No, do it exactly like Tolkien. That wasn't his first map. That is the final map after his campaign had finished. Tolkiens map evolved and filled in as he created, exactly as you are suggesting gamers do.

@ApocryphA420

8 ай бұрын

Tolkien was actually terrible at map making but his son was pretty good and did the final copy everyone is familiar with

@jamestaylor3805

8 ай бұрын

@@ApocryphA420 we are not talking about the visual quality here but the canonical content.

Like the focus on players. Also, more than 4 terrain types... looks at ocean campaign history, crys

@digaddog6099

5 ай бұрын

I mean, I'm not exactly an expert in the ocean, but I imagine theres ways to make areas of the ocean have distinct environmental feels. There could be places with ot without vegetation like kelp, theres the dark, vast empty sections of the sea could serve as deserts or the ocean itself (vast swaths of sea which is easy to traverse and hard to settle, so it becomes a route for trade and home to bandits). Nemo and Subnautica could both be good sources for inspiration.

I think the reason people draw maps artistically is to make them look historically believable. Modern maps are more technically useful, but this is a consequence of being able to view the planet from above. For example, contour lines and other mapping features are a relatively recent invention, so it makes more sense for say dwarves to create them, but not humans. Dwarves developed the technology to accurately map terrain elevations, because they live in hilly or mountainous regions, where it's a necessity. This also means they're particularly proficient at certain professions, such as surveying and mapping land, for which their expertise is especially valued and sought after. This would also make Dwarven maps more mysterious, complicated and difficult to use by other races, differentiating them whilst enriching your world-building. You can take this further by having dwarves make better compasses, so they're also better at navigating using maps. Meanwhile, elves could have a better natural sense of direction than either humans or dwarves, allowing them to navigate without the need for maps, compasses or bearings, which is why they don't make or use them...

@joshuakanapkey6570

5 ай бұрын

This is a fantastic idea!

@Rynewulf

21 күн бұрын

tbf immersion via artistic map vs utility of a modern map are two different playstyles. A heavy roleplay group would love the first, and a tactical combat group would love the second (and obviously you can use the style of one, but make sure certain usability features from the other are included)

@GonzoTehGreat

21 күн бұрын

@@Rynewulf Indeed, I usually find that fantasy maps are a mixture of both art and cartography, because if you can't use it to navigate, then it's not a map, (it's art) but that doesn't exclude it from also being a work of art.

Im not too fond if living in quebec but my favorite thing about here is nature. Theres many different kinds of biomes here and i love it

I feel that the dm should have a more functional map so they know the details of the worlds geography and locations that they should never show the players outside of maybe scrying, while the players should have access (at least to start) to a more classic example of an in universe, slightly inaccurate artistic map with lots of weird names and interesting illustrations that gives them an idea on where to go. that way the best and most frequently traveled mountain pass will be visible on the map but to find other more seldom travelled routes they have to explore themselves, gather information or even hire a guide.

As a player, can I just wholeheartedly agree 👏

So I need to start making topographical maps, got it (a joke)

My recommendation, look outside of Europe for inspiration to get a more unique feel. Argentina, the Philippines, even the USA, are all super varied and give a cool way to view temperature changes, mountain range endings, and where cities should be placed. For example, the placements of Las Vegas and Jerusalem isn’t because of optimisation of the landscape (like how London was built because the Thames was a useful trade route) but because of governmental policy impact and religious significance.

I like the traditional map to help myself conceptualize the area moreso than a tool for the players. I let the players see it and explain to them locations of things they would know, but when it comes to "how tall" and "where to cross" that will come up at the table not on the map

This is why i generally do ocean campaigns, cause the sailing can happen between sections and players end up at really different islands

Here’s a fun idea: If you’re running a game with various gangs and such, there could be a designated building, with living quarters, where a pair of delegates from each gang sit around and receive sending spells with information that they then determine a value for and sell to the other gangs, only revealing the subject matter it pertains to before deals are struck, and then taking members that are purchasing the info into a soundproof room, tell them the message, after which they can use the smaller soundproof cubbies to send the purchased info back to HQ. One from each gang has the day shift, while the other has the night shift, and they could either have the job as a deployment style thing, where maybe they go for 3 or 6 months before others come to replace them, or they could have the position for an extended period of time, before handing the reigns off to someone else to watch it for a few years

what's the video he's referring to? I'm not seeing a link shared...

Speaking as a resident of the American upper south, you can have swamps, rivers, farmland, forest, and ancient mountains (aka the Ozarks) all within a few miles. They interact with each other, too. Wetlands or rivers near farmland means people build levees and canals, for example.

Design your maps like Zelda. *Laughs in watchign them die to natural lightning.*

For a lark, I took the nonhuman areas of Lord of the Rings and put them on REH's Hyborian Age. The shire in Northern Aquilonia, Mirkwood NW of Turan, Modor SW of Turan, and so on.

If you are making a setting for a tabletop game, make it for that. Don't make it for a book series or envision it as a tv show or a movie. Make it fun to explore and rife with possibilities your players can ruin.

10/10 advice keep it simple, descriptive, and diverse. with one or two "special locations" like a main town to start at and explore/return to and "end location" to survive in and in a sense defeat as a kind of local boss in of itself. such as convincing a local populous to rebel instead of betray eachother out of fear, or to choose a side on a local conflict between the people, or perhaps curing some curse or a hidden cabal inside the city. keep it challenging and engaging. (advice from someone with little information on the subject)

On LotR they used to travel for days without seeing someone else. If you do it this way, your players will not be satisfied.

Angular mountain ranges exist on Earth too... check out Australia's Mordor Pound...

Peat bogs are always fun.

So what you're saying is, use the American Continent as a reference.

Mordor mountains are because of lore. They are not natural formations

@GonzoTehGreat

Жыл бұрын

They're as natural as elves.The difference is that Middle-Earth is a magically created continent.

@einexile

8 ай бұрын

@@GonzoTehGreat Not just that, but Mordor was hand made by Morgoth or Melkor, who hated everything good about the world along with the other Valar who fashioned it.

I remember the differences between Computer RPCs and Adventures. When making Maps I would ask how I could get the adventurers from going to the beach and partying with the locals. I would draw the way they should take, include all the stations they should visit and then design all the obstacles (mountains, forests, gorges and rivers) keeping them on the track. But I'm not a pro ...

Tolkien was a writer and actually had pretty bad maps, his son(Christopher) however WAS good at map drawing and drew the final copy of the map everyone is familiar with

Medieval maps didn't have the sort of information you're envisioning here, so neither should fantasy maps set in medievalish period. And a beautiful map is more than a way to convey geographical information, it is evocative and immersive. Furthermore, in a RPG, you probably do not actually want to nail down exact geographical details of *everything* at the map making phase; being able to improvise extra details when needed is feature, not a bug.

I disagree. Unless your setting is 1900s tech, Draw the map up like the NPC cartography would during the middle ages. Many maps didn't have the level of detail you're advising your viewers. Sorry but imo you should give them as little as possible so they'll have some surprises!

If players need to tell how high a mountain range and where best to cross it they need to role-play to get the information from in-world sources that know that information. If they then need contours they can make their own map with the information they gain. Or did you mean GM's need this information ready to hand and thus require a more detailed (private) resource as reference?

Most Poke'mon regions have multiple terrains, in such a small area. How? Magic. Cheese it; this is a "cold magic" hotspot so it's constantly snowing. Or it's a "fire magic" hotspot, resulting in a desert. Or a "fey magic" hotspot, resulting in fey wild-like jungles. etc.

Forget realism embrace a wizard did it Five ancient wizards existed here each with their own towers that twisted their section of the region into a different ecosystem.

Autisticly designed mountain 😭🙏

I would like to add that lots of maps were inaccurate and were often boxey. Even the best maps had glaring flaws by today's standards.

I love dnd, no friends to play it with though. HOWEVER, this is great advice I’m going to use for my novel’s universe. lol

Thanks but I'm definitely gonna make maps like Tolkien Possibly forever

No, do it exactly like Tolkien. Contour maps have too much information. Most importantly, Tolkienesque mountains don't require you to decide how tall they are. Player: Can we cross this range of mountains? GM: You can try. P: Okay, we will try. GM: After 3 days, you find there is no viable pass. You can continue (dangerous) or turn back. In this exchange, how high, how many ridges and peaks, none of it matters.

You failed to show an example of what you're talking about...

so build'em like Pokémon? ok. got it.

If you don't like it, it's probably because his 7-year-old son drew it.

USE HEXMAPS

A pet peeve of mine are art maps used in place of functional game maps, DMs/GMs and companies need to look at Ordnance Survey maps for a better idea of what a utilitarian map should look like, I'm also a fan of Dyson Logos!

You failed to show an example of what you're talking about...