roytheodd
First Post
The following is a cut and paste of a post I made at MonteCook.com's message board:
I'm still a DM who hasn't gone digital and so I thought I'd give you my perspective on map-making.
I always start drawing my area maps with the biggest scope that I expect to use. Depending on where I expect the game to go or how in depth I want to get I usually begin by drawing a world map on grid graph paper. I'll determine where I want the game to take place and then sketch out that continent (I've found that using grid paper helps to keep the general shape of the land mass as I switch from one map to the other). For these two maps I don't usually create a scale until I'm all done making them. Then I ask myself how long I want it to take a person to walk from one side of the continent to the other side and create a scale that makes use of this knowledge (I figure a person can walk around 20-30 miles a day depending upon terrain). I then fill in rivers, lakes and mountains. River are lines, lakes are lines with little waves drawn in their centers, and mountains are upside-down Vs. I try to keep my mountains growing in lines and my rivers leading away from them. I then make photocopies of my maps, which I will use for coloring, adding cities and countries, and adding other details (like "orcs here", "bullywugs here").
Then I get to the more localized maps. Sometimes, depending upon the game, I'll start at this step of the process. This map begins by my sketching out an area and then making a scale if I start at this step. If I've made the world maps then I simply inflate parts of the continent map and keep true to the scale. I try to remain true to a scale of movement when developing my regions (I think of how long it should take to walk from Point A to Point B and work from that). These maps will start off with my simple placing of major terrain and cities, then I make photocopies, then add other details.
When I get to city maps I typically draw with a top-down method that you see in a lot of published material. I'll draw little squares for the buildings, draw in the docks, draw in all the stuff that makes it look like a bird's-eye view. The scale is usually made obvious by the size of the buildings and so I won't add one. Personally, I really like my city maps and I've been drawing them even in my liesure time for nearly as long as I've been playing. My hand has grown quite steady when making all of the little squares.
I typically spend about ten to twenty minutes coming up with my world map. I draw and redraw until something appeals to my eye. A continent can take about an hour to think out and draw just right. A city can take hours depending upon its size and my attention to its detail. Dungeons are a whole different critter so I'm not going to address them (well, I might post again, but for now I'll just let them pass).
One thing I like to do is to get tracing paper or tracing vellum and make crude traces of some of my maps (or sections thereof) to hand out to players. I'll photocopy the maps onto yellowed paper or bake them with lemon juice to make them look cool though. I typically like to give my players maps with poor scales and poor attention to detail, unless it is something that they can actually see and have a character record (like looking down upon an open-top maze or something) or if the precision of detail is of importance. I do not always give them maps though. I tend to only give them maps if a character has one or if I'm not explaining myself well.
I've been known to use a vinyl combat map for certain scenes in the game. When using a combat map I'll sketch in lots more detail if I have the time; the level of detail I add to these is solely determined by time.
I don't use legends, but I will often work to create attractive compass roses. The reason why I don't use legends is twofold: either the map is for me and thus has much scribbling of notes on it, or the map is for the players and thus has less detail and is often self-explanatory.
It really all boils down to knowing how much I'm going to need and spending an evening or two cooking it up. Old school mapping is a pasttime in and of itself for me and it just happens to be useful that I'm a DM.
I'm still a DM who hasn't gone digital and so I thought I'd give you my perspective on map-making.
I always start drawing my area maps with the biggest scope that I expect to use. Depending on where I expect the game to go or how in depth I want to get I usually begin by drawing a world map on grid graph paper. I'll determine where I want the game to take place and then sketch out that continent (I've found that using grid paper helps to keep the general shape of the land mass as I switch from one map to the other). For these two maps I don't usually create a scale until I'm all done making them. Then I ask myself how long I want it to take a person to walk from one side of the continent to the other side and create a scale that makes use of this knowledge (I figure a person can walk around 20-30 miles a day depending upon terrain). I then fill in rivers, lakes and mountains. River are lines, lakes are lines with little waves drawn in their centers, and mountains are upside-down Vs. I try to keep my mountains growing in lines and my rivers leading away from them. I then make photocopies of my maps, which I will use for coloring, adding cities and countries, and adding other details (like "orcs here", "bullywugs here").
Then I get to the more localized maps. Sometimes, depending upon the game, I'll start at this step of the process. This map begins by my sketching out an area and then making a scale if I start at this step. If I've made the world maps then I simply inflate parts of the continent map and keep true to the scale. I try to remain true to a scale of movement when developing my regions (I think of how long it should take to walk from Point A to Point B and work from that). These maps will start off with my simple placing of major terrain and cities, then I make photocopies, then add other details.
When I get to city maps I typically draw with a top-down method that you see in a lot of published material. I'll draw little squares for the buildings, draw in the docks, draw in all the stuff that makes it look like a bird's-eye view. The scale is usually made obvious by the size of the buildings and so I won't add one. Personally, I really like my city maps and I've been drawing them even in my liesure time for nearly as long as I've been playing. My hand has grown quite steady when making all of the little squares.
I typically spend about ten to twenty minutes coming up with my world map. I draw and redraw until something appeals to my eye. A continent can take about an hour to think out and draw just right. A city can take hours depending upon its size and my attention to its detail. Dungeons are a whole different critter so I'm not going to address them (well, I might post again, but for now I'll just let them pass).
One thing I like to do is to get tracing paper or tracing vellum and make crude traces of some of my maps (or sections thereof) to hand out to players. I'll photocopy the maps onto yellowed paper or bake them with lemon juice to make them look cool though. I typically like to give my players maps with poor scales and poor attention to detail, unless it is something that they can actually see and have a character record (like looking down upon an open-top maze or something) or if the precision of detail is of importance. I do not always give them maps though. I tend to only give them maps if a character has one or if I'm not explaining myself well.
I've been known to use a vinyl combat map for certain scenes in the game. When using a combat map I'll sketch in lots more detail if I have the time; the level of detail I add to these is solely determined by time.
I don't use legends, but I will often work to create attractive compass roses. The reason why I don't use legends is twofold: either the map is for me and thus has much scribbling of notes on it, or the map is for the players and thus has less detail and is often self-explanatory.
It really all boils down to knowing how much I'm going to need and spending an evening or two cooking it up. Old school mapping is a pasttime in and of itself for me and it just happens to be useful that I'm a DM.
)
I did a large map of my world and posted it at HexMapper Haven. I also have a thread with a few examples.
) so you need to cut/paste the link into the address bar instead of clicking on it.
