Can you have two different north directions on a map?

**Formal Abu** · 09-14-2016, 11:18 AM

I've typed this out a few times but it's confusing so I'll try to explain it correctly..

I am planning a local regional map of a cluster of towns at the foot of a mountain range, with a smaller inset map to show the wider area.
The alignment of this wider area is already set out in another map, where the mountain range is shown to run North-South.

I had planned to do the map in normal 1920x1080 and so was trying to get a handle of the layout I'm going to use. It seems easier to have the main mountain range run visually left to right on the map, rather than top to bottom. However, this would obviously mean my North arrow would be facing Horizontal in the main map, and Vertical in the inset.

This is for a DnD campaign I'm running so will be used for players to reference and listeners to my podcast. What is the thinking around North directions on maps with an inset map. Should they always match? Would this be too confusing? Should I just change the ratio of the map? I haven't done a non-standard proportion map before...

**Falconius** · 09-14-2016, 12:02 PM

It will probably be confusing, but no they don't have to match, nor does North always have to be the top of the page, but that is the general expectation. Going against that will already be slightly confusing, having an inset map set at 90 degrees from the other will be doubley so. I can see setting an inset map at a slightly different angle like 5 or ten degrees but more than that would be weird. I'd say draw you main map horizontal as you wish, with north going to the right or left and put the inset and turn it accordingly. Or you can draw a sort of doobaly doo showing that its a blown up area and also that is turned. but that seems more difficult to convey.

**waldronate** · 09-14-2016, 01:16 PM

Another way to deal with the problem is to put the mountain range as an artistic background to show an overview of the area and do the individual towns as insets of the larger map. A single compass rose pointing to the left will then put East at the top of the page, as Tolkein's dwarfies intended.

If you want to put more than one compass rose on a map page, make sure that the areas described by each such item are clearly delineated, perhaps with a dark line and/or change in artistic style.