EN World City Project: Geography

[The Grey Dwarf]

Next draft...
I had to trim the edges a bit to be able to display the image here.

There are three kind of permanent camps outside the city: clay, sapphires and silk gatherers.

The north road leads to the Kul Moren Mines.

 

[Lalato]

Just a couple of questions...
What program are you using?
What's the scale of the map?

--sam

 

[The Grey Dwarf]

Just a couple of questions...
What program are you using?
What's the scale of the map?
--sam

[shame] Paint [/shame] Still haven't found my Photoshop CDs.
As for the scale, I was thinking of something between 100m and 200m according to the size (pop) of the city.

 

[Lalato]

This may be a stupid question... but is that 100 meters or 100 miles?

--sam

 

[Conaill]

Nice map, Grey Dwarf! Couple of suggestions:

- I would make the river somewhat narrower, especially where it flows through the city. For a bunch of reasons: 1) cities are built where it's easiest to cross a river; 2) if the river is too wide, the city tends to develop one only one side, not on *three* sides like on your map; 3) a medieval city will tend to reinforce its riverbanks, which narrows he river further.

- We need several bridges connecting the different sides of the river. At least one on each branch, preferally several more (I'd say at least one more connecting the "big island" with the mainland.

- Krug suggested a slums area in the other thread. Such an area should probably be on the downriver side of the city, because that's the most "undesirable" location (sewage coming downriver etc!)

Additionally, I think there should an area called the Squats. This is where the squatters, composed of the lower class, refugees and rural folk just arrived in town, reside. Some part of the Squats extend into the warrens, despite the warnings of the local watchguards.

The Squats has an open area called the Brown Market (named so for the colour of the water there) where anyone may set up a shop or stall. Most stalls sell food or other small household items. Various gangs assert their territorial rights here, collecting 'protection money' from stall owners and bashing pickpockets. Jongleurs and entertainers are also prominent, and surrounding the market are a bunch of seedy taverns and inns catering to out of towners and those passing by.

 

[Conaill]

One more thing: If we're going to have some sort of reinforced structure such as a castle or palace, it should probably be defended by the river, i.e. on the "big island", or on one of the smaller islands in the center of the city.

 

[Knightfall]

This may be a stupid question... but is that 100 meters or 100 miles?

--sam

I'm pretty sure he means that each hex is going to be 100/200 meters and not that the map is going to be 100/200 miles across.

But I could be wrong.

Rob

 

[The Grey Dwarf]

This may be a stupid question... but is that 100 meters or 100 miles?
--sam

Meters, sorry. I don't have a convertion tool at hand.

Nice map, Grey Dwarf! Couple of suggestions:
- I would make the river somewhat narrower, especially where it flows through the city. For a bunch of reasons: 1) cities are built where it's easiest to cross a river; 2) if the river is too wide, the city tends to develop one only one side, not on *three* sides like on your map; 3) a medieval city will tend to reinforce its riverbanks, which narrows he river further.
- We need several bridges connecting the different sides of the river. At least one on each branch, preferally several more (I'd say at least one more connecting the "big island" with the mainland.
- Krug suggested a slums area in the other thread. Such an area should probably be on the downriver side of the city, because that's the most "undesirable" location (sewage coming downriver etc!)

Thanks.
I thought the city first developed on one side of the river but, after the raids and the city being burned down several times, the counsellors of the city decided to the man the other riverbanks.
Just a thought.
As for the slums, either down the river or on the side closest to the swamps (smell, vermine, fog... ambiance). We can have both, the city is big enough. The one downriver being merely poor, the other being poor and nasty.
The bridges: I'm waiting a bit for those as I'd like to have the districts sorted out first. I think Jolly was willing to tackle that.

Originally posted by conaill
One more thing: If we're going to have some sort of reinforced structure such as a castle or palace, it should probably be defended by the river, i.e. on the "big island", or on one of the smaller islands in the center of the city.

I was thinking that the biggest of the two islands inside the city could hold some kind of military structure.

I'll change the map to narrow the river.
Keep it coming!

 

[The Grey Dwarf]

I had some spare time, so, next version:

- The river width has been halved (more or less).
- The bridges were added.
- A castle was added to the main island.
- Watchtowers were added around the city.
- I propose to place the city council (or whatever) on the second island: the Island of Towers. A place where Knid Vermicious could go berzerk IMO.

 

[Lalato]

If it's meters, then I say 200, not 100.

My reasoning:

Permanent Residents: 10,000+
# of People in a Caravan: 500 to 2000

City size at 100m: roughly 1.3 km2 (squared)
City size at 200m: roughly 2.6 km2

It's difficult for me to think in km, and I'm being admittedly lazy by not looking up the conversion, but 1.3 sounds like about 1 mile.

1 square mile doesn't sound like enough space to house 10,000+ people and the shops, and the marketplaces, etc. Then a large caravan comes through with 1000 more people.

Then again... I'm not an expert on medieval cities so I could be completely wrong on that point.

Question: Will there be a caravan staging area within the city walls? Or will caravans remain outside the city walls?

--sam