D&D General One Piece of Art VI (Maps)- What is Your Favorite D&D Map?

[AdmundfortGeographer]

I love Dyson’s Shattered Tower! I am using it as a pivotal part of my campaign and have modified variations of it all over.

But the map I picked is the fabric map of the Tablelands region of Athas. I don’t recall TSR or WotC putting a region map on fabric before but I love that they did it here. Plus, Diesel’s style is one I love so much.

It has extra points of interest that never appeared on the other versions of the Tablelands, including silt routes.

 

[Cadence]

Wow have I run different versions of B2 a lot (the orignal, and the updated versions since).

Caves of Chaos map by Dave LaForce.

 

[Jacob Lewis]

So many maps. I have several full-size prints hanging in my office that were already mentioned. But if I had space for another, it would be this one by Mike Schley:

The Moonshae Isles was one of my favorite sandboxes within the Forgotten Realms, even though they weren't originally in Greenwood's FR. Despite being introduced in 1st edition, the area has gotten minimal attention over the years until 4th edition.

Shortly after the successful release of the Neverwinter Campaign Setting, a handful of articles began to appear updating some specific areas of the Realms, like Waterdeep, Cormyr, and Daggerdale. These articles followed the idea of Neverwinter to update those areas into central hubs for thematic adventures based around the location, culture, current events, and history. Though not nearly the same scope and size of the hardcover book, it felt as though they were really on to something. Alas, they pulled the plug on most projects at the end so we may never know what could have been (and have not really seen since).

Of those articles that did appear with updated maps (Schley did similar ones for Vaasa and Cormyr), this one stood out as my favorite. The map itself is beautiful, and full of details. There are so many locations and names marked that invokes so many ideas. It is small enough to have a highly thematic and focused campaign.

But there is so much intrigue and conflict embedded in this region, it can never be dull. You have the eladrin returned to the elves from the Feywild, reclaiming their ancestral kingdom. You have the celtic-inspired Ffolk who venerate the Earthmother and contend with the outside world. You have the western kingdom which is the gateway to the outside world, bringing foreign ideas and people. The barbaric northlanders tend to raid those in the south. Wizards are regarded with fear and suspicion. The dark power is a dragon-like beast. Vampires have secretly become the rulers of one island. And then there's the underwater realms, the firbolg, the ruined wizard's tower, etc.

To me, this map represents so many possibilities and stories that have sadly been overlooked for too long.

 

[Celebrim]

Castle Ravenloft in I6: Ravenloft is the most incredible dungeon map ever made.

 

[WarDriveWorley]

The Player's Wilderness Map from The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth. Only Gary Gygax is listed in the credits of my copy so I'm assuming he made this map.

This was my first major adventure I got to play in that I had just become comfortable with the mapping system and I relished creating a map for me and the other players to use and noting it with the encounters along the way. I actually had my version of the map from when I played back in 85 up till 4 years ago when it was ruined when my bedroom flooded.

It's bare bones so the DM can customize it, but it's still evocative for me.

 

[Yaarel]

I love the Darlene map.

Unofficially: these are some of my favorite maps.

The comparison between Forgotten Realms Toril and reallife is neat. And it is useful, to when making a point to diversify cultures.

This map of Magic The Gathering Zendikar is beautiful. It is by one of the ENWorld forumers. But I realize now, I didnt record the name of the artist. Please claim credit! It is both plausible and whimsical, and makes the Zendikar D&D setting appealing.

 

[J.Quondam]

It's interesting how weighted responses are toward region- and world-scale maps, with only a couple interior-scale dungeon maps so far.
The two scales might done nicely as separate categories.

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

True, I have an interior/dungeon in mind.

 

[aco175]

This one from White Plume Mountain back in 1e got me excited to search the other parts of a map and not just the big X so to speak.

 

[Yaarel]

It's interesting how weighted responses are toward region- and world-scale maps, with only a couple interior-scale dungeon maps so far.
The two scales might done nicely as separate categories.

Heh I was going to do official map tiles for minis. I mostly use theater of the mind gaming style, so dont use the tiles. But some tiles are quite beautiful.