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Thread: The Known World

  1. #1
    Guild Apprentice bengaijin's Avatar
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    Wip The Known World

    This is the working base map for the world I intend to use for two separate campaigns in the new year. The world is designed to fit a disparate selection of published OGL material into a single coherent framework - you'll likely note components of Pathfinder's Golarion; WotC's Forgotten Realms, Red Hand of Doom, and Greyhawk; Necromancer's Rappan Athuk, Barakus, and Larin Karr adventures; and even the rather obscure "Drow War" saga from Mongoose Publishing. All nations/regions have been reconfigured, modified, and supplemented with my own creations.

    Generally speaking I have made my own worlds from scratch, but I have come to realize that I don't have time to design both world and campaign to the level of detail I find satisfying, and I now intend to use published material as a base to build upon.

    The map was originally drawn in AutoCAD, then was taken into Illustrator to be worked up with colour/lineweight/etc. I see this as a sort of informational base more than a finished product. I would like to use this as the substrate for trying out numerous different styles over the coming months.

    _ben
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  2. #2
    Guild Artisan Clercon's Avatar
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    I must say that I like this map a lot. It is clear and informative. Some small things could probably even make it better, maybe soften the change between grass and dessert. But that is just small things.

    Great job :-)

  3. #3
    Community Leader Facebook Connected Steel General's Avatar
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    I also like this. A straightforward and 'simple' design that clearly conveys information.

    I agree with Clercon, a few simple changes could make this quite stunning.
    My Finished Maps | My Challenge Maps | Still poking around occasionally...

    Unless otherwise stated by me in the post, all work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.



  4. #4
    Guild Expert Eilathen's Avatar
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    Very nice map. It evokes the ADnD World feel in a split-second, imho

    Now, i'd really like to hear something about the world itself...some worldbuilding (History, kingdoms etc. ). If you have something like this, plz share.

    Oh and repd!
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    Still I reach out for the Stars

  5. #5
    Guild Journeyer hohum's Avatar
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    Great idea and a very nice looking map. I really like the font you used over the seas and was wondering why you didn't use it for the whole thing?

    Also I would say that the drop shadow effect works well over backgrounds that are one color or not too busy. To me I have trouble reading the text over the mountains and the small island chains.

    If I can figure out how to give rep, I'll give you some.

    ***Tanks IG, I didn't even see those icons before you pointed them out.***
    Last edited by hohum; 12-07-2009 at 11:02 AM. Reason: Finally repped him

  6. #6

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    Really nice clean vectory feel and great colours / textures. Funnily it reminded me of Clercon's style in many ways

    The drop shadow on the text is a bit too extreme for my tastes but that's just me!

    Looking forward to seeing how it appears using the other styles of mapping presented here.

  7. #7

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    Quote Originally Posted by hohum View Post
    Great idea and a very nice looking map. I really like the font you used over the seas and was wondering why you didn't use it for the whole thing?

    Also I would say that the drop shadow effect works well over backgrounds that are one color or not too busy. To me I have trouble reading the text over the mountains and the small island chains.

    If I can figure out how to give rep, I'll give you some.
    See the attached screenshot, if you haven't figured it out already.


    -IG
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  8. #8
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    Maybe it's just me but that Azoth desert and the smaller one near it look really out of place. Feels like a desert wouldn't be in those areas naturally. Though this is a fantasy map, so who's to say it's natural.
    “Maps encourage boldness. They're like cryptic love letters. They make anything seem possible.”
    -Mark Jenkins

  9. #9
    Guild Apprentice bengaijin's Avatar
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    Post Little update

    Thanks for all the feedback!

    I've tweaked the map slightly in response to your comments:

    -Desert and Steppe colours tweaked to be in closer harmony with general land colour.
    -Jungles darkened slightly to differentiate them from forests
    -Drop shadows brought in tighter to the text
    -Nation Names switched to Treasure Map Deadhand. hohum, that's the font name if you're interested (free online)

    Eilathen: I've got a ton of info on the world, but as of now it is quite poorly organized. I'm in the process of putting together a gazetteer, but it's got a long way to go. A couple of major points:

    The west has been dominated for nearly a millennium by the island nation of Vardos, an aristocratic republic. Nearly all of the nations within a thousand miles were under Vardosi sway at its peak. A number of far-flung lands - Varisia, Sasserine, Sargava - are colonies from it's heyday. 35 years ago, an aristocratic house overthrew the Vardosi Senate with diabolical assistance and declared themselves as the first imperial line. Almost immediately, Andoran, an old and wealthy vassal state, declared itself an independent democracy and won an improbable war against Vardos. In the aftermath, every other northern territory declared independence, and Vardos found itself greatly reduced. The west is now full of fledgling nations rife with internal conflict and renewed border enmities.

    The East, while quite diverse, has its principal conflict in Azoth, formerly a much smaller desert within the empire of Ai Tun. 200 years ago, Ai Tun fell under the sway of a cabal of chromatic dragons bent on the destruction of Xiu Ha - the millenia-old human/metallic dragon empire. In an attempt to summon an unprecedented demon army, the metallic cabal achieved the unthinkable, ripping a full layer from the Abyss into the Material Plane. Ai Tun was instantly destroyed and Xiu Ha was forced to retreat behind a great wall. The Bright Cities were founded by survivors of Ai Tun's fall as a celestial theocracy and have waged an endless crusade against the demon-haunted waste ever since.

    There's a lot more going on in the world obviously. I'd be happy to answer any specific questions beyond that...

    Wormspeaker: I guess that in part answers your question about Azoth, but for the sake of argument, let's say it IS a natural desert. What seems off about it? My geographic knowledge is fairly limited...

    _ben
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  10. #10
    Community Leader jfrazierjr's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bengaijin View Post
    Wormspeaker: I guess that in part answers your question about Azoth, but for the sake of argument, let's say it IS a natural desert. What seems off about it? My geographic knowledge is fairly limited...

    _ben
    In most cases, a desert forms when wind (bearing moisture) encounters high mountains that disrupt the wind patterns. Rain/snow generally falls on one side of the mountains and the other side gets far less rain resulting in a dessert.
    My Finished Maps
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    Explanation of Layer Masks in GIMP
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    Unless otherwise stated by me in the post, all work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.

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