Cartography in RPGs

[Wolf Rawrrr]

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I would like to dedicate this thread to the discussion of fantasy/SF maps, and any other kind of cartography related to roleplaying, from world maps down to dungeon maps. I think it probable that there is a number of people here interested, in varying degrees of expertise or the lack of it. Maps are always useful, and sometimes even next to required, and myself I enjoy making maps just for kicks of it. This thread may develop in a number of directions, but right now I'd like to display a map that I made over the last week for the needs of my Amaranth RPG right here on RPdom. It's pretty much done, with exceptions of most place names still missing which are being added over time. I drew everything with a pencil, light lines first in the process of editing, then going through everything one last time in heavier strokes. I scanned it and colored everything in Fireworks 8 to get what you see below. Somehow it didn't turn out as well as I was hoping it would, though I think it should surpass most shitty excuses for maps, right? Right? All feedback, both positive and negative, is highly welcome. Just comment on the whole thing, details, your own experience, ideas, anything. Feel free to submit your own maps if you think the community could learn from them, or if you want a review to improve your skill. <img src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/imageproxy/imageproxy.php?img=http://www.rpdom.com/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FRNBzT5z.jpg&hash=41740b4ec41bf914670f7de9bb38129e&key=2713045f98c389fbe84707f5562fc2cc52f5bbdb52ca1f4c0d260bf78a4aa6cb" class="ipsImage" alt="proxy.php?image=https://i.imgur.co" /></p>

 

[Persell]

All depends on context.


For a RP focused on more individual and small scope actions, a map would only be restrictive -- distance and location are just narrative elements in that case. But for RPs with more "global" implication and large scale strategies, a map would be extremely helpful. They help players see what's going on in the world. Having a visual feedback amplifies the dynamism of the world and the sense of accomplishment.

 

[Wolf Rawrrr]

Your words ring true. It does depend on the RP type, I just forgot to mention that in the voting options. Still, generalizing a bit isn't all that bad. I think that there cannot exist an RP that couldn't benefit from at least a small map showing a single room or series of rooms. It goes without saying that world maps are reserved for large scale games.

 

[ghoti115]

Maps are fun, but not necessary. I often run Star Wars and having a map for each world/space port/space station/space ship/city is not possible. I will typically use the galaxy map to let the players know what other planets are nearby or if they are near the Corporate Sector (where the PCs are based out of), but that's about it. Everything else is left to the imagination.

 

[Wolf Rawrrr]

Well said, especially having in mind the requirements of such an RP.


If anyone would like to criticize my map above, I can take quite a bit of punishment before I wolf out.

 

[ghoti115]

It looks better than what I can do and better than what I've seen done on a computer when scanned from a pencil drawing. Your scale might be a little off depending on how much time it should take to get from one place to the next. Do you have ideas of expected travel times for the cities you have mapped (by foot or otherwise)? It could help to determine the best scale.

 

[Wolf Rawrrr]

The scale is always the tricky part about a map, and in this case it did turn out a bit odd. I had to tell my players it is only relatively accurate and that they should not hold onto it as if they would to dear life


I will definitely take your advice about predetermining time of travel between cities before I position them for my next project. Thanks.


Now, I've seen a great map recently just after finishing this one so I think I'll aim for something like that next time. Though there are different styles to be used. In this other map the author used a different design for mountains and forests for example. On my map they look as if from a 45 degrees angle, while his is more topographical sort of.


I have also come to the conclusion that one of the things that makes his look great is the texture. My map is flat. Also, his way of drawing forests is more simple and faster. I drew each tree to symbolically represent forests.


Still, I can only hope to ever be able to make something like this. Does anyone suppose how stuff like this is made? I have come to believe that the best maps are hand drawn and then optimized on a computer, but I can't determine if the following map was made completely digitally. Beautiful either way

 

[Ignitedstar]

I'm sure they pencil it, ink a bit of the finer details, then scan it and color it on the computer. It's how a lot of things are done these days. I can certainly say that it still takes a long time, but it's definitely not as daunting as doing it all in pencil, then going over what's necessary in pen, then in color... Then you have to choose a coloring medium since every thing looks different (colored pencil, markers, paints, Copic, etc.) yeah, that takes way too much time.


I made a map a long time ago for an RP that I had, but it seems that I lost it. I guess I had it on my other computer and I forgot to take it with me. The hard drive to this other computer got corrupted though-- I highly doubt I'll be able to get it again. Oh well.


If a story takes place in a specific area as the main setting, then I think that's a good time to supply a map. It may not be necessary for most things, but what if characters are in the same building for 75% of the story? That is probably when a floor plan is needed. The only problem is, is that making maps, blueprints, floor plans, etc. from scratch is that-- well, they take awhile.


So yes. Maps are functional tools to have more levels of consistency and coherence to a roleplay-- or really, any story. One may not need it all of the time (i.e. story takes place in a one story house), but it's nice to have when the scope of the setting is bigger and adventure is expected.


Oh, snap. The website that I uploaded them into still has them! I started with pencil, then went over it with colored pencil. The scanner I used wasn't that good though. This was years ago-- the quality of scanners have gone WAY up. Speaking of which, I should buy a new one. I was talking to someone who writes a webcomic about how they get such nice quality scans. He told me that a decent quality scanner nowadays is about $75.


http://www.rpdom.com/useralbums/world-map-north-jpg.907/standalone?access_hash=89f34774ac


http://www.rpdom.com/useralbums/world-map-south-jpg.908/standalone?access_hash=89f34774ac

 

[Doctor Calgori]

I agree, when the scope gets big it's nice to have a map. Although, I've found that even in small locations, maps are sometimes really necessary when the scenario is location critical. It really depends on how important location is, for things like combat.


Although whenever I make a map, they always turn into topo maps. I've given up hope for making a pretty map.

 

[Uziel]

NBRP guys FUCKIN. LOVE. MAPS. I make maps just for the shit of it.

 

[Doctor Calgori]

Here's my interpretation of a map. Used a section of the Amaranth map as a guide, see if you can guess which! This was really just a quick mockup so I've left out water systems and any geopolitical markings you'd normally see. Height-based color scheme.

 

[Wolf Rawrrr]

Looks like Eldshaw region, only there are no mountains in the original map. How was that made?


@Star - The first one looks nice

 

[Doctor Calgori]

I used Photoshop for this one. Traced out the general shape of the landmass and then just sort of made up how it looks. Pencil tool, a few layers for some stuff, and a lot of hard work :3

 

[Pineapple]

I am quite the fan of maps. I find they are excellent tools to visually show what would takes hundreds of words to describe. I try to make maps for my chat roleplays (Nightfall, and one currently in the works...) As well as many forum based roleplays; most notably the elusive Plunder by miz and I. I can show what the land scape is like, easily, I could really give people a feel for distances (if a legend is included). However, from a DM point of view...


I make maps for Nightfall and my other chat RP's so I can accurately judge the distance from locations, and how long it would take the player characters to get from one location to another. I find with a map by my side, it's hard to not stay consistent in the amount of time different distances take.


this is an example of the kind of maps I usually create. I do this with a combination of I believe Adobe Flash from outlines, then photoshop for the colour, effects and text. (I use flash because it's a quick and easy way to get an 'uneven' black outline. Illustrator would make that quite a bit more annoying.)

 

[Wolf Rawrrr]

Sadly, my expertise in Photoshop is very limited and I largely use it for predefined special effects, or at times I follow up on an online step-by-step tutorial when I really need to. That's why I stick to Fireworks. It can't do wonders, but it satisfies my needs. I even think I could upgrade my maps even more, still well within Fireworks. Or perhaps I could export a version to be finalized in Photoshop with some effects.


Seeing all of your maps I realized I forgot to add texture to mine, so I'll experiment with that for a while. Thanks.

 

[Uziel]

I'll take your Photoshop and raise you an MS Paint.


Link

 

[Feantari]

For map making I like to just skim google maps for areas that I can blow up and use. That way they seems realistic and yet not familiar. Generally g-maps -> gimp where outlines get pulled out and then layers colored/shaded as desired.


World Map


Close up of some islands (ignoring the pencil line which outlined an area relavent to the RP session)


I think it could use better mountains and such, but as far as generating outlines I like it a lot better than trying to hand draw things.

 

[Wolf Rawrrr]

Looks decent


Uziel, you're serious? Paint? Well I suppose it is possible, though more difficult I daresay.

 

[Doctor Calgori]

MSPaint is so classic, I loved that stuff. I'd either go with a rough raster approach or get all fancy with vectors for a more polished looking map. Raster for accuracy, vector for polish; Inkscape for the vector stuff.


Creepin' yer devArt Uziel :3

 

[Ker'ion]

And...


*thump*


Here's my map submission. I still have to convert it over to something that looks tolerable, but I've finally in the digital world.


(The pieces weren't aligning properly on this board, so I'll just link it with a smaller version of itself)

 

[Lochar]

Ren, that first map. If you go into that wasteland, is it nothing but the piled bodies of dead fangirls?

 

[Wolf Rawrrr]

@Ker'ion - Wow


You even made it like a real map. Degrees and everything. Looks very nice, practically like a real map to a degree. Am I right if I assume that these continents once fit into a single one?


@Lochar - What makes you say that? Dead fangirls?

 

[Ker'ion]

I never went that far.


A world so suffused with magic that the gods drop by just to say hi and keep the belief up so that the cycle continues and everything keeps running smoothly.


Continental drift isn't really an issue, even though it would be a point on the planet being alive and well, etc.


I guess from the overall map they could have been merged together in the past...


The merge point would be at the edge of the maps, where it connects both sides together.


And each of the tiny squares is 250 km per 6 minutes, so it's about 5 times the size of earth.

 

[Captain Hesperus]

I like maps in an RP, on broad and individual contexts. It gives the players something more to immerse themselves into the world, alongside any other props the ST/GM/DM/whatever throws at them, creates potential plot hooks ("Hey, there's a ruined city/ancient tomb complex/mysterious abandoned mountain fortress there! What say we go see if the looters haven't stripped it bare already?") and allows for greater suspension of disbelief. For the person running the game, it allows them to calculate time and distance so they can work out such issues as training montages for the players, background activities for NPCs and interesting encounters to bring the players out of their normal routines. But on the downside, it can also be a tedious chore. When you have a Rules Lawyer who insists on calculating the entire journey, factoring in the speed of the characters' mounts, the conditions of the route, the seasonal difficulties (rain/snow/fog), toll routes and so on that can get irritating. Also if the person running has to sit and off-the-cuff calculate the time it'll take to get from Mundhielm to a small insignificant village sixteen miles east-by-north-east of Sarsonsberg, the wait can cause psychotic feelings.


In total? Maps help, like any tool, they help, but they should not be used as an adamant hammer to beat the story into shape. They are made of paper and as such can be bent, folded, torn or even killed with fire as the need arises.


Captain Hesperus

 

[Wolf Rawrrr]

Allow me to refresh the thread with a hint of something new. Cartography doesn't need to be in the usual sense only - dusty fantasy maps or modern radar scans. What if you're playing a space game and instead of a planet, you are charting whole solar systems and galaxies? Well, then it looks something like this Wolf thinks:

This is sort of a standard planetary system; it is composed out of a single star and five planets, of which some have moons and some don't. The map also shows orbital trajectories for each celestial body, and behind everything is of course a background of distant stars. Made by yours truly in Fireworks 8. Up to scale, of course, using made up "px" size index which is literally the diameter of each celestial body in pixels. For example, the sun is 200px and planets vary from 10-15 px (small), 20-30 px (medium) and 35-50 (large). Moons are 3-5 px usually.


However, it doesn't have to be so simple. Here's another system I made for a member of RPdom here (used in an RP; however this version here is my own, before he adapted it to his needs):

This system is alot bigger than the previous one; it has eight planets and a few moons, all orbiting around a blue sun which is a bit smaller than the sun from the previous picture. This blue dwarf is 150 px, but still huge in comparison with the other planets though this particular system features a couple large gas giants of which the bigger one is nearly half the size of the sun. A novelty in this system is the example asteroid belt. Again, everything is up to scale.


What about you? What kind of space cartography have you incorporated into your games, if any? And how do you like the ideas illustrated above? *woof*