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Content for D&D 5e towns

I am currently building my campaign based around a 5e game we were playing before getting into Roll20. What I have found is I could really use extra content to flesh out a town and speed up getting things ready to open it up to players, the original adventure gives maybe 30 buildings with basic descriptions only. What would be great I if one of you clever chaps out there could produce packs containing a mix of stores, Inns, houses etc that have fully detailed maps, scene artwork, npc's, store price's, dirty secrets, adventure hooks, all the things to make the building the players walk into a living breathing place of adventure. Being able to double the number of buildings fleshed out in my town would really cut down the time it is taking me to complete everything and add in loads of fresh new ideas I can work with.
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The MapHatter
Pro
Marketplace Creator
In the main - producing something like that would not only require mappers to have a strong grasp on every RPG skillset (rare) but it would also prove quite expensive. I fully understand what it requires as a DM to put even a small one-shot together, often an 8 hour minimum especially if providing maps - but maps are very time-consuming to make on their own - let alone providing all of the additional details a DM is expected to provide that makes them the DM. If I understood how the coding in Roll20 works, I would attempt to import what I did for Fantasy Grounds, which was a gigantic random generator called 'Squareware' for absolutely everything a DM could need in terms of location name, area description, events, hooks, quests, npc generation and description, billions of random objects, traps, sounds, smells, wine, ambience descriptions, music playing, things and people in view, restaurants with every detail - even the means to simulate artificial NPC's in the case of a missing player - all done using nested roll tables and a clever interface that turns it into a control panel to get what you need as the DM. I built it so I would never need those kinds of details again - It started out as dice that I actually had manufactured, then turned into a monster of a beast which even has all of the CR tables, literally, Everything a DM's (me) could ever need or want.  I'm currently on a mission to double the amount of my available maps by close of 2021 - from the present 1450, to 3000 but when I am done, I will try to learn the coding here and expand into that realm - coding is not easy to learn especially with so much else going on and no time to do it, and as I say it is a very rare individual who will be able to do what you're asking or provide it all in one set - not only that but it goes against all business sense to try and provide it. Expense, time, experience, creativity and people with every RPG skill are all rare commodities or hard to juggle for the end user. Often things aren't attempted because the cost involved of time vs income, does not meet needs.That is simply because maps, are not prized highly or priced in relation to the effort required to make one - let alone a thousand, AND then add on all the extra bits as well. Compartmentalization is how RPG works for the most part - we give you the maps, you provide the story hooks for your players. The simple truth is, RPG is very complex, has a lot of parts, and requires a lot of expertise - yours and ours, and always takes a significant amount of time to set up. There aren't really shortcuts or anyone that can speed that up, certainly not mappers who already have their hands full.  On avg, my hourly rate as a graphic designer is somewhere between $45-$125 an hour (depends on client/job) - but I make maps almost entirely for the love of it and keep them inexpensive, not charging even close to what it takes time-wise to make them. Custom artwork for instance would cost someone around $180 a map if it took me a few hours, no-one, except corporate, is going to pay that or afford it - especially if a map gets used very briefly in one campaign (maybe a few times), but players play for adventure and adventure moves fast, quick and in unexpected directions all the time. Most end users expect to pay about 20c a map - the disparity is the reason no-one would be likely to attempt to provide what you're requesting because what we do is already under-valued, and I doubt any cartographers are eager to do an undermountain more work for an extra 20c. R20 take their share of that as well.
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Mark S.
Pro
Marketplace Creator
Hi Paula, For maps, you could start off with the Complete Fantasy Town for maps that are ready for use. The Complete Sewers and Dungeons include an entire sewer network with multiple connecting dungeons that was specifically designed to go underneath the town. Those two should give you enough maps to build on for quite some time.  As far as the other details go, you will have to browse Roll20. I don't know if there are any sets that have all of those elements, basically a campaign setting supplement. You may have to piece together each part. I'm not sure if there are NPC sets specific to 5e, but there are lots of token art packs for creating your own.  I have actually discussed creating a set exactly how you described. My concern is that I'm not sure how much interest there would be in such a large pack. I'm sure the price would probably be $20 or higher depending on how much content is included. It could be a lot of work with no guarantee of success.  Anyways, hopefully, the maps will help out and you will find the other components you are looking for.  Good luck!
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Tiffany M.
Plus
Marketplace Creator
Kris M. (Maphatter) said: Custom artwork for instance would cost someone around $180 a map if it took me a few hours, no-one, except corporate, is going to pay that or afford it - especially if a map gets used very briefly in one campaign (maybe a few times), but players play for adventure and adventure moves fast, quick and in unexpected directions all the time. Most end users expect to pay about 20c a map Eh, that's not true at all. Tons of people can afford it and are willing to pay it, they're just not the people browsing the marketplace looking for packs of quickly used and disposed of maps. Your experience is in the field of selling to the buyer in search of the lowest price for a product, but it hardly covers the field of cartography. I have had many commissions from private DMs and GMs and parties that go many times that price... though this is not for something as quickly discarded as a town map, usually a world or region for an entire campaign, a city or a town. Still, in my experience there are many dungeon masters who are willing to spend that much or more for a single map, without any corporate agenda. Your hustle is a bit different than mine and of course your maps are of smaller regions intended for one time use so people would be less inclined to pay a steep price for them, but that doesn't mean it's impossible, just that it's easier for you to make a living with a sweep of products available for all to purchase passively. Your business is to give people entry level maps, and they have entry level budgets, so passive income is vital, but there are literally thousands of wealthy DMs commissioning privately used one of a kind map artworks for their personal campaigns as we speak. Anyway, I'm not sure if such an extensive pack would work in the Roll20 shop but I'll consider making a town with a few DM tricks in store. I think it would be too high of a price on the art to be a hot seller, with all the additional work that would go in, but I like making NPCs and whatnot with personalities and all. :) I think I would enjoy it and while I doubt it will be soon, I will consider doing such a 'fleshed out' village add on.
Thanks for the excellent replies guys, my suggestion was really directed at packs to be sold on the roll20 store rather than something one-off produced for myself. It would be general enough to drop into any campaign and a map for a store really doe not need to be too detailed, I sometimes look at the one I have already made and think "I probably went a bit over the top there", its hard to stop adding detail once you start. I guess the packs could be similar to the pack of one shot adventures I see in the store where you get 4 short simple adventures. Packs of ay 6 stores I would snap up myself. You could reduce the number for  more detailed store. Anyway it was just an idea I thought I would throw out there as I know I would buy them. I love the idea of random generated stores for the times when the players look at the overland map and stubbornly head off for the towns and villages only mentioned in the module.
Mark S. said: I have actually discussed creating a set exactly how you described. My concern is that I'm not sure how much interest there would be in such a large pack. I'm sure the price would probably be $20 or higher depending on how much content is included. It could be a lot of work with no guarantee of success.  If you do make some I will buy them for sure, any ideas or more info on what I would use them for just drop me a PM.
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The MapHatter
Pro
Marketplace Creator
How dismissive... and rude. I speak from my experience - so whether you think it is true or not is irrelevant, private commissions are one thing - selling maps here or elsewhere in packs is another and that is what I was talking about. When the price of maps is $5 a pack, who is going to pay $180 or $1800 for a city map of any standard? As to my hustle, I grew up poor and found a home among RPG where it was necessary to make do with whatever was to hand, a blue towel for ocean, sequins for gold, simply couldn't access the fancy terrains and figures or afford them either, it's that simple, I keep it that way because that is for me, the spirit of the thing and I want anyone to be able to afford to have adventure. That does not mean maps are under-valued vs effort required to create them.
Apologies for any offense I caused Kris. I remember fondly making hills with books and covering it with green sheets. I started out wargaming with airfix figures, I could buy big bags of second hand ones at the local market, later I would get 50p pocket money and cycle the 14 miles to Cambridge to Games and Puzzles to buy 1 or 2 metal minis then cycle home.  Kris M. (Maphatter) said: How dismissive... and rude. I speak from my experience - so whether you think it is true or not is irrelevant, private commissions are one thing - selling maps here or elsewhere in packs is another and that is what I was talking about. When the price of maps is $5 a pack, who is going to pay $180 or $1800 for a city map of any standard? As to my hustle, I grew up poor and found a home among RPG where it was necessary to make do with whatever was to hand, a blue towel for ocean, sequins for gold, simply couldn't access the fancy terrains and figures or afford them either, it's that simple, I keep it that way because that is for me, the spirit of the thing and I want anyone to be able to afford to have adventure. That does not mean maps are under-valued vs effort required to create them.
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keithcurtis
Forum Champion
Marketplace Creator
API Scripter
It comes down to customization and economy of scale. My little $5 pack of token markers has earned me several times over any single map commission. But customers will pay high prices for custom work. You aren't going to build Waterdeep with map packs.Conversely, a map of Waterdeep won't help you if you need a battlemat for a tavern brawl. Both have their place. You also have to have the right clients. I've had everyone from large companies, to mom & pop game companies, to private individuals buy maps for several hundred dollars to a thousand per. The demand is out there.
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The MapHatter
Pro
Marketplace Creator
Sorry, no, Paul A, not you - I was referring to Tiffany's reply. I remember making do was (and still is) a very gratifying sense of achievement. I've never lost the early love for Fighting Fantasy pick a path books, Heroquest and all of the epic 80's movies like Krull, Excalibur, Dark Crystal - what a time to be alive and inspired. Now, 30 years on, I bring those worlds to life for others. I have, my Dream job. Currently making HP Lovecrafts Dunwich, Dwarven CItadels and Modern City Expansions and I couldn't be happier. But getting off topic now - all the best.
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Mark S.
Pro
Marketplace Creator
Paul A. said: If you do make some I will buy them for sure, any ideas or more info on what I would use them for just drop me a PM. This thread inspired me to revisit some old ideas. We are currently discussing creating NPC packs that would compliment our map packs. Imagine having an Addon of colorful NPCs with awesome backgrounds, adventure hooks, complimentary handouts like a shop service list for an alchemist, blacksmith, etc.... Weave together some relationships between some of the NPCs, and voila, you have yourself a living, breathing town.  We are currently looking into creating something that would perfectly compliment the "Complete Fantasy Town" but could be easily adapted to any town.  I'm curious if this is along the lines of what you are looking for.