Terrainmonkey's Map-A-Day thread

[thebax2k]

Wow! You sure have a fast turnaround at times. Thank you very much. Of the two maps, I prefer the level 2 map that's not distorted.

And now you're about to start on a canal city? Check out the thread in town/city mapping where RobA was soliciting advice. Although I doubt you need any pointers, there are few bits in there that might provide some aid. One cool fantasy canal city I've seen done was Eltabbar in Thay in the Forgotten Realms. The streets and canals of the city were laid out in a giant rune to contain a demon prince that had been trapped there long ago.

Best of luck and good mapping, Terrainmonkey.

[terrainmonkey]

okay, i've been doodling on the canal city, and i haven't come up with any ideas that i like, so this one is going to be shelved until i get the style right. not exactly a hard task, designing a city, but one has to take a lot of things into account about nature and science in order for it to look right. sadly, i don't have that kind of knowledge. so i've decided to do something different. a western town.

This is going to be hand drawn, and i'm throwing ideas on paper right now, but the jist of the thing will be the following:

day 1: Saddleman's Gulch, overview map
D2: Hell's Mercy saloon, run by "Lucky" Kate Saddleman
D3: Mumford's General store
D4: The L. E. Mumford Bank and Trust
D5: The Saddleman's Mines (because i'm going to want to at least do some kind of underground map
D6: Paulette Rondeau's "Boarding house for wayward girls"
D7: The United Faith church
D8: Palace hotel and Dance hall

if anyone has any ideas, questions, thoughts, or suggestions, let me know. i'll post the first map either tonight or tomorrow. and thanks for all the recent feedback. also, i'm going to be working with Gamer Printshop soon i think. i'm looking forward to that idea.

[ravells]

I'm glad you've got a 'Gulch'. Every western town needs a Gulch...and a General Store.

[RPMiller]

okay, i've been doodling on the canal city, and i haven't come up with any ideas that i like, so this one is going to be shelved until i get the style right. not exactly a hard task, designing a city, but one has to take a lot of things into account about nature and science in order for it to look right. sadly, i don't have that kind of knowledge. so i've decided to do something different. a western town.

This is going to be hand drawn, and i'm throwing ideas on paper right now, but the jist of the thing will be the following:

day 1: Saddleman's Gulch, overview map
D2: Hell's Mercy saloon, run by "Lucky" Kate Saddleman
D3: Mumford's General store
D4: The L. E. Mumford Bank and Trust
D5: The Saddleman's Mines (because i'm going to want to at least do some kind of underground map
D6: Paulette Rondeau's "Boarding house for wayward girls"
D7: The United Faith church
D8: Palace hotel and Dance hall

if anyone has any ideas, questions, thoughts, or suggestions, let me know. i'll post the first map either tonight or tomorrow. and thanks for all the recent feedback. also, i'm going to be working with Gamer Printshop soon i think. i'm looking forward to that idea.

OH MAN, OH MAN, OH MAN!!! You shall be a saint by the time you are done!! I'm currently, still, working on a map for my western game. I have lots of good information about western cattle towns and even maps of interiors so if you need any assistance please, please let me know, and just assume that I will be steal... er... borrowing everything you post.

[Gamerprinter]

I've got this book - Ghost Towns of Arizona

In back of the book is a region-by-region map showing the locations of every ghost town in the state of Arizona. While the book itself is an alphabetical order of all these ghost towns, some with street plans, most with photos of the founder, the mine, the main structures that sort of thing.

I've always thought this makes a great reference tool for mapping the old west.

Plus Arizona has Tombstone and other very renowned old west communities.

[RPMiller]

I actually have traveled to Tombstone and some of the other sites in the area. Got a few resources from there as well.

I have a guidebook that covers Cowtowns and how they were generally laid out and the sorts of buildings you would find in them.

[terrainmonkey]

well, here's the map. worked on it all morning, and don't know if the colors work for me or not. anyway, i'm going to post the map and then do the descriptions a little later, maybe tomorrow. my birthday party last night kind of took it out of me, but in a good way.

so here it is: Saddleman's Gulch, New Mexico. population 195.

[RPMiller]

Woohoo!! Off to a great start. Just out of curiosity could you post a version without the numbers? It makes it easier to ste... er... borrow.

[terrainmonkey]

you asked for it, you got it. glad it meets your approval.

[RPMiller]

Thank you! Now I just have to figure out where I'm going to put the various buildings. In a typical cow town, there was a corral near the railroad station for the cattle to relax in after their long trip, and the saloon, brothel, and other 'dens of ill repute' were always positioned facing the railroad tracks and near them so that the incoming cowboys would see them first. The jail was usually very close to these buildings. The general store and other businesses tended to be a bit away from the "front street" as the town folks would eventually fence off the 'dens of iniquity' and the legitimate stores wouldn't want to get caught up in them.

Interesting thing about this town is that it is near a mine also. There weren't very many towns that were both mining towns and cow towns so this could make for some interesting scenarios.

Thanks!