Map of Dark Age England

[Connorsrpg]

Thanks for the help everyone.

As for Ian Malcomson's Dark Ages - I regard this as one of the best Dragon articles ever. I have kept it for so many years and finally I get to use it. Will have to look for the deities in 263. I once ran the adventure by Ian too (set later in Middle Ages from memory).

I have those wonderful colour maps of the 'kingdom' boundaries. They are excellent. Was just hoping for more detail on forests etc, but I guess that doesn't really matter anyway.

I am setting campaign in early 600's. Likely to have PCs working for king of South Reged. (They think they are being summoned to lead the armies against the Saxons - but instead will be sent to the south and I will be running them through P1 "King of the Trollhaunt Warrens"...or whatever it is called.

The campaign is paragon level. It is still a very fantasy based campaign. Players wanted a kind of 'Battle' backdrop and I figured this era suited perfectly. (I rolled up races and realm details using my realms charts and it came up quite well).

Anyway, thanks for feedback. C

 

[Connorsrpg]

Ah Coyote6 you are a gem. I checked first maps and had those, but the later ones were exactly what I am after. Some had drawn ideas of forests etc (I don't care if they are that accurate - as people have said, who knows for sure where forest borders were for example).

Thank you C

 

[Connorsrpg]

Oh BTW, does anyone know what year the large Pendragon (White Wolf) player's map is set in approx'?.

 

[scruffygrognard]

485 AD... though Pendragon is anachronistic in many regards, including its map.

 

[Mark]

There are a few sources that can give some clues to Dark Ages England. For example, check out sources on languages and from just prior to the Roman withdrawal (and subsequent missionary work a couple of hundred years later).

How old is English?

30 CE to 500 CE Timeline : From Cave Paintings to the Internet

Map of England 878

If I were you, I would layer a modern topo map over an old map in a graphics program and recut the coastline. Then, maybe (though this might be overkill), I'd create a layer of rivers from the topo map, and use it to make adjustments to the hybrid you create.

 

[Ambrus]

I poured over some of the Pendragon maps while researching my own 511 AD map. They have some stuff right, but neglect a lot of detail that I'd find crucial and adds in a lot of fanciful stuff that has no basis in fact; such as Camelot.

I find that by simply keeping to the historical stuff it is possible to fairly accurately plot the borders of various forests and ascribe to them their proper period names. It's also fun to add in significant landmarks that lend themselves well to wondrous adventuring such as the Cernes Abbas giant, Wansdyke, the White Horse of Uffington, Averbury circle, Stonehenge, the old trackways and Roman roads and ruined cities; their locations are all a matter of historical record. I wish I had my map scanned; it might prove of some use to you.

If you're running an adventure with some type of troll king in southern Britain, might I suggest using the legendary giant Ascapart and locating the warrens near the giant chalk figure of Cernes Abbas? In my Saxon campaign I portrayed Ascapart as the lone giant caretaker of the chalk outline, which he considered to be a place sacred to his now lost kinsman.

 

[grodog]

I find that by simply keeping to the historical stuff it is possible to fairly accurately plot the borders of various forests and ascribe to them their proper period names. It's also fun to add in significant landmarks that lend themselves well to wondrous adventuring such as the Cernes Abbas giant, Wansdyke, the White Horse of Uffington, Averbury circle, Stonehenge, the old trackways and Roman roads and ruined cities; their locations are all a matter of historical record. I wish I had my map scanned; it might prove of some use to you.

Any chance you can in fact scan it?

 

[Sandain]

You bought me out of my prolonged lurk.

May I sugest you read bernard Cornwells Saxon series?

The Saxon Stories - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A good resource to create encounters, locations, use NPC's or just for general research to bring your campaign to life.

 

[Connorsrpg]

e@Sandain: Funny you should suggest those. They were my first purchase when I decided on this campaign. Whilst waiting for them to arrive I have been rereading the last of my Stephen Lawhead Arthur series "Grail".

Yet to start the Saxon books, but looking forward to them even though they are a couple of hundred years later.

Re the maps. I reckon I have what I want. I am not looking for exact historical detail. I just wanted a map I could use for a roleplaying game. The Pendragon ones are cool enough, mixed with topo and history ones I have.

I am just using the British Isles as a backdrop...changing kingdoms, typical setting, conflict, established timeline.

I still determined most other things randomly (as I do for all campaigns ). I even rolled different races for the groups in the land. Turned out well too.

Saxons = Hal-orcs
Britons = Humans
Picts = Dwarves (but several other races are often accepted into their tribes)
Irish = Druidic or shape-shifting humans
Welsh = Giants (as in Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved)
Llyonnesse = Dwarves (I named coal dwarves)
Romans = Dragonborn.

There are many other races mixed in (as per a normal setting), especially fey races, as in the campaign the Isles have long had a strong connection to the Feywild.
Cheers, C