*** October Challenge VOTING - Trading ***

[Juggernaut1981]

Ascencion> Self Mockery is a very very Aussie thing. The first thing when you do badly is to bag yourself out about how badly you've done... it's not "Awww I feel bad" but "Check out the loser... ME! Hahahaha" (hence the :p at the end).

I'm not that worried, it is what it is.

[wormspeaker]

It was hard to pick just three this time. I decided to pick based on Beauty, Usefulness, and Sci-Fi/Modern.

Ascension's map just really grabbed me with it's unique style. It's hard to read but the look is just amazing and unique.

I had to vote for mogul76's map just for sheer usability. I'm not running a fantasy or historical game at the moment, but if I were that would be a really usable battle map.

Finally I voted for nolgroth's system map. I wanted to pick a Sci-Fi or Modern map just because we don't get nearly enough of them around here (fantasy is far to over represented) and nolgroth's map struck me as a pretty useful map of a star system for a civilian/trade based game. It would make a great player handout for such a game.

[RobA]

Rep for everyone who entered, yay!

-Rob A>

[Immolate]

If I had a rep bat like yours RobA, I'd be more careful how I swung that beast than I am now. You could hurt someone with that thing.

[Ashenvale]

Congratulations Immolate! Well done! Inspiring work!

(I used to know him when he was just a little person like the rest of us. Really. I did. Honest!)

[Immolate]

Thanks Ashenvale, but though I am ahead, I have yet to win.

Only my mom remembers me when I was little

[Ashenvale]

Ha! Deadlines. Never met one I understood. Or liked, for that matter.

I'll just have to repeat myself in a few days.

(Once, during a embassy party at which I'd proved my uncanny ability to speak coherently with my foot in my mouth all the way up to the ankle, my wife asked me, "Honey, was you pa's name, "Faux"?)

[ravells]

Congrats Imm, and to Ascension and Sapiento for a fine chase!

[Meridius]

I think having a 'challenge' is a great and fun way to inspire some creativity in a guild!

I voted for:
- Coyotemax: A great concept to draw up a map made by an 'actual group of adventurers'. Great touch to even vary the handwriting by character!
- Immolate: Amazing detail, amazing amount of work in locating all the artisans and the like, and just a joy to watch.
- Sapiento: Great fun to mentally 'explore' this empire. I hardly would dare trading though. Straying from the routes means death? I'm prone to getting lost... so not the safest place to be a trader. Also very beautiful, and original 'precious goods'. This map somehow feels like it could be placed inside a game or something.

[töff]

I'm a bit disapppointed, because I don't think any of these entries really show significant trade information, which was the challenge. Those that have commodities seem to have dropped them in somewhat randomly, and none of them relate to each other (e.g. a cotton producer would export to a textiles producer!). Those that have routes don't seem really anything more than the normal sea lanes or roads between cities ... which routes, I know, the trade would follow, but the routes don't relate at all to the commodities. Unless I missed it, which is quite possible, in which case I apologize!

For the record, for me to vote for a challenge entry, it must have two things:

MAPNESS. It can't be just a picture. It needs labels, a legend, etc.
RELEVANCE to the challenge. It can't be just a map, no matter how beautiful. It has to answer the challenge somehow.

I voted for only one:

• SAPIENTO. I am really coming to appreciate this cartographer's imagination and graphic talent.

I wanted to, but didn't, vote for:

• RAVELLS. No trade aspect to the map. Love the style, though.
• BLACKLEMON67. That color palette is ... not good. And you need a legend.
• IMMOLATE. Beautiful piece of art! Starving for labels & a legend, though. (Looks like you're the runaway winner!)
• ASCENSION. Ditto Immolate. (I think the graphic styles filters might be a little over-applied. I'm often guilty of that myself.)
• ROGER. This is everything Coyotemax's is, with a somewhat better focus.
• COYOTEMAX. Somewhat confused in focus, trying to do too many things I think. Doesn't really indicate a lot of trade, but there is some.
• STEEL GENERAL. The commodities and routes seem underdeveloped. Did you run out of time? It's visually gorgeous but I don't read enough of a story from it.
• NOLGOROTH. Ditto Steel General, times 2.
• FFXFIEND. Not sure how to critique this one, sorry. "It needs something."
• ROBA. I love the idea. The routes make no sense though. a) Why are they surface routes? Can't these people fly? It looks as if the surface is extremely difficult. b) Why is there only one route that snakes linearly through the whole system? Can't Dolan trade with Jonah? I suspect there's a huge backstory to explain all this, but the map doesn't tell it.