Review: Scrying Eye Games – Tall Ships 4


Product Name: Tall Ships 4
Publisher: Scrying Eye Games
Author: Rick Ricci
System: Any 1″ x 1″
Setting:
Series: Ships of Fantasy
Theme: Fantasy, Historical
Type: Battlemaps
Link: http://www.scryingeye.com/

Tall Ships 4 is the continuation of Scrying Eye Games fantasy ship battlemaps. It depicts an explorer’s ship in the fashion of privateer days and those of similar fantasy styling. The map is rendered in 3D and utilizes many realistic textures and details.

OVERALL

Tall Ships 4 takes a big deviation from other Scrying Eye Games battlemaps in that it’s almost too simple. There are no optional layer maps adding or subtracting details or even offering more options. However, it does use very detailed textures to create the decking of the ship and the wood truly comes to life. Another great feature is that the sails are semi-transparent over the deck so that you can see through them instead of just blocking the view of the deck. There are lots of details on the ship and the addition of the cannons make it look very solid.

RATINGS

Publication Quality: 4 out of 10
Tall Ships 4 does a beautiful job of presenting the top deck of this explorer’s ship, but that’s all it has. There are no maps of lower decks, cabins or captains quarters. There are also no layers to add additional options and no overview page. In addition, the battlemap cuts the ship right down the center for placement on the individual pages. While this doesn’t seem like a problem, there’s no overlap between the different sections and discerning between them without printing and properly connecting is a bit confusing. There is also a pole in the rear of the ship that seems to come out of the grate which leads to a lower deck, seemingly very out of place.

Visual Appeal: 8 out of 10
Scrying Eye Games creates some beautiful looking battlemaps with just the right amount of details. At certain points on Tall Ships 4, there almost seems to be too much detail with the sheer number of ropes strung about. This is partially remedied by making the ropes a semi-transparent when running over the main deck.

Desire to Use: 5 out of 10
If you’re looking for a great fantasy ship which only requires use of the main deck, Tall Ships 4 is a good battlemap to use (especially for the price). If you’re looking for a fantasy ship with more depth and usage, then this one won’t truly satisfy your needs.

Overall: 6 out of 10
Tall Ships 4 is a good battlemap if you only need to use the main deck of this fantasy ship. Without much regard to the out-of-place pole and the multitude of rope, it’s easy to use and looks good. The unfortunate part is that’s about as far as it goes and this battlemap could significantly benefit from additional deck maps, a possible reduction in details, and some overlays to add or remove little “goodies” here and there.

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