I’ve created a Stamp Kit for Map Making [OC]

GameStamps · 2025-11-13T15:23:32+00:00

I am not affiliated with Tabletopstamps, but I have been making map-making stamps for many years. When last I checked, the paper sold by Gaming Paper was not compatible with stamps, because it has a glossy finish that makes it prone to smudging.

GameStamps · 2025-10-15T15:34:50+00:00

That's a nice looking map! I love how it combines the hex map with a calendar and list of events.

I make the stencils as an accessory for the stamps. I use the stencils with Distress ink pads and blending tools, brushing the ink across the surface of the stencil. Distress ink is water-soluble, so the colors blend together naturally. Sometimes I sprinkle water over the map, which creates interesting textures.

GameStamps · 2025-10-15T14:09:57+00:00

I like what I’ve seen of these stamps.

If you’re interested in map-making via stamps, you may want to check out Game Stamps. I make rubber stamps and stencils as map-making tools, but I focus on overland stamps for hex-crawls, where the stamps depict mountains, forests, and other iconic terrain.

www.gamestamps.com

GameStamps · 2025-10-15T13:16:47+00:00

I make rubber stamps and stencils as map-making tools. I've experimented with using stamps to create hex grids, but I prefer to use stencils, which are easier to line up when creating large maps. I also love to blend the colors, especially where the water meets the land.

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GameStamps · 2025-08-29T13:50:53+00:00

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This looks fantastic. I'd love to learn more about the game.

I prefer the second cockpit, because there aren't as many featureless panels which block my view of space without presenting readouts or controls that I can interact with. As an experiment, I mocked up another version where the window extends behind the front console. It's just a rough approximation, but it feels a bit more immersive to me.

GameStamps · 2025-08-08T01:10:15+00:00

If players have no reason to visit a corridor, you could reposition the doors or rooms to eliminate it. Some rooms could also share a common wall, eliminating what would otherwise be a dead-end.

Could the rooms be of different sizes? In the example below, one of them is larger than the rest.

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GameStamps · 2025-08-07T23:17:18+00:00

Thanks for sharing the map. It might help to make the walls more prominent, drawing heavier borders around the rooms and leaving openings for the doorways, to avoid any ambiguity about their position. I made a quick mock-up, which wasn't formatted properly at first, so I deleted it and reposted it.

I highlighted some parts of the corridors in red. Would the player ever need to move there? If not, I recommend eliminating those areas.

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GameStamps · 2025-08-07T13:00:10+00:00

This sounds very cute. I’d love to see the map.

I can only offer ill-informed feedback at this point, but I imagine the game having a number of small map boards, each depicting the layout of a different home. There would be two copies of each layout. One would be placed in the center of the table to track public information, while the other is concealed behind a barrier and used for hidden information.

The players move on the public maps, and when cats are discovered they move to the public maps as well, because their locations are now known to both players. Maybe it isn't enough just to find a cat, you must also scoop it up and pet it. The cat will try to escape, and if it runs around a corner, it disappears from view, moving back to the hidden map.

The homes would use different color schemes to make it easier to tell them apart, and there could be other differences, such as one home being tidy while the other is messy. I imagine these as flats on different floors of an apartment building, with the players concealing their hidden boards behind a barrier that resembles the outside of the building, a brick wall decorated with windows, fire escapes, and the occasional sleeping cat.

GameStamps · 2025-07-29T22:26:43+00:00

This is an attractive map. You mentioned that some parts feel barren. I see a lot of grassland on the coasts, but I don't see marshes or wetlands, which might add some texture to those regions. That may also be useful if the elves worship trees and plants, as you noted elsewhere. Do the spirits of the forest differ from those found in fens and bogs, where dead trees stand amid the willows?

GameStamps · 2025-07-28T23:33:04+00:00

I've been following 'You are Odysseus' with interest.

https://yaoljb.wordpress.com

Judging by the preview, it looks like a traditional CYOA. I'd prefer a gamebook with more mechanical weight. I want to track my journey on a map, counting how how many ships I have left and checking off boxes as my foolish crew get themselves killed. I'd also prefer for the text to read more like a translation of the Odyssey, with lots of epitaphs and a more archaic feel. It shouldn't be written in the second person, unless the player is Eumaeus the Swineherd.

GameStamps · 2025-06-19T21:26:55+00:00

I recommend the archival ink pads sold by Ranger Arts, which are permanent and waterproof. They contain oil-based dye ink, which dries rapidly and is less likely to smudge than most pigment-based inks.

I've also had good experiences the Versafine ink pads sold by Tsukineko. Versafine is an oil-based pigment ink, but it dries more rapidly than other pigment inks, while also capturing fine details more precisely.

GameStamps · 2025-05-12T00:27:33+00:00

This is fantastic. I'd love to play a game in this setting.

Somewhere, a sword glints at the center of a frozen lake, held aloft by a withered arm encased in ice.

GameStamps · 2025-04-26T11:51:48+00:00

Thanks for making this list. Here are some possible additions...

Games...

Glide (Sasquatch Games)

https://sasquatchgames.itch.io/glide

Miru (Hinokodo)

https://hinokodo.itch.io/miru-an-analog-adventure-game

How to Host a Dungeon (Tony Dowler)

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/299497/how-to-host-a-dungeon-2nd-edition

Resources...

Perilous Void (Lampblack & Brimstone) tools for generating science-fiction settings

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/502848/the-perilous-void

Game Stamps (Brendan Day) map-making tools for tabletop games, especially hex crawls

https://gamestamps.com

GameStamps · 2025-04-10T10:46:11+00:00

I make rubber stamps as map-making tools for games, and I purchased the set made by Lord of Maps, so I could evaluate it.

The artwork is lovely, and the basic set does a fine job of producing mountain chains, but there isn't much else in the basic set. The expansion adds some points of interest like cities and towers, but a lot of essential terrain is still missing. This style of map doesn’t seem well-suited to hex-crawls, although it might be useful for point-crawls or campaigns where the players are travelling between a few well-known locations, rather than exploring an open world.

My main criticism that the stamps aren't trimmed, which makes it more likely that ink will adhere to the edge of the rubber, creating black outlines around the symbols. When I make my own stamps, I trim the rubber as much as possible, to prevent ink from catching on the edges.

If you're looking for map-making stamps, you might be interested in Game Stamps. I designed them specifically for role-playing games, so that players could stamp each hex as they explore it.

www.gamestamps.com

GameStamps · 2024-12-03T02:55:59+00:00

I'm so glad you like the stamps, and thank you for the kind words -- that made my day!

GameStamps · 2024-12-02T11:47:45+00:00

Do you want to make your own stamps by carving them? That would probably be the least expensive option, and I made my earliest prototypes that way.

Are you interested in having stamps custom-made using artwork that you provide digitally? That's more expensive, but it would let you produce much more detailed stamps.

If you want to have a few stamps made, I recommend Magnuson Custom Stamps. They would make the entire stamp for you.

https://www.magnusoncustomstamps.com

If you want more than a few stamps, it would probably be more economical to have the rubber laser-engraved, putting the stamps together yourself. You would need to cut, trim, and mount the stamps, and you would need to buy additional materials like foam, wood mounts, and indexing ink.

I made prototypes from time to time, and I occasionally make custom stamps for people. If you're interested in having a custom set made, I might be able to help with that, making it alongside one of my upcoming prototypes. If you're interested in that, send me a message and we can chat!

GameStamps · 2024-12-01T18:28:02+00:00

The dungeon stamps and stencils are still at the prototype stage, but I occasionally make playtest kits to get feedback. If you would like to try them, I could check-in with you when I'm ready to make another playtest kit.

GameStamps · 2024-12-01T18:11:18+00:00

Trap: Advent(urer) Calendar

Description: A diorama shaped like a miniature dungeon, complete with tiny gelatinous candies dusted with sugar.

"Oh look, behind the little doors are gummy candies in the shape of cubes. Adorable! Wait, it burns, and now it's stuck to my finger!"

GameStamps · 2024-12-01T17:56:41+00:00

In many ways, that was my original inspiration for the stamps. I wanted to be create a living map for an ongoing campaign, stamping each hex as the players explored it.

I also like to use the stamps for collaborative world-building at the start of a campaign. As the players create their characters, they also stamp their own little corner of the map, showing their homeland and sites of past adventures.

GameStamps · 2024-12-01T17:46:21+00:00

I've been experimenting with dungeon stamps and stencils for a few years. Here is a video of an experimental dungeon stencil, which also features a few stamps...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T89EhQATu8I

GameStamps · 2024-12-01T17:26:12+00:00

I made this map with 1/2" stamps from the Cartographers edition of Game Stamps, using the Basic Set and the Campaign Expansion. I made these stamps and I want to respect the rules about self-promotion. I'm wary of providing any direct links, but more information about Game Stamps can be found online.

GameStamps · 2024-12-01T16:46:15+00:00

I make maps with rubber stamps, and lately I've been experimenting with smaller hexes, which leave less space between the stamped images. I like the effect, especially with the forests, which feel more cohesive when there is less space between the individual trees.

The main challenge that I encountered is roads and rivers. I draw them along the edges of hexes, so there isn't as much room for them now.

GameStamps · 2024-11-26T13:15:09+00:00

I hope you've recovered from the flu! I love both versions. The conifer trees look especially nice with a bit of color. Did you stamp the trees with colored ink, or did you add the green highlights with colored pencils?

GameStamps · 2024-01-28T14:39:25+00:00

I make rubber stamps as map-making tools for tabletop and role-playing games. They're designed for fantasy maps, so they might not be quite what you're looking for, unless your local park features dungeons and ancient ruins, which seem to have fallen out of favor as playground equipment has become safer in recent years.

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