Pyramid Review
Kingdoms of Kalamar Atlas
Published by Kenzer and Company
Designed by Bob Burke, Brian Jelke, Steve Johansson, David S. Kenzer, Mark Pleemons, and D.M. Zwerg
Graphic Design by Bob Burke and Jennifer Burke
240-page mixed color/b&w hardcover $29.99
Maps of fantasy worlds don't exactly have a reputation for being realistic. The topographical maps in the Kingdoms of Kalamar Atlas manage to be both good-looking and realistic. Turn to a random page and for a minute you might think you are looking at a real-world map instead of Tellene. Mountain ranges are suitably vast, rivers squirm their way from highland to ocean, and heavily populated area like Kalamar are dotted with hundreds of settlements.
The Kingdoms of Kalamar Atlas is a 240-page hardback book with 139 pages of color maps. The spine has a mottled green band to help it stand out from the other Kalamar hardbacks on your gaming shelf. The short introduction briefly outlines the books features. A two-page overview map divides Tellene up into six sections and lists the page numbers for maps in that particular section (i.e. Section 5: Reanaaria Bay; Pages 95-114). This is an extremely handy feature and I found myself frequently flipping back to the overview map to reference a particular area of the world as I browsed the book. The introduction closes with a color map key and scale.
The color full-page maps are scaled at 25 miles to the inch and just plain gorgeous. The shades of brown, green, and blue are well-separated . . .
This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.
Article publication date: February 28, 2003
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