Mapmaking

[John Q. Mayhem]

Can anyone recommend a good mapmaking resource? It'd be nice if it was free, but not necessary. Thanks in advance.

Ben

 

[Dark_Samurai]

Pencil and Paper , relatively cheap.

 

[Calico_Jack73]

Autorealm is a great one complete with a Fractal Mapper utility (you draw straight lines but it makes convincing coastlines). It is free and you can donate if you so choose. There is also a Yahoo! Group to support it.

http://www.gryc.ws/autorealm.htm

 

[skinnydwarf]

Can anyone recommend a good mapmaking resource? It'd be nice if it was free, but not necessary. Thanks in advance.

Ben

I myself like Campaign Cartographer 2, but it is pretty pricey, especially when you look at all the add-ons to it. I don't think any of the add-ons are worth it (except maybe the 3rd party Realm Overseer, which lets you look at CC2 files in 3D). Aside from the add-ons, though, CC2 is a good program with lots of useful features, and it makes really nice looking maps with very little artistic ability required on your part.

I have never had much luck with AutoRealm, I don't find the interface all that helpful. This is not to say that the CC2 interface is a great example of interaction design, but I think it's better than those of the free products out there (that I have used, anyway). I do not think it makes as nice looking maps, either.

As for City Designer, I have never felt that city maps need that much to them. It's nice to have the map, but you can draw it out or use a free program to do it.

For making dungeons, I think a pencil and graph paper is the best way to go. Honestly, do you want your players to look at the dungeon map? If not, then why does it have to be pretty?

 

[Ukyo the undead]

www.dungeoncrafter.com

Good for dungeons and cities.

 

[EricNoah]

I use CC2 with DD and CD add-ons. As many will tell you there's a steep learning curve and the product is pricey.

You might try out the demo of Dundjinni. The maps look pretty slick. However I don't think the full version is available yet.

http://www.dundjinni.com/

And as for why one would want them to look pretty -- I like to post my adventures online after I've run them with my groups. A nice map is a good compliment to a good adventure.

 

[Hand of Evil]

I too like CC2 but you may want to check out the NBOS mapper
http://www.nbos.com/

 

[babomb]

<a href="http://www.exp.citymax.com/page/page/351667.htm">Magical Medieval Society: Ecology and Culture</a> is all about mapping. It comes out March 4th as a PDF and in April as a book, but there's a free 37-page <a href="http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=2444&">preview</a> at RPGNow.

 

[John Q. Mayhem]

Thanks all. Samurai, I use P&P or a chalkboard for my own maps, I'm asking for a friend who admires my 1337 D&D-fu.

 

[Janx]

I've used a variety of methods to do my maps. My latest world was generated using Irony Games' fractal world map tool.

http://www.irony.com an old gaming site, but still working.


Looked pretty good, though I touched it up with PaintShopPro and rearranged some of the landmasses.
Janx