Blue Ox Inn - Hand Drawn

[Gamerprinter]

So I've been down in the dumps for the last week. Monday, I had to put my dog to sleep - very sad. The best therapy for me is to create a detailed, hand-drawn map to take my mind off real life and immerse myself into the work.

I decided I was long overdue in creating a typical fantasy tavern/inn... related to another commercial map idea. Unlike my Endless Terrain Battlemaps which are more photorealistic, I want to design a set of specific maps that can be used for many adventures - focusing in on the cliche locations including the inn.

This is the Blue Ox Inn. Below is the first floor, mostly the work in lineart only, having added only the main walls, and the floor stones for the 'Ox head' and 'B' for Blue Ox - just so you can see it better. Those are the only blue stones in the floor, the rest will be tan and gray, with a light gray mortar behind it. All rock shapes will have bevels and drop shadows, like the blue stones are already. The 'devil is in the details' as they say, and the devil is sure in this, as I went overboard on texture detail.

I still plan to create the smaller second floor containing five sleeping chambers for overnight guests.

My overall goal is to create a PDF sliced map pack both floor of the Inn, the stables and some outside road and yard. I want to offer a download only product, or a POD printed one by One Book Shelf, to get some of my own products into RPGNow/DriveThruRPG and the Paizo Store. I also intend to create some map objects to correspond to 10 'patrons' already created. I need tables, kegs of beer/ale, a kitchen, bedrooms, etc.

I think my plans are to build an entire village, or at least most of the main structures and facilities: black smith, market, small temple, hedge wizard's den, a dry goods or general store, corral, village home, farm house, village office/jail - what else should I create? Perhaps a water mill.

I haven't decided on the price, but I will find out what the POD version costs, and base my price on 50% of that, at most.

The map is mostly B/W for now, but it won't be when its complete.

Work-in-Progress below: (I see I missed detailing one tiny tile, need to fix that.)

blue-ox.jpg

[Steel General]

Sorry to hear about your dog GP

This is looking pretty nice so far.

[mearrin69]

I just wanted to say sorry about your dog. I've lost a few pets over the years and each one was tough...but it's going to be really hard to lose our current dogs when that time comes.

Good idea to keep occupied until you're feeling better and the map's looking great, of course!
M

[anstett]

Condolences. I am the person in the family that everyone comes to to actually do the deed so I can appreciate your pain.

Excellent project to start too. There can not be enough village maps out there!

BOB

[Gamerprinter]

OK, the flagstone floor of the main hall and beer storage room is done. As stated, this is not yet furnished, and I will be creating all the map object furnishings soon. I will be doing the second floor next, followed by the enclosed stable area and small barn, after which I will start working on the many map objects for this inn.

GP

blue-ox-inn.jpg

[Ryan K]

Sorry to hear about your dog, mate. Losing a pet is always too hard. Good use of cartographical therapy.

[Gamerprinter]

Second floor done. Next the stables...

blue-ox-2nd.jpg

[tilt]

sorry about your dog - I had to get our cat put down x-mas day a year ago and its a terrible thing.

Inn is looking great - especially like the blue stones, very cool

[Gamerprinter]

As I reflect on the scale of this tarvern/inn, I begin to realize that it is actually pretty large, so my thoughts on creating a village map has expanded into thoughts towards creating an entire town. That way, I get to design more interesting buildings, and finally creating an entire town map featuring the dozens or so structures featured in the series. A temple guide with six or eight temples with all maps comprising a single map set. A city militia or gendarme office and jail and perhaps a military barracks map set. A magic shop, an old book store, and a wizard's laboratory/home as another map set. A niteclub hideaway for the local crime syndicate with an understreet haven and training grounds. Perhaps I can design a city fortress/palace, as well as a market place with varying goods from slaves to produce as map sets and accompanying map objects. I could also do a theater and several other iconic locations not fitting the most standard of sites. Another idea is a map of adventurer accomodations, starting from one-room shack/apartments for low level PCs, small homes to an eventual master adventurers urban manse with stores, vault, armory and other features better fitting higher level and wealthier player characters.

I'm even thinking of being a bit more agressive with this map and include it with a collection of 3 or 4 taverns of varying size and quality, with the Blue Ox being the premiere tavern/inn in the community. Being able to share the accompanying map objects provided give greater versatility to the overall map set and usability of the included objects.

While I could certainly build statted NPCs to occupy the city, at this time, to make a product more suitable to any/many game systems I might only list fluff NPC data describing occupations and agendas, political ties and opponents, but leave the game crunch out to be usable in D&D, Pathfinder, GURPS, Iron Crown games, whatever the enduser prefers. Like my Endless Terrain Battlemaps, I would include versions with square, hex and no grid to accomodate more game systems. This would all fit a medieval to early renaissance, European like town.

The more elaborate map requirements might better keep my interests for a long term, ongoing project like this one.

GP

[DevinNight]

I like the flagstones on the lower level with the mosaic blue pieces in it. cool idea.