Custom Drawn Maps?

[Plague]

Should they stay black in white or should they be colored? I have a map that I drew and I was wondering what the people think?....Black and white? or...Should I Color it?

The map comes in halfs. Its a two page (8.5x11) map.

The Left side looks like :

The Right side looks like :

 

[Plague]

ok Links didnt work like they should..so here is the url instead..

Left half:
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f373/Kyst03/PretaeusLM.jpg

Right Half:
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f373/Kyst03/PretaeusRM.jpg

 

[Gilladian]

Lovely map!

I would NOT color the original. If you're going to continue to work by hand, take it to a copy shop and have several copies made. Use each one for different info. On one, draw cities, towns, roads, borders, that sort of thing. Political info. Maybe several of these for known and unknown political groups that have different types of control (religious vs secular vs the dragon vs the wizards guilds)

On another, indicate natural resources, unusual geographic features, etc...

Maybe you want to color one with land heights - ie coastal lowlands, interior highlands, mountains, hills, etc... and a second with plant cover - ie plains, forests (deciduous vs evergreen?), saltwater vs fresh marshes, and all sorts of other stuff.

And then you could have a map with climate zones and weather patterns. Where are the monsoons, the hurricanes, the tornado zone, and where do earthquakes happen?

Ooops, can you tell I love to draw maps?

 

[Plague]

Lovely map!

I would NOT color the original. If you're going to continue to work by hand, take it to a copy shop and have several copies made. Use each one for different info. On one, draw cities, towns, roads, borders, that sort of thing. Political info. Maybe several of these for known and unknown political groups that have different types of control (religious vs secular vs the dragon vs the wizards guilds)

On another, indicate natural resources, unusual geographic features, etc...

Maybe you want to color one with land heights - ie coastal lowlands, interior highlands, mountains, hills, etc... and a second with plant cover - ie plains, forests (deciduous vs evergreen?), saltwater vs fresh marshes, and all sorts of other stuff.

And then you could have a map with climate zones and weather patterns. Where are the monsoons, the hurricanes, the tornado zone, and where do earthquakes happen?

Ooops, can you tell I love to draw maps?

Thanks man I really do appreciate that Idea. Yeah, that sounds like an AMAZING IDEA!!! I will keep this one just so that they know what terrain is called what. From there I will do the copies like you suggested...one for roads/paths, boarders and what the cities are named. Another copy for stuff like Climate zones, one that depicts vegitation cover. Another copy for geological stuff (ie. Type of marshes/swamps, Unusual Land marks and features.) Then I will do one for what powers reside over what area's.

 

[Ebonyr]

I wouldnt color the original either. I would take the scanned copy color it in with the graphics program of choice. I really like your choices of place names.

 

[weem]

Looks good, and I agree with the others regarding not coloring the original.

I have recently been working on a map myself for my players to use at the table. I used the inside of a brown paper bag I cut out. The effect is nice as it is a bit stiff, brown, folded in some areas and worn in already...

...you could do something like that as well.

 

[Plague]

Thanks guys for your feed back..Yeah I think next time I do a map I will be doing that and use a paper bag..it looks pretty good too..plus you can always make things big enought that you can add more as you go...problem with mine is I will have to make a blank outline of Pretaeus to add things like Strongholds and other key things like that...(shrugs) I am fine with making multiple copies...just going to suck should I have to upload it to the net lol

 

[fba827]

nice map! I envy your skill

In any case, just adding to the chorus -- don't color it . the black and white has a nice effect.

 

[Plague]

...hmmm well now to think up of my first City to draw and the layout of it and what not....should be interesting...

 

[Gilladian]

When I start drawing up a city, I usually try to ask myself these questions:

How old is the city? What part was settled first, and what type people lived there?

How peaceful/dangerous is the region, both now, and when the city was founded? Did it have walls? A castle? If it has outgrown its walls, are they still there? Torn down? Turned into parks?

How does the terrain affect the city? Is it flat, open, and sprawling? Wide streets with plenty of room for wagons and carts? Or is it narrow, twisty streets on steep hills with tall buildings hanging close overhead to make use of every scrap of usable space, and only foot traffic permitted?

Is it a city with many government offices, and large structures such as cathedrals and theaters and arenas and such? Or is it a mercantile headquarters with guildhalls and warehouses? Neither? Both?

A logging town that has only been in existence on the river at the edge of the dangerous forest, miles from the next nearest village is gonna look very different from the peaceful capitol of an ancient empire on the shore of an inland sea, nestled in the heart of rich cropland and aristocratic estates.