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Design Notebook $1.50
Average Rating:4.0 / 5
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Design Notebook
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Design Notebook
Publisher: Silver Gryphon Games
by Jason C. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 09/13/2016 18:04:27

For years I've gotten my hexmaps through free downloads from websites that look like they were abandoned in 1998. Now both my aesthetic desires and design needs are handled with a buck fifty download. You may ask, "but JD, why should I pay for what I can get for free?" Well, there's a few good things going on here that are worth at least a hundred fifty pennies or so.

First, the design notebook is intended for note-taking, not necessarily just the production of something with the paper. Each of the notebook pages has both a type of design, and a column of lines for taking notes or, crucially for gamers, writing a legend for whatever map or diagram you're creating.

Second, every page in the PDF is mirrored, so you can put it on the left or right side of a binder or other notebook without difficulty (and for lefties out there, you can use the one that fits your needs best.)

Third, every page has a box for a page number, though I've also used that spot for symbols helping me sort sheets in campaign notebooks. For example, in one of my exploration-based campaigns, a notebook is based on a location; NPCs have one symbol in the corner, monsters another, organizations another, and so on. It makes it easy to quickly identify what type of page I'm looking at.

Finally, there's map styles like the really smooshed down diamonds that are fun to draw maps with (it's great for isometric multilevel dungeons!) that you can't easily find like hexes.

If there was one suggestion I had for the Design Workbook, I would suggest adding a version ofthe hexmaps with heavier lines. In Traveller, for example, compared to other hexmap usages, a hex is best identified as a discrete area of space, filled in with a code to indicate what's there. The present hex map is great for things like fantasy mapping but there are other things hexes can be used for. I also would suggest a writing page with larger lines, for younger users, and perhaps a page of card-sized rectangles for the sketching (or importing, maybe?) of NPC portraits. But you know it's a good product when all my suggestions are how to add things to it instead of how to fix what's there. Definitely recommended.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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Design Notebook
Publisher: Silver Gryphon Games
by Brian A. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 02/02/2016 08:53:07

Silver Gryphon Games usually puts out really good products, but honestly, this is just... nothing. It's a few lines on a page with some blank space to one side... 250 times. I expected some customized graph paper at least. Save yourself the $2.50 and just buy a 99-cent pad of notebook and graph paper. The face that it was originally listed at $9.95 is almost offensive. I’m sorry, but this was just a bit insulting from a company that I respect.



Rating:
[2 of 5 Stars!]
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Creator Reply:
Brian, The $9.95 is for the 250 page paper bound version, which will hopefully (as of the time of this writing) be available very soon! We\'re waiting for the proof approval process and then moving forward with these design work books in a printed product! We hear your concerns, and as always, we welcome your feed back!
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