A wealth of new TFT titles have landed at Warehouse 23 today, coinciding with the first day of Fnordcon 2021. Included are these offerings with material from us:

Thanks to requests for new features, I've overhauled the code and released Shamat 2.0 (Codename: Ultravox). Here are the major changes:

• New "Thin" components, such as Thin Walls and Thin Doors, allow you to make maps where hexes on both sides are clearly able to be occupied by players.
• File handling buttons (Load Map, Save Map, and Save Image) are now moved out of the tool palette and into the menu bar at the top of the application.
• There is a new Event map feature that can be used to mark locations on the map where important scenario events occur. It is also suitable as a trap symbol, or other such marker.
• I've begun updating the backend code to make some symbology drawing simpler and cleaner. The new components use this code, and I plan to apply it existing components as well where suitable.

Thanks again to everyone who has sent in requests and feedback, and keep them coming!

It's the Juneteenth edition of Shamat, version 1.9 released on the 19th of June. Juneteenth celebrations are gearing up in the park outside my building and here's hoping you are enjoying the day as well. This version of Shamat adds a couple of requested features.

The new Shift Map feature allows you to move the map around on the grid. This is useful if you decide you need to expand the map or add new elements. This feature is available under the newly-renamed Compose tab (previously the Backdrop tab, and the backdrop tools are here as well).

The Save Image feature now includes any backdrop image and onionskinning in the saved image. If you are using a backdrop and don't want it saved as part of the image, simply toggle it off temporarily before saving the image, then turn it back on.

Please report any issues you encounter with this version, and thanks to everyone who sent feedback!

Shamat has been updated with a new selector that gives you more control over the line weights in maps. By using the new (and default) Propotional line weight, hex lines and feature details are now rendered with line weights that are propotional to the current zoom factor. Higher zooms result in the thicker lines. This also allows for exporting highly zoomed maps as high-res images without the line weights being too fine. The other choice, Hairlines, forces all line weights to a single pixel width. Good for web maps and maps with a more light and minimalist feel.
Both the online and downloadable versions are updated with these changes. Maps created in previous versions should continue to work fine.

A Kickstarter is running for one week starting June 1st for the release of two new Quick Quests for The Fantasy Trip.
We're proud to say that one of releases will be our adventure The Unself King.
Hope you enjoy!

The official website of The Fantasy Trip has added a new page, For the GM. This includes links to many resources that TFT GMs may find useful.

Read more here.

A set of four original fantasy language fonts are now available here. All are freely available to use. Visit the new Fonts page for details and download links.

Another update of Shamat is available both online and in download. This version adds a suite of new tools to support loading a backdrop image in your map file. This is to facilitate manually tracing existing drawings or maps in order to convert them to Shamat format. The update includes an onionskinning feature that makes the map translucent so that you can see the backdrop beneath it. You can control the degree of translucency, as well as the size and positioning of the backdrop image.

As before, please use copies of your existing map files when editing in a new version of Shamat, in case an undiscovered bug causes the maps to become unusable.

A new version of Shamat is available both online and in download. This version adds the requested ability to allow for pairs of annotations in each hex. No longer are you limited to a single character in each hex, but now can have a pair of any characters. Each character can have it's own color, too. This should greatly expand the options for those of us who like to mark key adventure locations and items on the map. This version should open existing maps without issue, but use a backup of your maps to test the changes before saving them, just to be on the safe side.

The Ultrahex Playmat is now funding, alongside Hexagram #6 (which contains an article on using the playmat). Also available in this campaing is The Fantasy Trip Adventures 2, which contains our adventure The Paradise Vault. The campaign also includes Old School Monsters, a book by Steve Jackson himself. Loads of great stuff for the TFT fan to pick from!

Join the Kickstarter here!

Originally designed in 1998, our ultrahex map for laying out random encounters has gone through the Steve Jackson Games design process and is coming out as an official playmat! The Kickstarter for this will be starting soon, and there will be an accompanying article in Hexagram #6 on how to use the map. We are in the process of revising the programmed adventure that the map was first created for as well, and perhaps this will be a future product. Hope you enjoy the map!

Sign up to the Kickstarter here to be notified when it goes live.