The Campaign Builder's Guild

Ascension makes me feel inadequate every time I look at his stuff

I have the terrain pretty much done.  Now I am just using GIMP to make it pretty and labelled.

So here is one version of the Map that is OK, but not great.

I had a go at making the parchment look happen entirely in GIMP, and while I am sure there is a way to do this, it just didn't work quite right.  I may just end up doing the coffee/tea trick again.  I generally like how that turns out.

I also will probably go back and draw the banner at the top by hand.

I don't quite like how the label for The Ice Shelf Turned out.  I might be able to fix the curve to work better, but if not, I'll just have it on a diagonal.

The little Castles represent fortified settlements, meaning, there are people there, and there is either a fortress or otherwise a force capable of defending the village/town from attack.

Every time I click the image to make it larger, it just redirects me to this page :(

There.  Should be fixed now.

[spoiler=Work in Progress]
[/spoiler]

Looks good, I might suggest you give your letters a soft white and highly feathered stroke with a 100% to 0% opacity fade. This will make it so they still fit the feel of the map but are far easier to read. Right now they get a little lost in the jumble due to all the other symbols on the map. Btw I think you did awesome on the parchment.

I hate to admit this, but the Golarion world map is actually quite cool.
see it here
I love the contrast between the golden parchment and the faded blue, especially in the western sea. Also very nice continental outlines, and an alternative design in general. My only complaint might be that the length of the continents is too similar, but I think the broken nature of the two eastern ones make up for this.

I wish I knew how to make creases like that.

I take a blank piece of paper, fold it in quarters or eighths. Stress out the folds by pinching and rubbing between your fingers. Then I take cigarette ashes toss onto the paper and rub it in with my hand. Then I take a dry cloth and try to remove as much of the ash from the paper.

Then I scan it, import it to Xara Xtreme Pro, apply a two-toned cream and dark tan (for parchment colors).

The result is a realistic and colorful parchment with real folds and aging in look.

Easy.

You can use tea to stain the paper, for additional effect.

GP

Hmm, but is there any way to create the same effect using only software?

Quote from: Superfluous CrowHmm, but is there any way to create the same effect using only software?

I found this tutorial on Cartographers' Guild.  It should be of assistance.  

Of course there is, as S_H mentions, but I do lots of things analog in my maps - whatever it takes to make the most realistic result in the easiest way possible. All my mapping revolves around speed - I'm the faster mapper you'll ever like meet (ask anyone at the CG, whose the fastest of them all...)

I'm not 'rushing it' though, as my design process for any design revolves around quick turn-around. I get bored if I can't finish something quickly, in fact I might not finish at all, if something takes me too long to accomplish.

Consider that most of the maps I have posted in this thread are measured in hours not days to create. Some might have taken me 3 days to do, but nothing over 10 hours total.

Here is the progress on my Cad Goleór map.

Most of the changes are subtle.  The parchment edge, angles of labels, simplifying the castles . . . But the effect is significant.



And for those bits that are still hard to see, I have a larger version.
[spoiler=Cad Goleór]
[/spoiler]

Jonathan McAnulty, my lead designer has created two one-shot adventures to be run as Con Games, which he will be running at Origins 2011, though Steve Russell (the publisher) may run them at Gencon and Paizocon as well.

One is a 1st level adventure called "The Tolling of Tears" which I consider a 'Scooby Doo' mission, as the threat is supposed to be a haunted Temple Bell that the monks refuse to ring. It turns out that though the bell is indeed haunted, the haunt is a protective spirit. Actually a local onmyoji wizard has a grudge against the abbot of this temple and he is using Shikigami imps (least oni) in invisible form causing trouble with the bell. The PCs have to play detective and discover the true problem, reveal it and cleanse the bell of its problem...

The second adventure is a 9th level one called "Frozen Wind" which features a mountain region under heavy snowfall, which forces the party to seek shelter at a remote mountain monastery. Yamabushi monks (variant paladins) maintain this holdfast, though it's bishop is under a curse which will be activated on this day. Once the PCs have been given food and a bed they will sleep, but will awake in the middle of the night when the fires have gone out. They will find all the monks dead. Ice oni and a Yuki-onna (snow woman) oni greets the party to make them dead as well, unless the party can defeat them.

The map below is the one for the Frozen Wind...

Enjoy!

GP

Link to larger version: Frozen Wind Monastery