I don't play Warhammer 40k, but some of my friends do. Since I want to be involved in the game, but don't want to shell out for an army of miniatures, I found the perfect opportunity when the started grumbling about how "we can't have a campaign because we'd need an objective judge/game master, but all of us would want to play..."

So I volunteered.

Now I have a rough sketch of a planet on paper and in my head. The goal is a planet with one face always towards its sun, creating several terrain "bands"

The southern pole, which faces the sun, is molten rock surrounded by a ring of "rock floe" (not sure what to call it). Basically an inferno/fiery version of Antarctica. Moving North there will be a wind-scoured desert featuring giant plateau-like steppes. Then a narrow band of mountains running in a ring around the equator. Just above that is the most hospitable zone, a tiny stretch of lush green vegetation and constant storms. Above that, in the endless night, things are frigid, cold, and glaciated. I want to include a lot of impact craters in this area as well.

Since I'm just starting out with my attempts to illustrate anything using a computer, I'm finding frustration aplenty. I'm not yet sure what questions I need to ask, but I posted a "hi there" and got a few tutorial suggestions. I'll keep you guys posted as to how things develop.