About
Game Stamps are a map-making tool for role-playing games, which can be used right at the table as you play.
The Trailblazer stamps depict iconic terrain such as mountains, forests, or seas.
Whether you're preparing for a campaign or mapping the adventure as it unfolds, the stamps let you create attractive paper and ink maps in a fraction of the time it would take to draw them.
All of the artwork is compatible with 1" hexes and grids, making the stamps ideal for open-world games.
Stamp each hex as the players explore it, or pass the stamps around the table and create a shared world. No matter how many people contribute to it or how many sessions it takes to explore it, the map will be detailed and consistent.
Game Stamps are made of natural gum rubber, deeply etched to produce a high quality image. The rubber is precisely trimmed to avoid artifacts, and cushioned with thick foam to distribute pressure evenly, improving the quality of the impression. The hardwood mounts have an hourglass profile, making them easy to grip.
Each set comes in a cushioned chipboard box and includes an archival-quality ink pad.
A wonderful addition to the toolkit of any game group with a penchant for exploration. Whether you're creating a world ahead of time or improvising a hexcrawl on the spot, Brendan Day's Game Stamps will help you create a handcrafted map with speed and clarity. ~ Jason Lutes, author of The Perilous Wilds and Berlin.
Game Stamps are a great idea executed well. They're a welcome addition to my gaming library. I can't wait to see more! ~ Tony Dowler, author of How to Host a Dungeon.
Whether we use high quality pens and papers, or just scribble on the nearest scrap of paper, map making is one of the many hobbies within a hobby, that are part of being a gamer. When it comes to maps for fantasy games, there is an artistic quality to homemade one of a kind maps, that cannot be equaled. Game Stamps really do have that handmade look and feel. ~ Griffith Morgan, Co-Director of Secrets of Blackmoor: The True History of Dungeons and Dragons.
The Trailblazer stamps depict the following terrain:
- Mountains
- Hills
- Grassland
- Swamp
- Forest (Deciduous)
- Forest (Conifer)
- Sea
- Desert
- Tower
- Village
- Castle or Walled City
- Megalith or Dungeon Entrance
If you back at the Wanderer or Explorer level, you will receive a starter set containing 6 or 9 stamps.
The Wanderer level lets you choose either the Deciduous or Conifer forest, whereas the Explorer level includes both of the forest designs.
If you back at the Adventurer, Wayfinder, or Cartographer level, you will receive all of the 1" designs.
The Wayfinder and Cartographer levels include 3 additional stamps, which depict individual trees.
- 1/2" Tree (Deciduous)
- 1/2" Tree (Conifer)
- 1/2" Tree (Leafless)
You can use these smaller stamps to create mixed terrain such as forested hills, or to add variety to large sections of woodland.
UPDATE: I was inspired by backer comments to design a 1/2” stamp depicting a SKULL. If we reach $10,000, I will be able to add it to the Wayfinder and Cartographer sets!
All sets include a jet black archival-quality ink pad, but if you back at the Cartographer level, you will receive three additional ink pads in colors of your choice. I recommend Cobalt Blue and Vermillion Red, but other colors are available.
PDF files containing hex paper may are available as free downloads.
I will be assembling the stamps and shipping them from the USA.
- Orders within the US will be shipped via USPS First Class Mail.
- International orders will be shipped via USPS First Class Mail International, and may be subject to additional tariffs when the package arrives.
My favorite novel has always been Ursula K. Le Guin's A Wizard of Earthsea. When I was a child, I spent hours studying the map and the woodcut illustrations that accompanied it.
It's no accident that so many fantasy novels contain maps. They help us enter other worlds and orient ourselves while we're there. We create maps for role-playing games for the same reason, but there never seems to be enough time to do them justice. A hastily sketched map is functional, but to create a detailed or attractive map we usually have to work in solitude, mapping the world between sessions. I created Game stamps so we can share the map-making experience.
If you back this project, you'll receive my first set of stamps, but you'll also make it possible for me to create even more stamps in the future. Here are just some of my ideas...
- Create a village by stamping inns, cottages, and fields.
- Create a dungeon by stamping the floors and walls.
- Create an entire sector of space by stamping suns and major or minor worlds.
I'd love to hear your ideas too. If you want me to create a particular stamp or have an idea for an entire set, please let me know in the comments section.
Join me on this journey, and let's see where the path leads next.
Risks and challenges
This is my first Kickstarter, and I have spent a number of years preparing for it. I have designed all of the artwork for the stamps, and assembled many prototypes, testing all aspects of the manufacturing process. I have shipped sets to play-testers around USA to evaluate my shipping options.
The greatest risk I foresee is a production delay, because I am assembling the stamps myself. I have set a limit on the number of pledges, to ensure delivery in a timely manner.
Learn about accountability on KickstarterQuestions about this project? Check out the FAQ