The idea of a map-based Hot Spot was one of the first new ideas that was decided on for Draconis Reach, but for a long time there were many questions about exactly how it would be printed. In particular, what would be on the back side.
At one point, the map was envisioned as a BattleTech mapsheet, and the backside would be a new standard BattleTech mapsheet (perhaps for the final battle of the Mallory’s World campaign). But as the production plans started coming clear, a new plan was needed for the larger poster map plan.
Having the poster map backside be an art poster was always a strong possibility, but in brainstorming other possibilities, the idea was to make a simple, somewhat abstract jump map of the Draconis Reach. It would only include systems used in the Hot Spots book: Hiring Halls, Game Worlds, Hot Spot systems, and systems used in the random contract generator. I made a test fo the concept to see if it was worthwhile.
The map in Dominions Divided for the border was the one used to determine what the book would cover, and that map was so long (and thin) it was split in half and stacked on top of each other to fill a more rectangular page. For this map, I instead bent the border and folded it back upon itself. Thus, you see the normally “straight” Federated Suns-Draconis Combine border curve around as it reaches the Raven Alliance. I also need to add some systems purely for transit, where there was more one jump between the playable systems.
Due to production schedules, it was decided to focus on making the Mallory’s world map and “just” use some of the art on the back side. So, this map never got made outside of my scribbling in Paint.
Several circles contain multiple systems, it’s a single jump to jump to another system within the same circle, or one jump to jump along a jump line to the next system. It is generally accurate for getting from hiring halls to contract systems, from one end of the border to another, or between hot spots. Other routes might be off from canon.
Legend
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