lengths of model railroad track as the supports to hold the gas bag above the gondola.  A bonus feature of doing that was that the bases of the minis I was using could slot between the ties on the railroad tracks allowing the mini to be part way up the ladder for movement purposes.




That's an interesting idea. What scale (O, HO, N etc.) was the track?


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## Rel (Jan 9, 2011)

jaerdaph said:


> That's an interesting idea. What scale (O, HO, N etc.) was the track?




HO apparently.

It amuses me that I can even answer this question.  I'm not a model train guy.  I just needed something to build my zeppelin and I was as the hobby store and saw the stuff on the shelf and said, "Hey, this could work."  After several years I still have the box on my shelf because I only used 4 lengths of track and it came in a pack of 6.


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## jaerdaph (Jan 9, 2011)

Rel said:


> HO apparently.
> 
> It amuses me that I can even answer this question.  I'm not a model train guy.  I just needed something to build my zeppelin and I was as the hobby store and saw the stuff on the shelf and said, "Hey, this could work."  After several years I still have the box on my shelf because I only used 4 lengths of track and it came in a pack of 6.




My father is a model train buff (HO) but I never really got into it. But the scenery building aspect of it is kind of cool.


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## TheAuldGrump (Jan 11, 2011)

Zaukrie said:


> Not sure how you feel about building 3D models, but the best product that worldworksgames puts out is a ship....It looks incredible assembled. You could just buy the template, and make the decks on foamcore if you didn't want to build the ship.
> 
> I also use the toy ships from megablocks (no grid, obviously).



The Maiden of the High Seas is a fantastic model, one of my all time favorites - it _dominates_ a table!






On a much smaller (but easier to build) scale is  the Mediaeval Sailing Ship by Fat Dragon -





The Auld Grump


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## Orius (Jan 11, 2011)

Mark CMG said:


> Free deckplan downloads from Mongoose -
> 
> Mongoose Publishing




Those might come in handy for my pirate campaign.  Arrrrrrr!


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## Momeeche (Jan 11, 2011)

TheAuldGrump said:


> The Maiden of the High Seas is a fantastic model, one of my all time favorites - it _dominates_ a table!




Those are very nice.


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## Jarrod (Jan 11, 2011)

I built a Maiden (heh) and used it for years - the PCs started with a sailing ship and worked their way up to an airship. It's a great piece of work and really not that complicated to build.


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## Rel (Jan 11, 2011)

I believe that one never truly knows fear until they have both a Maiden and a toddler.


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## Jarrod (Jan 11, 2011)

Isn't that kind of a contradiction in terms? 

More seriously - that's why I keep mine at a friend's house. Of course, they have a crawler now... time to find a new friend!


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## TerraDave (Jan 11, 2011)

I thought there might be _something_ out there. 

I just went ahead and copied the stormwracked maps onto gaming paper. One paper mat with the top deck in the middle, and another with the other decks. 

But if I ever need to do a full blown naval campaign, I will be ready!


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## FATDRAGONGAMES (Jan 12, 2011)

We have a set of 2D color tiles of the medieval cog coming in February, sorry it's not sooner!


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## TheAuldGrump (Jan 12, 2011)

Skeleton Key Games has High Seas Warship, somewhat late period, with numerous cannon.







0one games has Battlemaps: The Slave Ship.




I will have to pick that one up, as well as the adventure that it comes from. Slavers always make for good villains. 

And Scrying Eye Games has an entire line of reasonably priced ships.  (I actually just found them while digging for links for this post. Sometimes helping others really is its own reward.  )

The Auld Grump


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## The Little Raven (Jan 12, 2011)

Momeeche said:


> Those are very nice.




They are incredibly nice. And a lot of fine detail work to get them to look like the picture. I'm not the best with that kind of detail work, so it took a friend and I a whole lot of time and cardstock to get it done.


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