Tabletop Review: Battlemap: Western Castle Ruins

Battlemap: Western Castle Ruins

Publisher: RedBrick
Pages: 61
Size: 54.1 MB
Cost: $2.99
Release Date: 3/18/2012
Get it Here: DriveThruRPG.com

This battlemap from RedBrick is a 30″ square map of a small castle ruins and a small dungeon below. The large PDF file contains two copies of both maps, one with square 1″ to 5′ grids and the another with 1″ to 5′ hex grids. The publisher was kind enough to give a brief description of the dungeon rooms an overview map without grids, and assembly instructions.

Included with the PDF are 100 DPI .JPGs of the ruins and the dungeon for use with virtual table top systems.

Normally when I get a new battlemap I print them off and mount them to foam core. This castle ruin map was just “OK” and I couldn’t get motivated to print it out for use on my game table. The colors on the ruins map are somewhat muted and the map overall is a little busy. It looks like there should be some different heights to the ruins, and there is a set of stairs, but the whole thing looks rather flat and lacks some definition. The yellow grid lines are a bit garish and really retract from the map’s presentation. I have no idea how the ruins level connects to the dungeon level and suspect it really doesn’t.

The dungeon level walls look a bit rough, like they were carved and then not lined, but the floor was set with 5′ tiles. The difference between the walls and floor just doesn’t “feel” right and then the tiles contrast again with the grids. If the floor was a rough-hewn texture it would have worked.

This offering is a whole lot of “meh” for $3. I just cannot recommend this particular map.


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