February Mapping Challenge Entry - "I love HP Lovecraft"

[Juggernaut1981]

And finally, I ask, "What paper texture?" LOL

Bucket Fill > Fill with Pattern > Paper

[Jaxilon]

Hehe, I know, unfortunately sarcasm doesn't come across on the Internet, which is ok, because I'm terrible at it anyway. Basically that was my silly way of agreeing with you though.

[Gamerprinter]

Nice job, Jughead! You're getting better at this.

No one's mentioned it yet, but, "No, you can't create more than a single map entry per challenge..." that's the rules.

While I love the macabre world and bestiary of H.P. Lovecraft, I've never really acquired the taste for most of his actual writing. Almost all of his work begins with the narrator explaining that he is currently in an insane asylum - The Dunwich Horror comes most readily to mind, (although I like that one, better than most.)

Of course there have been many later writers of the Cthulu mythos, since Lovecraft - Clark Ashton Smith and many others. I've even read recent work by current authors where the entire tale has a Cthulu flavor if not Shoggoths
themselves.

Incidentally, H.P. Lovecraft was allergic to seafood, and I've heard that helped create his squid/octopus anti-fetish in his work.

GP

[Juggernaut1981]

GP> There are long associations with the Sea (and the creatures from it) being chaotic and evil. Jewish mythology and the Greeks associate the oceans with chaos, destruction and undefined evil. BOOO Only one map... (I might just have to create a 1-Page Ryl'yeh somewhere else then...)

One of the writing tricks he uses is the "personal flashback" its a hallmark of the period and style. I'm currently reading through a compilation of texts written by others that he heavily edited. Nearly all of them are written in a first-person flashback style. There are some stunning ones amongst his stuff... Dunwich Horror isn't one of my favourites. Herbert West - Reanimator and The Statement of Robert Carter are some of my preferred ones. Zaelia Bishop has written a few good ones that were edited by Lovecraft, The Mound is one of the better ones. I actually based a D&D module on a variation on Herbert West, this map is also an indirect reference to the Herbert West story and The Last Test by Adolphe de Castro.

[Ghostman]

The "Aged Paper" version looks the best to me, though it might give the impression of being a bit too aged. Also the blood stains on it look fresh rather than long-since dried ones, although this could be the preferred implication.

Incidentally, H.P. Lovecraft was allergic to seafood, and I've heard that helped create his squid/octopus anti-fetish in his work.

He also suffered from nightmares, which he took inspiration from. Probably a big influence to his "dream cycle" works. And then there's his racist fears that show blatantly in some stories.

GP> There are long associations with the Sea (and the creatures from it) being chaotic and evil. Jewish mythology and the Greeks associate the oceans with chaos, destruction and undefined evil.

Doesn't pretty much every seafaring culture have some sea monsters in their myths? Must be something about being confined on a precarious contraption of wood, ropes and sails in the middle of this chaos of threshing waves, with nothing but salty water to be seen in any direction. Add to that that you have no reliable means of location/navigation, no detailed charts compiled with advantage of aerial/satellite tech, and no real understanding of what lies beneath the surface... the Sea can be pretty damn scary thing. No wonder that sailors have been notoriously superstitious.

[arsheesh]

Hey Juggernaut1981, like the map allot. Quick question for you. What kind of software did you use to do the floor-plans? I'm thinking about doing floor plans of my own for some of the building's in one of the towns used in my campaign, and am trying to get a feel for what kind of software I should use to do this.

Cheers,

-Arsheesh

[su_liam]

The "Aged Paper" version looks the best to me, though it might give the impression of being a bit too aged. Also the blood stains on it look fresh rather than long-since dried ones, although this could be the preferred implication.


He also suffered from nightmares, which he took inspiration from. Probably a big influence to his "dream cycle" works. And then there's his racist fears that show blatantly in some stories.

Nightmares and racism. The gasoline of horror. Just add a spark of inspiration.

Doesn't pretty much every seafaring culture have some sea monsters in their myths? Must be something about being confined on a precarious contraption of wood, ropes and sails in the middle of this chaos of threshing waves, with nothing but salty water to be seen in any direction. Add to that that you have no reliable means of location/navigation, no detailed charts compiled with advantage of aerial/satellite tech, and no real understanding of what lies beneath the surface... the Sea can be pretty damn scary thing. No wonder that sailors have been notoriously superstitious.

Ever read Perfect Storm? GPS, sonar and a rational/scientific worldview be damned, King Neptune will still step on you like a bug! The sea is really scary place. Not less so for knowing it.

I imagine space would be like that, too. Nothing more between you and an infinite expanse of suffocating, eye-boiling nothing, than a sheet of 16-gage stressed aluminum. And the storms up there just make you vomit, lose your hair and die curled up in back-breaking convulsions. Didn't Cthulhu fly naked through the unspeakable nothingness of space?

[Juggernaut1981]

Hey Juggernaut1981, like the map allot. Quick question for you. What kind of software did you use to do the floor-plans? I'm thinking about doing floor plans of my own for some of the building's in one of the towns used in my campaign, and am trying to get a feel for what kind of software I should use to do this.

Cheers,

-Arsheesh

Arsheesh, the floor plans were done with Google & GIMP. I found the floor plans from the internet and then edited them so they fitted better visually.

[arsheesh]

Aw, I see. Thanks Juggernaut1981.

Cheers,

-Arsheesh

[Juggernaut1981]

Okay, I've tried to "age" the blood by darkening it up. I might need to "brown" it more. Plus, there has been a little layout addition at the bottom. Not sure if it's right... I may end up having to scale layers down further and juggle things around to fit them in. Anywho... here is an update on Dr Tsath's Lab.