January 2026 - A Slower Pace, Flowing Rivers & Community First

Hi everyone!

January 2026 is officially in the books, so it’s time for a quick wrap-up.

This month, two map packs left the forge. One of them technically arrived today, but I’m still counting it as a January release. January was a month where I consciously slowed down a bit. I needed some breathing room -and honestly, that pause is crucial if you want to avoid burnout in the long run. I hope you’re happy with the maps that did come out. Lately, my work has been orbiting around rivers, and that’s no accident. I genuinely love making river-focused maps. Flowing water really brings out the strengths of animated battlemaps.

As I mentioned in my New Year plans, 2026 is also the year I want to put more focus on building the community around Dransky Battle Maps. That’s why, together with animus, we rebuilt our Discord server last month. And slowly but surely, it’s starting to show signs of life 🙂
If you haven’t checked it out yet, here’s an invite link: https://discord.gg/NFtjbbswHW

Like every month, The Enduring Circle has also been updated. This is the list of Patrons who have been supporting this project for a really long time. If you’re wondering how to join this rather honorable group - the rule is simple: just be.
You can see the current list here: https://dranskybattlemaps.com/animated-battle-maps/the-enduring-circle/

February is short, but the plan is ambitious. I’ll be working on another map from the official Descent Into Avernus campaign, and after that I’m heading back to The Shattered Obelisk. On top of that, there’s some “invisible work” ahead - bigger thematic packs for Foundry VTT, released as proper modules, and an update of the map repository on the website

To wrap things up - huge thanks first and foremost to the Champions listed in the graphic above. Thank you to all Patrons for your ongoing support, and to everyone following, sharing, and playing on these maps. You’re the reason this forge is still burning.

Cheers!

~dransky