Hi folks. I need to learn how to map the *entire* Spelljammer universe

[Steel General]

Welcome Aboard!

[Big Mac]

Wow! That is a lot of replies!

Spelljammer Woot!! thats a very ambitious idea and It should be fun to watch your progress (I remember trying to do a small map of Greyspace a dozen or so years ago but never got very far) Check out the tutorial section and post up a WIP we're a friendly bunch and love to offer feedback..

There is a ton-o-stuff to be done for Spelljammer. Probably far too much for myself alone. I'm in touch with some other people who make Spelljammer art. In fact I got press-ganged into being an admin at the Spelljammer Image Group (on Flickr).

I'd love to see what your map of Greyspace looked like. I've got to say that I'm slightly dissatisfied with the original canon sphere map style, as it looks far too like science fiction art for something that is supposed to be fantasy space. I would rather see crystal sphere maps that retain the SJ symbols, but look a lot more like sea charts. I was talking about this to a guy called John "Paladine" Baxter (on the Spelljammer Mailing List) about this and he knocked up some pretty great looking maps of Greyspace.

(One of the things I really like about Paladine's charts, is that he has altered the positions of the outer planets, in order to chop off the outer parts of the orbits and get more of the central area onto the page. That is something I'd like to do myself, when I eventually attempt a sphere map.)

Welcome to the Guild! That's an ambitious project. I never played Spelljammer but always thought it looked like a fun setting. Some of what you want (mapping Earth-like worlds and locations) is right here. A few of the odder things you mentioned can be cobbled together from the techniques you'll learn along the way. A couple of them you might have to pioneer on your own. It's a worthy project, though, and I'd be happy to help out with advice if I can. I've been working on a ship battlemap for a bit now (link) and have maybe a little experience that can help with deckplans. So. Yeah. Pick something and start working on a map and then post a work-in-progress in the appropriate forum.
M

I love your ship. Over on The Piazza, there is a guy called Twin Agate Dragons, who is hoping to get blank deck plans done for all of the ships of Spelljammer. A guy called Leroy Van Camp III started doing this years back, but only did some of them. I figure that blank ships would be great images to load into the bottom layer of a drawing package (GIMP, Photoshop or Paint Shop Pro) and then use as the basis of a bespoke ship plan.

NB Neogi kinda rock. They're from Spelljammer, no? And those colonial hippo things?

Yep. Neogi and giff (the hippo-headed guys who love guns) are from Spelljammer. Some of the SJ monsters were actually raided from an earlier TSR sci-fi game, so I might need to buy that for further inspiration on "racial style" of maps that are supposed to be designed by an NPC from their race.

Are you doing world to regional to city/town all the way to encounter? And by encounter I mean its like dungeon type areas and popular locales/points of interest? Because that's a lot of work haha. But worth it in some ways. I know that the Cartographer's Guild has the CWBP (Cooperative Worldbuilding Project) but unfortunately with the project all maps aren't in nearly in the same style or range of styles. If you do this their will be a much more cohesive note throughout the world. Wish you luck and welcome!

I might need to do world, to region, to city/town, as I don't have a map-monkey to do them for me!

I actually had a brief look around that Cooperative Worldbuilding Project. It looked very interesting. With the different styles it reminded me of a BBC TV program where Rolf Harris (yes the guy that draws kangaroos) got a ton-o-people to all do pictures that were stuck together to make a gigantic painting. That seems to be what you lot are doing (only with a giant map instead of a painting).

I think there is going to need to be an element of colaboration among Spelljammer fans, as I don't think that any one person can do everything by themselves. (Although we have a couple of guys in the fan community who come pretty darn close - they actually went to Kenzer and Company and got them to buy and publish a SJ reboot called HackJammer.)

Google-Fu......HEEEEEEEEEYAAAAAAAA!

http://www.google.ca/images?hl=en&so...=&oq=&gs_rfai=

I actually see a few of my SJ motivational posters in there!

And, there is talk of a 4e version in 2011: http://www.theweem.com/2010/09/14/sp...er-4e-in-2011/

I already heard that rumour (and did my own bit to spread it about with a picture I planted in a few places )

But that cover picture is great. I'll have to "distribute" that to some people that I know will appreciate its beauty.

Oh, and Welcome to the Guild!

Thanks!

I really like that sandbox write up as a disciplined approach to creating a fantasy world. Take a look at the mapping quickstart thread (at the top of this subforum) for an overview of tools and basic techniques. It's sounds a huge project, don't rush the mapping side of it. Work on finding a style that you're comfortable with and which is easily replicated.
Best of luck

Thanks. I think you are right. The "replication" thing is something that is vital if I'm going to give a feel of consistency to a bunch of maps that are supposed to be parts of the same world.

I've been floundering around trying to complete a few projects for ages. Robert S. Conley's method is something I want to try to come at this from another angle (and actually get some meat onto the bones via maps). It's been a few years since I did any art stuff. I've had a couple of lessons with Photoshop, but I've got a lot to learn.

Welcome Aboard!

Thanks!

Now I'll have to actually do something!