Greetings Crew,

Layout is well underway, and Jettila has completed spot art to fill in a couple of spaces in the pages. Here's some previews! There may be missing art and placeholder typefaces, but it gives you the jist:-)

I think I've probably said "I'm still working on maps!" in at least a couple of these updates, and well- I'm STILL working on maps. I wanted to talk a little about how I think about maps as I make them. When possible I've been trying to reference real-world architecture while drawing. When sketching out a map for a surgical suite I read about hospital layouts and referred to my own hospital visits (nothing serious), and tried to incorporate architectural designs which allow patients to be smoothly guided through reception, surgical prep, surgery, and recovery without inadvertently wandering into staff areas.

For one of the last maps I'm including a small set of prison cells, but researching prison design is not quite as straightforward as hospitals, bars and clinics. Contemporary prison designs are not something that's widely publicized. Older blueprints from centuries past are readily accessible, but contemporary resources are (reasonably) elusive. Instead search for "fundamentals of prison architecture" and you'll find "Jail Design Guide Third Edition" from the National Institute of Corrections, and The National Sheriff's Association Handbook on Jail Architecture.

While these resources don't share blueprints per se, they contain a wealth of other inspiration for dungeon design. Some guidelines I never would have considered otherwise: how to position a control room to look directly into every cell, the relationships between staff and prisoner accessible areas, and the flow between rooms designed for intake, holding, control, staff use and release.

How does this effect gameplay? I... don't know! I enjoy tightly streamlined dungeon playgrounds, but I also get a lot of pleasure out of seeing functional architectural elements that don't explicitly serve a dungeon, but DO serve the day to day existence of the NPC's. I don't know that utility closets, staff breakrooms, bathrooms and reception area couches objectively make a dungeon better- but if crew are sneaking around and want to make a quick hide-away I think it's great that there's a janitor's closet near the warehouse, or a staff locker room.

I haven't keyed in the minutia of each room, but leave it to the Warden to imagine that the locker room may have uniforms to use as disguises and a fridge with lunches to steal. No where is it written that a skyscraper's architectural pillars could stop bullets, but I've built a map around those pillars anyways- some rooms have them and some don't.

Until next time crew!

Sincerely,
Ben King
ColumbaryTTRPG