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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Niccodaemus" data-source="post: 5798066" data-attributes="member: 6683506">I used Adobe Illustrator to do the world layout. Then imported to photoshop. Each enlargement is done in photoshop. Every terrain type (forest, mountains, rivers and lakes) is on a separate layer, and I use filters (bevel, drop shadow, etc...) to get a look I'm happy with.The cities are just dots or a large hexagon with texture. For the farmland, I went to google maps, did a screen shot of farmland at the same scale (1" = 1 mile), and added it as a layer in photoshop. I reduced the opacity of the layer, and changed the hue/saturation/contrast to get it to blend.As for mercenary economy, yes it is like freelance capitalism. That is, rather than having a feudal system, where  by rights every character should be in service to a higher ranking noble, the ruling class are merchants, and nearly everyone and everything are fore hire.So basically, your adventuring group could be a business. A  "company" that is hired to do a job, or put on retainer to be called upon when needed. The company could hire underlings to do simple jobs for them, decide which among them are best fit for a particular job, etc...In other words, as individuals you are not obligated to anyone. If you take a contract, all that matters is that you fulfill it in order to get paid. A merchant might hire you to guard a caravan, or to provide guards for his stronghold. An alchemist might hire you to find some lost magic. Even the church can hire you to oversee some sort of quest. But you can't be "ordered" by anyone to do anything, unless you specifically enter a country that is run by a king.The idea is for the game world to actually work the way players tend to play. Take or leave a job as they see fit, without any major repercussions.And yes, if someone wants to hire you to kill an enemy, that can happen too. The laws governing such acts are very loose. As long as the person hiring you has just cause in the eyes of the community, vengeance is fair game.Most people will stay out of it unless it affects their pocket book. Since laws are made by councils of merchants, they are likely to look the other way if what you do is considered "good for business".For this reason, paladins, rangers, and cleric types are feared by merchants, because they have motivations besides money. So while the merchant councils might smile with clenched teeth, they will generally be happy when you move on to another town. Paladins in particular might tend to be troublesome for merchants, acting on the behalf of the underdog in an unfair and questionably legal deal (like a merchant who, through a contract loophole, takes over all the farms in a village, forcing the people to starve)Clerics who are too invested in the inner workings of the church might also find themselves less than welcome. Think of it in terms of historical "saints" who were martyred because they claimed to be operating on behalf of god, in opposition to the politics of the church. The average priest is not a cleric... just a guy doing a job. Clerics get their powers because of their most unusual devotion to the gods.Most council members are where they are because they bought their positions. So while it isn't exactly "divine right", they aren't freely elected by the people either. This makes corruption at high levels very common.The goal of the design is to give a fairly mundane feel to the day to day life of the average citizen of the world, while having corruption and petty feuds through all levels of politics and religion, and letting the players be free agents in the world at large.Monsters for the most part are relegated to forests, caves, graveyards and swamps. Orcs and goblins are not "martial" enemies. They don't go about attacking towns and such.Adventuring is more about entering dangerous territory for specific reasons than wandering about the civilized countryside. I call it a "points of darkness" setting. Something that could work well with a horror/weird fantasy approach.</blockquote>

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