Cry for Help - A man without a map.

[Vanilla Typhoon]

I regularly GM for a group of my friends, and I have for years. The campaigns I run tend to be long, sometimes stretching for one to two, or in one case even three years. GMing is something I take very seriously, and every time I run a game I like to try something mechanically different and provide my own source material, or my own world to romp around in.

It's this context that I got into maps. The last campaign I ran I did a very simplistic map that I blew up to a three foot by three foot poster. It was largely unexplored land, and I added things in pen and marker as the PCs made discoveries, and it worked for me. But next to the maps I see here, it was juvenile and I can see how large the difference between me and an actual cartographer.

So the question I want to pose is can I learn enough in time to do a complex and detailed map myself in several months given that I have no artistic abilities myself? Is commissioning an actual map maker something that's done? Is it even appropriate to ask? I know context would be needed to complete the map, but I feel uncomfortable providing that without knowing if I'm overstepping here.

[Diamond]

Is commissioning an actual map maker something that's done? Is it even appropriate to ask? I know context would be needed to complete the map, but I feel uncomfortable providing that without knowing if I'm overstepping here.

It is certainly something that's done - frequently: Mapmaking Requests

Additionally there are many, many tutorials in the Tutorials subforum, and most are newbie-friendly. Plus, if you've got questions, just ask; we don't bite. The best way to get into mapping is to just do it. It sounds trite, but it applies to most things in life. If you're afraid of making mistakes, don't be. That's how ya learn, after all.

[Vanilla Typhoon]

It is certainly something that's done - frequently: Mapmaking Requests

Additionally there are many, many tutorials in the Tutorials subforum, and most are newbie-friendly. Plus, if you've got questions, just ask; we don't bite. The best way to get into mapping is to just do it. It sounds trite, but it applies to most things in life. If you're afraid of making mistakes, don't be. That's how ya learn, after all.

I actually did try Campaign Cartographer 2 for awhile. It came up with something like:



And it took me nearly two weeks just for this. It was definitely an experience, and it made me appreciate just how complicated something like this is. I'll definitely be requesting a map, I think.