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Thread: March 2015 3ntry: Dread Bog Witch's Lair

  1. #1

    Default March 2015 3ntry: Dread Bog Witch's Lair

    So I decided that I indeed had time to enter the One Page Dungeon Contest since I have the time to do so this month. Since I'll be doing a long series of photo-realistic maps for an upcoming video game strategy guide map commission, I won't be doing any hand-drawn maps for a while, so I decided that I should try and fit a hand-drawn map while I still have time to do one. Of course I am using my hand-drawn/vector hybrid style for this one. Since I also recently created quite a few hand-drawn swamp map objects, I decided to use them for this challenge entry.

    My plan is to create a swamp map that covers the entire letter size page. Instead of a key, I plan to place comic book frames on the top, sides and bottom that will contain some comic figures, but mostly hand-drawn text details on the local dangers, the plot (which I haven't figured out yet), a couple NPCs and a villain, and an inset map of the larger area that this hollow tree lair is contained within - all written in "fluff" style, with no mechanical references to any actual game system. Since my upcoming video game strategy guide map commissions will be for Arkham Origins Blackgate (Batman), I'm inspired by the comic aspect of Batman, which is the reason I'm trying this tact.

    The Dread Bog is an extensive forest wetlands swamp along a great river, thick with cypress groves and hardly any dry land throughout. A witch is said to lair within the hollowed center of a huge cypress tree in the center of this swamp. A part of the tree is still alive with trunk and branches rising high above, while the rest of the tree has become a home for a dread witch.

    So far, I've created the cypress tree lair. I plan to furnish the inside, and place piers surrounding part of the lower part of the tree covering some of the bottom. I will also include giant cypress knees, but I want to determine where the piers are first before I include them. I might include a couple adjacent trees or islets connecting by bridging or planking from the witch's main tree lair. After which I'll fill the surrounding terrain with islets and my swamp objects.

    Only once the map portion is complete will I add the comic book frames and adventure text.

    Oh, and for those thinking "Hey, that's not a dungeon!", read the rules and review the past entries for the OPDC, and you'll note - a dungeon by their definition is a map of any playable location, even a wilderness map like this one.

    ###Latest WIP###

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    Last edited by Gamerprinter; 03-23-2015 at 06:04 AM.
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  2. #2

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    That sounds like it will be an interesting map GP. Glad you and Jax got in on it.

  3. #3

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    Next update...

    I changed the orientation to landscape from portrait. I rescaled things a bit, rotated and move things around. I just created a tier of piers with stairs connecting them. I've also created a drawbridge for the Cypress Tower - which is what I going to call the main lair. I've also placed the surrounding swamp land (digital only which I will trace with pen). There's a sample walking plank way and a one of a hanging cage, which will go somewhere around the tree in several units.

    Next I will be drawing the marsh beds and pond scum, followed by populating the area with swamp flora...

    ###Latest WIP###

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    Last edited by Gamerprinter; 03-24-2015 at 05:21 AM.
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  4. #4

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    I've done the hand-drawn linework for the swamp islets, with lines for interior "heights", and a line beyond the islet edge of the green pond scum that surrounds all the land. I should get the beveled shapes and colors beneath the linework this afternoon, and will start to place swamp flora.

    Moving right along!

    ### Latest WIP ###

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  5. #5

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    Pond scum layer created given a slight rounded bevel and a drop shadow. Next the land - islets.

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  6. #6

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    Land and water have been created - vector shapes drawn to match linework, fractal color mixes of two colors on all shapes, slight rounded bevels applied, drop shadows applied, and everything cropped. The land is almost a placeholder, as hand-drawn trees, foilage and swamp beasts will cover most of it up. Next step is foilage and object placement... moving right along.

    ### Latest WIP ###

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  7. #7
    Guild Expert Guild Supporter Abu Lafia's Avatar
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    Nice work! I always loved swamp-settings with a little wharf(?). Brings back some Monkey-Island nostalgia The Idea with the hollow tree is very good. Can't wait to see it populated by more of your fine new swamp-elements...

    PS: the drawbridge is great!

  8. #8

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    Thanks, Abu!

    This step, I think I have all the swamp flora I need and I tweaked the color of the water a bit. Next I'm going to create a few map objects (furniture) to fill the Cypress Tower lair itself. After that I will label and start work on the comic book text frames.

    ### Latest WIP ###

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  9. #9

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    While I am always a fast mapper, I just got a commission for a 24 x 36 map of a castle floor with medieval, modern hospital and sci-fi as mixed genre aspects of the same map. The commission is for EN Publishing, "What's OLD is NEW" game system, requested by Russell Morrissey - the head of EN Publishing and ENWorld. So I need to finish this entry and get back to commission work.
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  10. #10
    Community Leader Jaxilon's Avatar
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    This shaping up nicely. At least commission work is a GOOD problem to have.
    “When it’s over and you look in the mirror, did you do the best that you were capable of? If so, the score does not matter. But if you find that you did your best you were capable of, you will find it to your liking.” -John Wooden

    * Rivengard * My Finished Maps * My Challenge Maps * My deviantArt

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