RPG Stuff

Tag: maps

  • World Building Tools

    World Building Tools

    Made with Hex Kit.

    I enjoy world building and writing campaigns that I expect will never see the light of day. I haven’t run or played in any RPGs in a few years, but I still like to goof around dreaming up spells, items, and maps.

    I’ve previously written about the tools I used to use, but since I’m not running games anymore, some of them are no longer relevant to me so I have cancelled subscriptions to any of the sites I had to pay for, but I’m always on the lookout for tools I can use to generate ideas. (Although I’m still paying for my son’s subscription to D&D Beyond, which he does routinely use)

    Mapping is the main thing for me at the moment so let’s take a look at my current favourite mapping tools, from macro to micro:

    • World maps
    • Region maps
    • City/town maps
    • Dungeon maps
    • Battle maps

    World maps: I just discovered Azgaar Fantasy Map Generator. Gods this is good. It looks like it’s been around for a few years, but is still under active development, which is great. What is also great is that it’s free. At first, I thought it was just another random map generator that made particularly good looking maps, but it’s an amazingly comprehensive web based app that runs in the browser. Almost every aspect of the maps is customisable, down to naming conventions for regions and towns. I’m looking forward to spending more time with this app.

    Azgaar map

    Region maps: I’m not sure about region maps. I’ve been drawing them by hand, but I wonder if Azgaar might be able to handle this as well. I’ll post something about it once I figure it out.

    I should also mention Hexkit. It’s not free, but it’s not expensive at $15USD as a one off price (no subscription). It has a particular aesthetic, with bold hex lines and simple graphics, but it’s a lot of fun to play with. If you are happy with the aesthetic then it’s worth checking out.

    Hex Kit map

    City/town maps: I still love Watabou’s Medieval Fantasy City Generator. It’s very customisable and generates great looking maps. There’s a bunch of other cool stuff by this developer as well. Completely unrelated to map making, Watabou also has a great little game called Patient Rogue, which I love playing.

    Watabou City Generator map

    Dungeon maps: I enjoy drawing these by hand. I’m sure there is smart software for this, but I haven’t found one I’m happy with yet. I’m happy for suggestions.

    Battle maps: I’ll stick to hand drawing these for now.

    I tried using Inkarnate, but the learning curve was steep and I don’t think I ever got the most out of it. It’s meant to be a very capable mapping app, doing everything from the world scale maps down to battle maps, and to be fair, people do great things with Inkarnate, but it’s not for me.

    While writing this post, I logged in and found all my maps had been downgraded to the free plan and all my map assets were gone and the maps now look shite. The funny thing is that I see some tile icons I made myself in this map which are also missing from the current Inkarnate view. How is it that my own content is “premium” and I don’t have access anymore? If I pay the $25USD a year subscription, I’ll get my maps back, but I think I’ll walk away.

    I found a map I made in Inkarnate that I had uploaded to Owlbear Rodeo (before my Inkarnate plan was downgraded). I’m happy with this map, but it would only be worth the subscription fee if I used it regularly.

    Oh well. Like I said; I’ll stick to hand drawn battle maps.

    Map made in Inkarnate (with all assets)
    The same Inkarnate map on the free plan 🙁

  • Palace Court

    Palace Court

    My sons D&D game is now in a Fey palace for a while. A curious thing about this palace is that depending on which door you go out of, it’s a different season outside. This map is the main courtyard inside the palace. There is no roof over the court (the unshaded part of the map) which is sunken about 1 foot below the level of the surrounding walkway. Regularly spaced columns support a balcony above. There are 4 low shrubberies, about 3 feet high. A central sunken pool collects rainwater and the overflow drains into a cistern below. The floor here is polished stone. The floorplan is based on Burghley House, and the court is inspired by the Court of Lions.

    This map is 300 dpi. It should fit most VTT systems at 27 columns by 33 rows.

    Pencil and pen. Fill in colours done in Photoshop.

  • rovers’ end

    rovers’ end

    Rovers’ End is a small village on the three-way border of Dwarven controlled mountains to the west, human domain to the east, and largely uncontested wilderness to the north. This was a once prosperous village but has fallen on hard times.

    I originally used the watabou city generator to make this map, but it’s undergone a few revisions and additions since then. This is the most recent redrawn version.

    Rovers’ End

    The Town Square has a well in the middle and hosts a monthly market where farmers from the outlying areas come to sell produce. Dwarven merchants often come into town at market time to sell pots and pans and the like.

    The Council Building is where the council meets and is also where town records are kept (although births, deaths, and marriages are recorded at the church). There is almost always at least one council member present here.

    The Baker uses locally grown grain ground at the nearby mill and produces good quality bread here. Nothing fancy, but tasty. Villagers buy directly from the baker, but the inn is the bakers’ main customer.

    The Local Inn is the social heart of the town. Food, drink, lodgings, as well as basic adventuring gear can be purchased here. In more prosperous times, the inn would have often been full, but now many of its rooms sit idle. (I’m using Dyson Logos Wooden Duck Inn map for this.)

    The Manor House is where the local lord used to live. The town prospered under his patronage for a while, but strange events cast a shadow over the house, and people started avoiding the town which led to the current decline in the towns fortunes. After the lords’ death, the house has been locked and uninhabited.

    The Mill uses a water wheel drive by the river to grind locally grown grain.

    The Blacksmith is a gnarly old dwarf with a sour disposition but makes excellent quality metal goods. He typically mends pots and forges plough sheers, but has a small inventory of common weapons for sale to the occasional passing adventurers.

    The Docks used to see a lot more use than they do today, with shipments of grain and other goods being sent downriver to the larger towns. Today the docks sit idle a lot of the time except for harvest time, or when the occasional traveller arrives by boat.

    The Church is the spiritual heart of the village. Olaf, the head priest, has presided here for many years and is a strict but kind patriarch of the village.

    Orchard. Fresh fruits grown here.

    The map above is the 72dpi version. The map below is a 300dpi version.

    Creative Commons License

    This work by Lucien Stals is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

  • underhill

    underhill

    After seeing Dyson Logo’s beautiful little map of Onyx Hill, I decided to have a crack at drawing what lies beneath the hill. I’m planning to add this to my son’s game. I don’t think he’s going to find this site before we get to the location in the game.

    I figured the base of the onyx pillar would get bigger as it goes down. Perhaps there are some long lost inscriptions on the pillar in the depths. I’ve also added a small hidden nook at the very base.

    The trick to getting down to level three is that you need to go down the pit trap in front of the altar on level two.

    The image above is 72 dpi.
    The image below is 300 dpi.