Here are two maps that I have created, one showing the world and one where my players will spend most of the time. Can I please have your suggestions on how to improve them?
Here is the map for the port city of Treebliss, where my players will spend most of their time during tier one play.
The map below shows a part of the world of Erda.
I want your opinions on these maps, and any suggestions that you might have to improve them will be most gratefully received as well. Also, if you have any other thoughts regarding the above maps, please feel free to share them in the comments as well.
I am looking forward to hearing what you all think about these.
I really dig em! As for suggestions I really like the different in scale. I would love to see individual maps for each section of the city. The building are great to see but Its at a strange point of not knowing if its accurate or not. (either way I think it looks good as is) Would love to just see more or have more of a distinct legend. Keep up the good work!
I am also using watabou here and there. What do the different colors mean in the city? Different districts? Do they have names? A legend for the 2nd map maybe... what do the different kinds of lines mean? Also, if the different color regions on the 2nd map are different countries/ principalities/ etc., then maybe the names of these would be good to see.
Maybe a 3rd type of map would be useful for overland travel... like hills/ mountains/ forests.
I am also using watabou here and there. What do the different colors mean in the city? Different districts? Do they have names? A legend for the 2nd map maybe... what do the different kinds of lines mean? Also, if the different color regions on the 2nd map are different countries/ principalities/ etc., then maybe the names of these would be good to see.
Maybe a 3rd type of map would be useful for overland travel... like hills/ mountains/ forests.
I used an online generator yes, but then spent a while altering it to come up with that.
The different colours represent the different factions within the city. The factions are like workers unions on steroids if you like. Each one controls a part of the city and people who live in that part of the city largely focus on a single trade.
Although there is a certain amount of overlapping skill sets. Just enough to create redundancy, so the city can still function, should a catastrophe befall it.
Although each faction reports to the central bureaucracy, they are largely autonomous and can act independently or together as the need arises. This allows quick responses, when there is no time to wait.
For example, if a part of the city was attacked, the local administration of that faction could mobilise the military garrisoned there in defence of that part of the city, without needing to confer with the central bureaucracy. Although they would have to report the actions they had taken and why, they could act on their own, to counter a threat to that part of the city.
If the military force garrisoned in a particular part of the city was not enough to repel an attack, they could ask their neighbours for support from their garrisons. So one factions local administration could assist another without needing to confer with the central bureaucracy. Although both would need to make a report.
If the entire city is under attack, the central bureaucracy would become the single point of command and they would mobilise the garrisons in each part of the city as needed. However, each local administration could act according to the situation as they would have the first hand reports and be closer to the scene. Although they would need to make reports back to the central bureaucracy.
This city exists in a wide magic setting. Magic is so widespread that the entire city is connected by a magical equivalent of the real world, world wide web, although on a smaller scale. Meaning information can easily be passed up and down the lines of commincarion.
In this way, the city is protected by a highly mobile military force, with a single point of command and which can quickly adapt to the unfolding situation.
It doesn't just have to be an attack on the city either. That was just an example.
The colours on the second map represent different parts of the world. These parts of the world are all magical, however, they view and use magic differently.
One being wide magic, where magic is extremely common, does a lot of things and a lot of people are born with the ability to use at least some magic. Although high level magic is fairly rare. In this part of the world magic is treated largely as mundane. Normal people use low level magic all the time and very few people actually study magic here.
Magic here is very practical and people tend not to put much thought of effort into actually learning none practical applications for magic.
The other being high magic. Where magic is performed by specialist magic users. Magic is not very common in this part of the world but high level magic is much more common. That is because the people of this part of the world see magic as special and unique and also terrifying and dangerous. If you can do magic here, you go to a magic school, you study magic all your life, you plumb it's depths and learn it's intricacies and unlock it's greatest secrets.
Not so you can practice it you understand - no, no, magic is much to dangerous to actually be practiced - you study magic, so you can learn to control it and yourself and so that you are not a danger to those without magic, you are heavily policed and rare let outside the grounds of your school.
Magic here is an academic pursuit.
Strangely enough the Wizards of the high magic part of the world tend to get most of their tools and and supplies from the sorcerers I'd the wide magic part of the world and the wide magic part of the world seeks out high level Wizards from when they have a need of magic that they can't perform themselves.
Thus, the two parts of the world trade with each other in magic - despite their views on it being quite different.
I think I am rambling and I doubt that any of what I have said makes sense or sounds cool so I should shut up now.
I do hope that I have explained some of my world to you though and helped you to understand why the maps are the way they are.
Holy moly, that's a thorough and extensive reply :D
There are 2 kinds of maps as I've seen over the years - one is functional, clear, easy to understand and derive important information from it. What that is, depends I guess on whether this is dungeon, city or overland. I think a map is clear if you can decipher what you see. So if the colors represent some factions - show it on some legend maybe? As for the world - same, if a different color is a different region - you might want to note that somewhere (i.e. the name of the region).
Haven't mentioned that the other type of maps are purposefully decorative or overdecorated, like a fresco (or maybe not purposefully; the creator simply wanted to do too much and it is unreadable). I don't think I can add anything else - but I think you already knew therese :) Thanks for the explanation by the way!
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Madras Elohír The Scarred Priest of Seth
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Hi, everyone
Here are two maps that I have created, one showing the world and one where my players will spend most of the time. Can I please have your suggestions on how to improve them?
Here is the map for the port city of Treebliss, where my players will spend most of their time during tier one play.
The map below shows a part of the world of Erda.
I want your opinions on these maps, and any suggestions that you might have to improve them will be most gratefully received as well. Also, if you have any other thoughts regarding the above maps, please feel free to share them in the comments as well.
I am looking forward to hearing what you all think about these.
Cheers
XD
Foxes
A caffeinated nerd who has played TTRPGs or a number of years and is very much a fantasy adventure geek.
I really dig em! As for suggestions I really like the different in scale. I would love to see individual maps for each section of the city. The building are great to see but Its at a strange point of not knowing if its accurate or not. (either way I think it looks good as is) Would love to just see more or have more of a distinct legend. Keep up the good work!
Using watabou (https://watabou.itch.io/medieval-fantasy-city-generator) I see and Azgar's Fantasy World Generator (https://azgaar.github.io/Fantasy-Map-Generator/) I see, right?
I am also using watabou here and there. What do the different colors mean in the city? Different districts? Do they have names? A legend for the 2nd map maybe... what do the different kinds of lines mean? Also, if the different color regions on the 2nd map are different countries/ principalities/ etc., then maybe the names of these would be good to see.
Maybe a 3rd type of map would be useful for overland travel... like hills/ mountains/ forests.
Madras Elohír
The Scarred Priest of Seth
I used an online generator yes, but then spent a while altering it to come up with that.
The different colours represent the different factions within the city. The factions are like workers unions on steroids if you like. Each one controls a part of the city and people who live in that part of the city largely focus on a single trade.
Although there is a certain amount of overlapping skill sets. Just enough to create redundancy, so the city can still function, should a catastrophe befall it.
Although each faction reports to the central bureaucracy, they are largely autonomous and can act independently or together as the need arises. This allows quick responses, when there is no time to wait.
For example, if a part of the city was attacked, the local administration of that faction could mobilise the military garrisoned there in defence of that part of the city, without needing to confer with the central bureaucracy. Although they would have to report the actions they had taken and why, they could act on their own, to counter a threat to that part of the city.
If the military force garrisoned in a particular part of the city was not enough to repel an attack, they could ask their neighbours for support from their garrisons. So one factions local administration could assist another without needing to confer with the central bureaucracy. Although both would need to make a report.
If the entire city is under attack, the central bureaucracy would become the single point of command and they would mobilise the garrisons in each part of the city as needed. However, each local administration could act according to the situation as they would have the first hand reports and be closer to the scene. Although they would need to make reports back to the central bureaucracy.
This city exists in a wide magic setting. Magic is so widespread that the entire city is connected by a magical equivalent of the real world, world wide web, although on a smaller scale. Meaning information can easily be passed up and down the lines of commincarion.
In this way, the city is protected by a highly mobile military force, with a single point of command and which can quickly adapt to the unfolding situation.
It doesn't just have to be an attack on the city either. That was just an example.
The colours on the second map represent different parts of the world. These parts of the world are all magical, however, they view and use magic differently.
One being wide magic, where magic is extremely common, does a lot of things and a lot of people are born with the ability to use at least some magic. Although high level magic is fairly rare. In this part of the world magic is treated largely as mundane. Normal people use low level magic all the time and very few people actually study magic here.
Magic here is very practical and people tend not to put much thought of effort into actually learning none practical applications for magic.
The other being high magic. Where magic is performed by specialist magic users. Magic is not very common in this part of the world but high level magic is much more common. That is because the people of this part of the world see magic as special and unique and also terrifying and dangerous. If you can do magic here, you go to a magic school, you study magic all your life, you plumb it's depths and learn it's intricacies and unlock it's greatest secrets.
Not so you can practice it you understand - no, no, magic is much to dangerous to actually be practiced - you study magic, so you can learn to control it and yourself and so that you are not a danger to those without magic, you are heavily policed and rare let outside the grounds of your school.
Magic here is an academic pursuit.
Strangely enough the Wizards of the high magic part of the world tend to get most of their tools and and supplies from the sorcerers I'd the wide magic part of the world and the wide magic part of the world seeks out high level Wizards from when they have a need of magic that they can't perform themselves.
Thus, the two parts of the world trade with each other in magic - despite their views on it being quite different.
I think I am rambling and I doubt that any of what I have said makes sense or sounds cool so I should shut up now.
I do hope that I have explained some of my world to you though and helped you to understand why the maps are the way they are.
A caffeinated nerd who has played TTRPGs or a number of years and is very much a fantasy adventure geek.
Holy moly, that's a thorough and extensive reply :D
There are 2 kinds of maps as I've seen over the years - one is functional, clear, easy to understand and derive important information from it. What that is, depends I guess on whether this is dungeon, city or overland. I think a map is clear if you can decipher what you see. So if the colors represent some factions - show it on some legend maybe? As for the world - same, if a different color is a different region - you might want to note that somewhere (i.e. the name of the region).
Haven't mentioned that the other type of maps are purposefully decorative or overdecorated, like a fresco (or maybe not purposefully; the creator simply wanted to do too much and it is unreadable). I don't think I can add anything else - but I think you already knew therese :) Thanks for the explanation by the way!
Madras Elohír
The Scarred Priest of Seth