Northeast Wars X

Concluding our brief series on maps of things in and around the Essex, we thought we’d take a stab at answering one of the most frequently-asked questions at a convention. No, not “Can I tell you about my character?”

Rather, “Where’s there to eat around here?”

Convention cartographer Geoff spent some quality time with Google Maps, marking nearby restaurants and such to aid conventioneers in their quest to cram food-gathering into the all too brief span between gaming slots. There’s even a grocery story conveniently marked, if you forgot to pick up some non-perishable items for our charity food drive.

Go check it out here. See you tomorrow evening at the convention!

Our impromptu series in cartography continues, this time with a quick overview of the terrain surrounding the Essex, our hosts this weekend. Again, we thank our unofficial cartographer, Geoff, for his skill at making ink marks look like things. Folks coming out of town may find this useful in finding their way to the convention — or finding their way out again afterward — particularly if coming from the east along Route 15 or the southwesterly direction of Essex Junction and points beyond.

The whopping big X marks the spot of Northeast Wars. Slightly to the north and west of the Essex is the Essex Outlets shopping center. There are many fine places to find sustenance here, which we’ll get into tomorrow when we wrap up this little series.

When embarking on any expedition, it’s vital for the well-prepared traveler to know the lay of the land, especially in the kind of environ best described as “a maze of twisty passages all alike.” This phrase can be applied to both great underground empires and many aboveground hotels with equal accuracy.

And thus, to aid those peripatetic souls who have not yet ventured into the realm now known as the Essex, we offer this preview of a most excellent cartograph prepared by Geoff Duke, someone with much experience mapping lairs of creatures both eldritch and fearsome. Be sure to keep an eye out for the secret tunnel. Guaranteed to be free of giant spiders!*

* 90% of the time. Okay, maybe 80%. 60%, absolute minimum. 45%-ish.