Wednesday, March 9, 2011

In response to questions from Austrodavicus, the overland map is hand drawn, with labels in the Futura lt BT font to give the map that 1st edition flavour. They were typed up, printed, cut out and then laboriously glued on! I was really happy with how this map turned out- it looks great laminated.

This is my table map for large scale overland crawling and regional details- it definately is not for detailed perusal by the players- I'll have my 10-league Darlene maps from the boxed set on a neighbouring table for player referal- same scale as the big hexes but less detailed. My plan is to take along a blank map of about this scale for the players to fill in- hopefully there is a devoted mapper amongst them- if there is not, the party will be the worse for it... I will show it to them briefly though, just to strike fear and awe into their hearts...

Eventually I'll get around to a proper hex-crawl map with 7.5 mile hexes- the small hexes on this overland map are 7.5 miles- four small hexes to Darlene's big 30 mile hex. That'll have to wait now- with a game possibly on the cards for Monday I'm working furiously have a proper freeform, open-ended game with options ready.  I designed this map as a companion to two others I made years ago as campaign maps for TOEE. Here they are the three of them together:


I only wish I could unlaminate the other two and give the others the same crisp font as I did for this one- definately more austere.

The locations on the map will be fed to the players via hooks and rumours and in play rather than by virtue of a visual perusal by them of my map. I get Austrodavicus's point though- all those little names do evoke strong desires to explore. The idea is in fact for the map to be visually evocative and to propel the imagination- it is designed to invigorate my descriptive powers at the table, and give me a clearer picture of the game-setting.

2 comments:

  1. Thanks for this post Ragnardbard. It's great to see the three maps together. The left two maps are the area where I first introduced my current group to D&D and roleplaying, and so holds some wonderful memories. They never made it over to City of Greyhawk way sadly.

    Nor did I ever get myself organised enough to make such great maps. If I had it would've made it heaps easier as the DM since, much as I love the Darlene map, I always had trouble visualising things on a smaller scale.

    Good luck for Monday, I hope it happens.

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  2. Yep- that's exactly why I made them- not exactly Wilderlands hexcrawl maps, but that's the way it's heading...

    Thanks for the kind thoughts man.

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