Been awhile since I posted last, been busy making maps of course - oh, I'm now freelancing for Mongoose Publishing, just did a Conan RPG adventure map... which puts me in the right mood.
I was working on an Ice Age, Celtic world campaign here which sort of stagnated. However, I am back on track with some changes. Instead of creating a world or regional map and building my gaming world around that, my normal process. I'm trying something new.
At this point I am mapping sites and encounter locations, that method alone is teaching me what is in my world and how a regional will look.
This adjusted campaign is the Northlander Pict campaign. I've got barbarians, shaman-druids, runemaster bards and tattooist socerers. Since the Picts have tattoos, why not enchant them to offer resistance to cold/heat/enchantments, etc as a cool option.
The first encounter maps below, I didn't create thumbnails for, so there are only links... but these are clan forts and homes of my barbarian people.
Craefort (http://www.gamer-printshop.com/cbg/craefort.jpg)
Broch Tower - ground floor (http://www.gamer-printshop.com/cbg/broch1.jpg)
Broch Tower - Great Hall (http://www.gamer-printshop.com/cbg/broch2.jpg)
Broch Tower - Sleeping Quarters (http://www.gamer-printshop.com/cbg/broch3.jpg)
Broch Tower - Storage, top level (http://www.gamer-printshop.com/cbg/broch4.jpg)
Crannog (http://www.gamer-printshop.com/cbg/crannog.jpg)
Next two are encounter locations, and I have thumbnails of them!
(http://www.gamer-printshop.com/cbg/ogre-thumb.jpg)
Link to larger file: Ogre Den (http://www.gamer-printshop.com/cbg/ogre.jpg)
(http://www.gamer-printshop.com/cbg/chasm-bridge-thumb.jpg)
Link to larger file: Screaming Chasm Bridge (http://www.gamer-printshop.com/cbg/chasm-bridge.jpg)
I created all of these maps in the last two days! Tells you how exciting my Xmas has been!
Thoughts?
GP
Dang I would love to work for you, those are incredibly awesome.
Well, my Mapping and Map Printing business is still part-time for me - I run a graphic design studio in the daytime. I would love for it to really take off, yes I'm getting commission maps for individual game masters, some small publishers, and of course I just got Mongoose work that's a big deal, because there will be lots more work.
If I had a full-time thing goin' I'd love to be able to hire additional cartographers. Just give it some time, maybe things will fall into place!
GP
The maps are incredibly nice.
I did have a question about the tower though, does each floor have its own fire? If so hows ventilation? Also if the floors are anything other then stone it would be a fire hazard. (I understand this really isn't that important, but its something I was thinking so I'll put it out there for you)
Packed earth makes a great hearth.
Did you do these in photoshop?
M.
@Llum: I created the tower based on archaeological evidence presented on the History Channel, plus what I've read and learned overtime. The fire is on the ground floor only. There is a hole cut in the center of every floor going up the tower. There is no chimney. The smoke escapes out the thatched roof by seeping through the thatch. Living in a Broch Tower is something similar to living inside a chimney. Still for its time, an impressive structure.
@Cheomesh: I use Photoshop when I have to, but mostly rely on Xara Xtreme Pro 3.2, which is a hybrid raster/vector graphics application (not a specifically mapping tool.) Basically its using vector shapes with raster image fills, then feathers, bevels, shadows and transparency applied using photographs from CG Textures website (http://www.cgtextures.com). Some of the map objects are photos, some are things I whipped in Xara, applied a halo shadow and placed in my map. Because this is mostly vector, I can add, subtract, change at will. Xara is extremely fast and easy to use, the following map took me about 3 hours to create, however all the other maps above took about 1.5 hours each, the Broch took 2 hours. Some of the trees are 3D objects, some are created in PD Particles, the snow on them are all Xara generated.
OK, next on the agenda the Donal Barrow and some backstory!
The Donal Clan lies north and west of the lands of Crae, and led the last Pictish Defense against the Invasions of the Winter Hag and her host (frost giants, ogres mounted on mammoths, the meaner beasts - wooly rhino, dire wolves, sabre tooth cats, and her champion a winter werewolf, said to be a fallen Donal.) They're are one of the most powerful great clans among the Pictish peoples. The Crae clan is greatly respected by other clans as well.
67 years ago, Chief Angus of the Donals fell in love with a lovely lass from the clan Epper in the south. She spurned him to run into arms of Bran the son of the Crae chief. The Donals ambushed the two and slaughtered them. The Donal's druid betrayed them as their act was sacriledge to the druidic way.
This began a feud which has no end, though at times there seems an uneasy peace. Recent activities have involved the death of the current Donal's eldest son in an initiation rite of the Craes. This will bring a resurgence of hostilities in the immediate future.
42 years ago the Donals made a lightening raid on the Craes while they were defending their northern border from ogre incursions. The chief of the Donals stole the ancestral blade of clan Crae. It is said to be kept in the Donal Barrow in the arms of the chief who stole it. He who takes the blade from the dead, can expect a chief's revenge. But to touch any other treasure in that hall of the dead, would mean doom with all the Chiefs rising. Can the heroes return the Sword of the Craes with their souls intact?
Donal Barrow - this one is 36" x 48" at 100 ppi, no grid, 1.94 MB JPG.
GP
(http://www.gamer-printshop.com/cbg/barrow-thumb.jpg)
Link to larger file:
Donal Barrow (full size) (http://www.gamer-printshop.com/cbg/barrow.jpg)
What's the most intricate map you have ever done (any large dungeons?)?
I've done some large dungeons for myself, but nothing to post here. And all the commission work I get, seems pretty simple stuff to me. I wish I got something more complicated.
Probably the most intricate map of late, is my contest entry for Iron Crown Enterprises, first mapping contest, create a Temple Map - I'm the only entry so far... I call it the Sargoseum, a Greek style agora temple for the God of the Seas (Sargos).
Sargoseum - Temple to the God of the Seas. (http://www.gamer-printshop.com/cbg/sargoseum.jpg)
This is quite a large map...
GP
PS: I made a set of 20 dungeon tiles with associated map objects for the August Monthly Mapping Challenge at the Cartographers' Guild - might be worth looking at.
Oh, and starting this month I plan on creating a hand-drawn version of an accurate map of Conan's World of the Hyborian Age. Apparently many of the maps of Conan's world, including the one used by Mongoose is not based on Robert E. Howard's work (the creator of Conan), rather the work of Lin Carter and L. Sprague De Campe, two sci-fi authors from the 50's and 60's who added to the Conan fame and created work they claimed were Howard's but were actually their own invention.
True fans of R.E.H. demand accurate maps of the Hyborian Age, so somebody has created one based on R.E.H. and Dale Rippke's reseach (Rippke is a Conan scholar.) The new map, though accurate more resembles a Google map and the fanbase desire a proper hand-drawn version that has an older style.
So I've commissioned myself to the cartography. If Mongoose buys, great, but I plan to do it just the same. Being hand-drawn is more tedious and time-consuming, but I should be done before January is over.
I'll post it here, as well, when I'm complete if you'd like!
GP
This thread deserves an explanation of the Northlander Picts as I see it, from a CBG point of view... much of this content is taken from ideas I posted in the Wiki for the Isle of Caillech. By working from encounter maps first, I've actually better developed the core campaign ideas, than in that previous setting, thus has given some different direction.
What the Picts call the Northlands, the Southlanders call the Wastes - the land is still locked in the Ice Age, that once dominated the Northern World for an Age, but ended 10,000 years ago, receding to what is now the campaign setting.
For most of the time during that last great ice age, the great goddess of ogres, the Caillech Bheur, which translates from ogrish to Winter Hag, ruled all the lands bound by snow. Now however, the winter snows still allow the other 3 seasons for half the year. For the first few centuries at the end of the greater ice age, the men of the Northlands paid sacrificial homage to the Hag. This practice only occurs in the northen clans closest to the Hag's domain, the Region of the Glacier of Caillech, in the far northern coastal range. The ogre populations have greatly diminished over the years, such that the Winter Hag has much lesser sway. Only in winter does the goddess have power.
The Picts are a proto-celtic peoples from the central regions of the continent of Celanta that wandered northward following the receding glaciers about 8,000 years ago, eventually settling into the region of the Northlands. They were following the herds of mastodon, irish elk, and caribou, their preferred source of mounts, hide-working and food source.
Once the far north was dominated by a Kingdom of Frost Giants, and hundreds of tribes of Ogre. The Great Fall of Winter, 10,000 years ago (Ice Age end), caused internal strife among the giants and ogres, a wasting plague followed, and the sudden dirth of male ogre children with only 1 female per 100 male ogre births - all greatly dimished these primitive races of the north to its current state. When the Picts arrived, all this had already occurred allowing them to dominate the lowlands in the southern half of their domain.
A modern thinker might view it as the Cro-Magnons (Pict) were invading the lands of the Neandrethal (Ogres). Eventually the Picts ruled the landssouth and away from the glacier of Caillech and the northern ranges.
The Picts live in clans, much like the Scot/Pict clans of northern Britain prior to the arrival of Rome. Their laws are a mixture of clan law, Celtic, and Anglo-Saxon law. One is basically an "in-law" or an "outlaw" to basic clan mindset. In a democratic fashion most issues of concern are handled in a voting process. Each free man has a single vote. However, clan officers (druid, bard, sorcerer and champion) have votes that equal 20. The Clan Chief has a vote worth 100. So technically the Clan Chief can be out-voted in a decision, which has occurred among many clans of the Northlands, but usually a firm standing by the clan officers and their loyal followers give the chief's vote overwhelming success. I am introducing Anglo-Saxon laws on dowry and wergild. That latter being payment to a clan for a death of one of its members in murder, self defense or other man-slaughter situations.
Like the clans of Scotland, when an offense is given and not properly given recompense, it calls for a Blood Feud. By clan law this means Champion vs. Champion, however, such formal councils by both parties is so rare situations almost always end up as ongoing skirmishes between the clans until the memory passes from both clans, and sometimes not even then.
In standard D&D terms barbarians peoples are generally limited to warriors and shaman. Since the bulk of my campaign occurs in the Barbarian north, I needed a wider culture of classes (a few of which exist in idea only, without proper crunch to make it real).
I have Barbarian warriors, which comprise the largest clan component among classes, allowing male and female equality in all opportunities from warrior to clan chief. Berserker warriors exist, but are considered Huscarls - owned property, essentially trained slaves for martial uses. Most warriors are the non-berserker type.
Instead of the basic shaman, I am utilizing a shaman-druid with mostly druidic (3.5 not 4.0) powers and spells, but not the world neutrality druid idea. More of a nature priest, with recognition to ancestral gods, local spirits and druidic talents. Druids are also the primary law givers and judges among the clans, whereas the Chief is more clan leader and punisher, at the decision made by the Druids. Still a Chief is the war king and recognized as having a higher standing than the druids.
The Runemaster Bard (one of the idea, not crunch classes) has the knowledge of the people, stories, and arcane lore of the Northern World. Legend Lore is a part of their occupation, as well as playing a harp, drum or horn, but their unique talents are in the casting of rune stones which enable the use of magic, the foretelling of the future, the reading of the distant past, and interprets dreams and omens. Runemaster Bards carve the Pict Stones that mark a clans border area and major sites and place protective and marking runes on them.
The Tattooist Sorcerer (this is my least developed class) is a unique member of the Pictish Clan. Picts are named so, due to the blue tattoos that cover the bodies of their people. They are markings of name, duties, rank, marriage state, and of course which clan they belong. Tattoos can also provide protective enchantments such has resistance to elements, hot, cold, magic, mind enchantmennts and other such protections - one type per bearer of a tattoo. However other types of magical enchantments may be bestowed beyond protections, but are only placed on high ranking clans members for such a rare priviledge. All this is the task of the tattooist sorcerer.
At the start of my proposed campaign, the player characters are members of the Crae clan of Pict barbarians. There is a long standing Blood Feud between the Crae and Donal clans. The PCs will be participating in hostile activities against the Donals (in D&D terms up to 6 or 7th level) - the first part of the game.
Ogres and Frost Giants seem to be in resurgence and begin to harrass the clans in the border regions between the lands of the Caillech and those of the Pict. Before the PCs get in too deep in fighting the large folk, a Council of Druids and Bards among all the clans are called. A decision is finally reached to make an effort to retrieve the five lost artifacts of Pictish history. Some were lost in the southlands, thousands of years ago.
The PCs will be given a quest to retrieve these items, while the Northlanders set up a defense against the impending invasion forces of the Caillech Bheur. It is learned the Winter Hag has acquired a powerful artifact that will enable her to set the Ice Age back in motion to eventually take back all that melted away over the last 10 millenia.
Finally if and when the PCs return with at least 3 of the lost artifacts, then will be sent to the Caillech Bheur's frozen fortress beneath the glacier, through a chasm into the ever moving ice cavern below. This should culminate in the slaying of the goddesses mortal form forever ending the possibility of an ice age return.
That's the campaign as I see it.
Any ideas, suggestions or critiques are welcome. The work will be creating the crunch, I'm great on fluff, storyline and maps, weak on crunch.
GP
Wow, sounds really good :D I like the use of the proto-celtic tribes, seems fitting.
Now with the whole "dirth of male ogre children with only 1 female per 100 male ogre births" thing. How long did that last? Seems like it would wipe out the ogres in a couple generations (unless they give birth in litters... you never know :P
Ah, didn't exlain my ogres well enough.
Ogres live in a martriarchal society. Ogre females are really more Annis Hags than ogrish, a condition granted the female ogres from the goddess, the Winter Hag, herself. In an ogre band as you see in the Ogre Den map above, there is one female to every 7 to 10 males. Hags do have "litters" of ogre children usually 8 or more per birthing, with semi-annual pregnacies (shorter gestation period than humans) until they are barren about late middle age (I haven't determined how long ogres live...) There are large ogre bands with one female and 50 or more males that constantly fight for bedding rights.
Many ogres become ranging ogres that serve the bands led by a hag and never enjoy the sex with a female ogre, and thus become hardened warriors or compost for failing to survive.
Perhaps I should alter that ratio to 1 female to every 10 or 20 males, I'm not a "cruncher" nor a biologist so it seems!
GP
Quote from: Gamer PrintshopTrue fans of R.E.H. demand accurate maps of the Hyborian Age, so somebody has created one based on R.E.H. and Dale Rippke's reseach (Rippke is a Conan scholar.) The new map, though accurate more resembles a Google map and the fanbase desire a proper hand-drawn version that has an older style.
Do you have any sort of link to this map?
Here...
Accurate map of Hyborian Age (http://hyboria.xoth.net/maps/vd_hyborian_age_full.jpg)
Many non-accurate maps of the world of the Hyborian Age are squished on the longitude axis, almost by a third. Aquillonia and Nemedia are noticeable scrunched - they should be longer north to south. By the time you get to Stygia the distortion is so extreme, many maps show the lands south of Stygia no bigger than Stygia itself and just ends.
One thing not accurate in the linked map above, however, is the the Country of Meru, in the Himalyas of this world, never existed under Howard's creation. I Think it was included to accomodate adventures for the Conan RPG, which has Meru modules in existence.
GP
The North Lands - a regional map (still a WIP, as I need to place more site labeling.)
I decided to maintain the photorealistic style of my encounter maps to creating a regional map of the North Lands, called the Wastes by the Southlanders. The mountainous regions are home to the many ogre tribes, the vale in the southeastern region of the mountains is the Vale of the Frost Giant King, the Caillech Glacier, a glacial icefield dominates the mountainous center. The chasm in view leads to the ice caverns of the Winter Hag.
The lands south of the mountains and glaciers are the regions held by the Pictish clans. Rather than place actual borders each clan name is in its central region, as there are few defined borders - making a good excuse for a feud at a moments notice. I've placed a few of the encounter sites, but have more to place as I think of them.
Thumbnail to map below with link to larger file, beneath that. Enjoy!
GP
(http://www.gamer-printshop.com/cbg/northlander-thumb.jpg)
The North Lands (full size) (http://www.gamer-printshop.com/cbg/northlander.jpg)
I'm changing things up a bit. I think I'd prefer to create more of a hand-drawn styled map for my regional, even though the style I did is perfectly acceptable. I think the barbarian world map deserves an older style.
I just created the first of my subregional maps in the hand-drawn style I plan to use now. This is the Isle of Eerie, site of a cursed Pictish king that is entombed here. One of the lost Pictish artifacts is said to lie within the barrow tomb at the islands center.
What do you think?
GP
(http://www.gamer-printshop.com/cbg/eerie-thumb.jpg)
Link to larger file:
Isle of Eerie (http://www.gamer-printshop.com/cbg/eerie.jpg)
The Lands of Crae - hand-drawn map...
GP
(http://www.gamer-printshop.com/cbg/crae-lands-thumb.jpg)
Link to larger file: Lands of Crae (http://www.gamer-printshop.com/cbg/crae-lands.jpg)
Been doing some more thinking on this campaign setting - maybe even develop this commercially for Pathfinder RPG.
The Picts are illiterate. They do have a system of Runes, but not developed enough for an alphabet, rather symbols of power, used for arcane purposes or used to describe each clan. At first I thought - no wizards, though definitely no spell books. I wanted to introduce Pictish tattoos as being enchantments worn by all members of this society. Someone suggested giving Wizards a Celtic twist, by eschewing the spell books and replacing with tattoos. Complex knotwork, celtic styled beasts and Ogham runes comprise all the known spells a given wizard has access. Meditation at the start of the day allows the powers of each tattoo to become actuated and ready for use.
Of course there would be sorcerers (using Pathfinder sorcerer bloodlines) with all bloodlines except Elemental and Undead, though I might introduce a hag bloodline as well. There would be bards. Since the Picts are illiterate, as in old Celtic times, the Bard would be a significant member of the clan - as keeper of laws, cultural knowledge and sagas, songs of the Picts.
The Pathfinder (and 3.5) Druid doesn't depict well as a Celtic druid - something was lost regarding this between AD&D and 3.0. This setting would need an old style druid - divine spell caster with strong nature/agrarian/herder cultural applications. They too would serve as judges for various trials held in clan. Perhaps the new Oracle advanced class might be applicable toward a Pictish Druid.
Someone who is a developing an Iron Mage (hexblade) class for Pathfinder - think D&D Paladin, but wizard/sorcery powers actuated through the bearers sword, instead of divine powers. They said the seed idea was a type of Pictish hexblade wielder. This class might be introduced in my product if I make this commercially.
Other Pathfinder classes allowed (all of them basically): barbarian, fighter, ranger, rogue, though of the latter, there are no locks or many mechanical traps (or mechanical anything) so most of their skills would be used for scouting, sneaking, sneak attack - a dexterity based fighter more than anything else.
There is probably some room for other new classes, as well as Prestige classes (giant, ogre, hag and dragon slayers - among them).
Fey would have significant place in this setting as well.
GP
Perchance did you submit to Paizo's open call for map designers (it's passed now, but there may be another in the future) or submit a portfolio as a freelance artist? Your maps are increasingly looking like some of Paizo's professionals' maps.
Your maps always look brilliant.
(Although one slight criticism=- the fort and the island hut look like clipart. They do not fit the map's aesthetic.) But the map itself looks very nice.
I did submit to Paizo's Map Open Call, but they were looking for a "concept mapper" to create maps in a way that their own mapper could reference to create the actual published map. A foot in the door maybe, but not the kind of position that I'm looking for (not that I'm looking for a position.)
That Lands of Crae map is really a transitional stage into my current style of hand-drawn regional map - I agree the location icons look wrong, but I'm better at it now! :P
While I enjoy getting paid to create commission maps for others, more and more I'm looking to create my own published products using my own maps and multiple maps to make my product stand out over the competition who can't afford more than two or three maps, except for the biggest publishers. So map-wise I'm competing with the big guys.
Over time I will get better on the mechanics, I also seem to attract other brilliant creative types wanting to share their ideas and collaborate with mine for intended publication - I'm making lots of connections in the industry. Plus I enjoy the headache of deadlines, having to do everything, sharing the work when I can - its all good.
GP
Ok. Thanks for the update.
I was sort of wondering why in the open map call the winner did not actually design the finished map himself.
>>While I enjoy getting paid to create commission maps for others, more and more I'm looking to create my own published products using my own maps and multiple maps to make my product stand out over the competition who can't afford more than two or three maps, except for the biggest publishers. So map-wise I'm competing with the big guys.
That is very interesting.
--
Out of curiosity, do you also do space-type maps of star systems and the like, or just fantasy-type maps?
While I think I could successfully create a star map if I really tried, that's a bit out of my comfort zone. I'd more likely create a world, regional, space station, starship map, in fact I have created a few of those. I'm more a land based mapper - my skills fall into being on planet, not off it, so much.
GP