What world has the best maps?

[reanjr]

All of the worlds I have seen seem to be attached to the idea of a pangea-like continent. I know these are fantasy worlds but they often time lack any basis in geological or geographical fact.

Troy

Many may seem that way, but often they are just small sections of the complete globe (Kalamar and Dragonlance come to mind immediately).

 

[Coredump]

All of the worlds I have seen seem to be attached to the idea of a pangea-like continent. I know these are fantasy worlds but they often time lack any basis in geological or geographical fact.

Troy

Actually, the Kalamar world was designed with the help of (Geologists? Meteorologist?) that helped decide what types of lands would make sense in certain regions, and how it would affect and be affected by weather.

They also took into account things like historically, about 10% of the population lived in the cities, so that is how it works, etc. Lets the world make more 'sense' inherrently.

Just the starting map is really good, but the Atlas is amazing.

 

[reanjr]

In a world where Creationism is unquestionable fact, and that gods really did make the land, there isn't millions of years of continental drift and erosion, sometimes only a few millennia have passed. All the laws of geology haven't necessarily had time to come into full effect.

Also, to those who say Kalamar has great maps because it has a dedicated atlas, the Forgotten Realms had a dedicated atlas made of them (print in 1990, electronic and vastly updated in 2000).

Kalamar's map isn't great because it HAS an atlas, but seeing the atlas lets you see how great the map really is. Seeing the FR atlas doesn't make me think the map is that great. There's just a lot of pages dedicated to it.

 

[Brakkart]

I can almost guarantee you that those who voted for FR and GH have not seen the Kalamar Atlas

Well you'd be wrong in my case, cos I've seen the Kalamar Atlas, flicked through it at my FLGS and put it back on the shelf. I'll stick with the Forgotten Realms maps (especially the more detailed area ones seen in the pages of the FRCS. now if only the 4 part free map they gave out in Dragon could have been that detailed, instead of just being a bigger version of the fold out map in the back of the FRCS then this entire thread would be academic at best).

 

[Wombat]

Best world map ... Harn

Yep. Hands down. Harn has the best maps, large to small scale. I love 'em! I use 'em in many different types of campaigns.

 

[WayneLigon]

Other.

Greyhawk is good. FR is... OK ( I still have problems with the mountain ranges that stop and start, etc). Kalamar is indeed very good and the atlas is certainly wonderful, but there's just something about it that doesn't 'grab' me. Conan of course has a nice map, but that's been around for some time now - I really wouldn't count it as a 'game' map. Eberron is very good as well, and of the published WoTC D&D worlds I probably like it best. OA -- are we talking the Kara-tur map, or the Rokugan map? Rokugan is OK but incomplete (and meant to be that way).

My favorites are:
Harn. Clear, clean, beatifully done, very detailed, and extensive. The Lythia map is a wonderful bit of work.
Glorantha. Again, wonderfully done, with a sense of 'the world' about it. A world shaped like a rough lozenge with e giant whirlpool in the ocean that drains into the Underworld. Too cool.
Midnight. A wonderful wonderful map, rendered well and with a very nice look to it.
Kanos for Questworld. Can't beat a continental map that comes with it's own minibooklet explaining the cllimate and geographical details. The world map for that was good as well. I wish it had been fleshed out more.

The Scarred Lands maps and the one in Ghostwalk get honorable mention.

 

[jester47]

For an overall map of the world, Kalamar's Atlas is the absolute best. Harn and MERP's regional maps come in a very close second. But for overall completeness and portability, man Kalamar is great.

Aaron.

 

[erian_7]

Mystara, with the Gazetteer maps compiled into the two Trail Maps giant fold outs.

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

I voted Other because of Harn.

I rate Harn and then Mystara as a close second.

The both really have full "world" maps. Some of Mystara's Gazetteers are just inspiring. But Harn's detail in regional maps, city maps, and building maps is awe-inspiring.

 

[James Heard]

Harn wins IMO, but if you include Eric Anondsen's beautiful, glorious map over at Canonfire! of Greyhawk then Greyhawk wins just for sheer clean, concise beauty. Anondsen's style honestly makes me look at the new map in Dungeon and just shrug in dismay. It's basically the bar of excellence I try to apply to my own maps for clarity and aesthetic value now.