The Red Quills is a mapmaking channel that is created and operated almost exclusively by Ryan, who draws the maps and narrates the videos. We started on the 1st January 2024, and we're growing really well, trying to share some mapmaking joy around for others with fantasy worlds that they want to stand out.
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Hey, what are you going to do with the book when finished?
Great question! I'm thinking of giving it to my nephew as a gift.
I love this series. This kind of micro story has fascinated me for as long as I can remember. How do you implement this sort of thing this in your campaigns?
So each of the episodes in this Lore Archive series is a quest I've run in my own world - and I've layered them with other small and one-act fetch quests so different things are happening at the same time. For instance, during the Civil War quest, it followed this rough outline, with the hook, the significant item to tie them to it, giving the rising danger, then having the mislead and the conflict. But I padded it out with a lot more smaller quests, like running into groups of Tempestmen that needed to be defeated, smuggling important people across the country, fetching diplomatic packets, etc
Nice
Thanks 😎
Love the three layer approach, and the advice about incorporating world rules into quests, makes me feel very inspired! Also the emblems around the map border are such a nice (and historical) touch!
Thank you, I'm glad it's helpful! If I'm honest, the emblems didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped - I might come back and try again in future!
Great advice and yet another beautiful map! Loved seeing some colored pencils (my personal favorite illustration tool) come into play as well! My one constructive critique is that sometimes your text overlay in the video is hard to read, depending on what is behind it. Maybe move it to the side (so it doesn't block the view of the awesome map) and increase the opacity of the text backdrop?
Absolutely! Always happy for some constructive criticism: I rendered this and the previous video at the same time, but I'll be taking steps to make the text more legible
I really liked your outline for prepping a campaign. Thanks, Red Quills.
Thank you for watching! I'll be making a focussed video on campaign prep later this arc, if that's helpful
I caught a glimpse of a town/village named Twoflower. A bit of a shout out to the Diskworld’s first tourist or just a coincidence? 😊
I like putting little references in here and there - to the Discworld, Middle Earth, Star Trek, etc!
Had to put 'D&D' into the title to get views. If you can't depend on the substance of your video, why make it?
Don't blame the creator for the stupidity of the algorithm. This video is good and this channel consistently produces high quality high effort content. They will get popular in time
No offense, but after looking at this channel's numbers compared to yours do you really think you should be criticizing how someone else promotes their videos?
did you even watch the video bro
Thanks for all the support, everyone, it really means a lot. As it happens, I added D&D in the title to streamline subscribers finding it (based on common searches that settle on my videos, hail the algorithm and all that), but also because every map in this season is from my own D&D campaign. It IS for D&D. It would be more of a lie if I said it was for general RPGs. Did you have any actual criticism that I can use to improve the videos, SageMaster, or do you just resent the titles?
I love your art, it's beautiful ❤
Thank you! 🙏
Cool 😎👍
Thanks 😎
My first thought was “middle earth??”
My first map on this channel was a map of Middle Earth in this style!
Amazing👌🤙🤜🤛👍🙌
Good work man keep it up
This is so awesome! I love your story-telling and those drawings are fantastic!
Thank you! All credit to Arkyleon for his fantastic illustrations
Why didnt somebody tell me this was a Channel ? 😳 Thought we were Homies...🤨 Subscribed !😁
Welcome!
another banger episode ryan!
Thank you, Arky!
There's only one problem with this video: now I have a pressing desire to be in your game!
You know, I'm just getting ready to start a session right now - they're fighting a boss we've been building up to for about 45 sessions. The pressure's on!
The story and narration are fantastic, as is the prop book visuals. The text overlay is a litte hard to read, though; an opaque background may help for future videos.
Fair note, thank you!
I love your beginning shots of your set up 🤩
Thank you! At the moment, it's my darkened living room, a cup of tea, and the heater turned up
"Paris ce réveil !! quand les cloches sonnent !! Dans les tours de Notre-Dame !! Le pêcheur s'en poissonne, le mitron mitronne !! Sous les tours de Notre-Dame !!! "😮😮😮😅😅😅 3 note ... A révélation in my souls XD ( soul and soulike)
Oui, j'adore cette chanson!
Your channel is seriously underrated
Thanks, Patrick
Love how dense these guides are with immediately practical advice; I always end them fired up to do some mapmaking
Great to hear! If you want somewhere to talk about your maps, you can check out our Discord?
The motto is sick, could be shortened though I've rarely seen a storm not featuring violence and rage
That's fair. Maybe it should be more truthful: "It's a play on 'stormtrooper'!" 🤣
Idk if its just me, but the white text on the paper background is pretty hard to read. I did really like the video though.
That's fair - I didn't have any issue with it on my screen, but I'll try to increase the contrast in future
It's the cuppa for me
Can't make a map without a cuppa!
Can't stress enough how _unimportant_ plate tectonics are lmao. it's never useful, i don't know how this advice gets perpetuated so often @.@
Plate tectonics will probably never come up in-game (unless you have a god of the earth or whatever that wants to make the continents into a Pangaea again), but they're a help for those that don't know how to form a continent to begin with. There are so many maps out there that make no sense geologically, because novice mapmakers have just chucked whatever they like onto the face of the world without regards to physics. If you don't want to use them, I certainly won't make you! But they're another option to understand world design on a physical level.
There are plenty of contexts where they genuinely don't matter, but completely ignoring plate tectonics can make for mountain ranges that look fundamentally wrong on a gut level. There are certainly other ways to avoid or engage with that issue, but having a cursory understanding of plate tectonics is also a solution.
@@RedQuillswell said
How about you make a map.... But you needed to say D+D to get the views.
how about you make your own damn videos, title them how you want, and be a snarky douche in your own comments.
Hey, it's all good. D&D is the trend at the moment, but the mapmaking can certainly be used for other games. But yeah - all hail the algorithm and whatever. As it is, this is my map for my current D&D campaign, so it IS a D&D map.
Even then, it still has the same amount of effort as all of his videos. It’s a really good video ~
@@pokepoke1889 I like this comment. It's a nice comment
Fantastic! Great instructional and gorgeous map!
Thanks, Jon! We're back with another series, and I think there's a couple coming up that might pique your interest
@@RedQuills Sounds great! I'm about to start creating an atlas for my homebrew world, and I love getting inspiration and motivation from your example! I've even started planning to use bigger paper than usual to get more details in without feeling crowded.
Did you draw him?
Not me, a fellow creator - Arkyleon. Full credit in the Lore Archive videos to come
That's so cool! I started something like this in the form of a diary that my character writes so his girlfriend knows what happened in case he doesn't return. Or if he returns he can tell her everything that happend (he sucks at remembering stuff and he knows that ^^')
That's so cute, I love that!
Excellent content (ideas, art, and narration). Thank you!
Thank YOU! Glad you enjoyed!
That was super inspiring
You should try making your own! It wasn't too difficult
How does this not have more views?! It looks like I'm watching an ancient scripture being made right in front of me! Hope you get more views and likes.
Thank you! We'll get there, it just takes time
My wife did an illustrated character journal in this style for our first campaign together and it remains one of our most treasured possessions.
I'm enjoying making it - I was thinking of giving it to my nephew when done, as a storybook, but I might be becoming to be too attached to let go of it
The detail is insane
Thanks! I'm going to be making a series with them - launching next week
ah this is perfect timing as I'm making a map from scratch right now. It's a very lovely map ryan!
Cheers, Arky!
this is so good the algorithm isn't picking up. no but fr bro you're so underrated, keep up the good work;)
Thank you! I really appreciate it
how did you make that book ??
The book is not handmade, alas, but a gift. For reasons of reasons, I won't be putting any logos in my videos
Well done. Very easy to watch.
You flatterer
I am excited for this!
Oooh exciting! The pages of that book & your writing looks epic 🤩
I love watching this channel grow. Maps are always looking great and the commentary is helpful and entertaining. Definitely my favorite youtube channel right now. Keep up the good work :).
Thank you! It's been a privilege to have such a great community
I actually prefer this for just about everything except where I need hard floor plans. It helps as a touchstone or a cue for me to talk about how a place should look or feel and what is unique about it.
Good on you, Ralph - this was a tough one to mark, and it's one of my personal favourites. It's nice to hear that I'm not alone!
I love your videos and I think you are very talented. I’m on the 37 minute and change mark and my two observations are this: I actually enjoy listening to your voice and feel that it being interjected every so often would benefit the piece. Secondly, I understand the ambient music matches the mood of an under-city, particularly the unease and fright one would feel exploring such depths; I think it is overwhelming and the heaviness of it feels oppressive, which makes it hard to listen to for a long period of time. I am working on my own map as I listen (a city of magicians that only lets those of magical talent to pass within its gates, majestic and turbulent like magic itself), so the mood is not the characteristic calm before the storm I’m used to from other videos. All that being said, I will enjoy regardless and continue watching, but felt compelled to add my two cents.
Hey Ralph! Thanks for letting me know what you think - it's always great to get honest feedback, and I'll take it on board for future. Your map sounds good, I hope it's going well!
@@RedQuills it’s got nothing on yours. My drawings help me to visualize and describe what I want my players to see in their minds. I’m mainly excited to place something identifiable as a Faraday cage in the picture and unleash a bunch of electric based wizards on my players to see what they do.
@@ralphwoodruff I love that! That's a great idea
Yes, I did need a deep map immersion.
MAPS! MAPS! MAPS!
Just want to say I felt personally attacked by every point marked off the aesthetics and usefulness categories.
They're all the winners in my heart...
How beautiful!❤
Thank you!