Drawing a Map

[alhoon]

I'm just saying my opinion here and I don't want to dissuade you from your plan but...
I kinda find a tutorial of 250 pages to be disheartening. It's good for professionals or those that take the hobby seriously of course, but I think I would prefer a much-slimmer toned down version with a few quick and dirty tips, like 15-20 pages long. I don't think I would ever read 250 pages on map making.

[MichaelTumey]

It's not 250 pages of reading, out of the 200-ish pages dedicated to the tutorials, the text comprises less than half that, and only as simple instructions, as 3 short paragraphs beside 3 map-in-progress thumbnails per page - not detailed tool explanations, screen shots or any of that. Half of each tutorial are full page maps. (I don't have a word count estimate, but it's significantly lower than 1 quarter of what 200 pages would normally be.)

I cover problem areas, like creating depth in water effects, creating cliffs, canyons, mountains, volcanoes and craters, waterfalls, and other problematic areas in additional to typical mapping techniques to help you make better maps for your games. I want to cover a lot of ground (pun intended) with this, so the page count is necessary.

Here, look at one of the rough draft versions of the tutorials already created and posted on my Google+ community - Creating a Path through the Forest. Although the published version will include more textual detail, I'll only do 3 steps per page, instead of 9 in the sample. Is this too much to read?

Imagine this as a 3 page tutorial, followed by a full page version of the final step map, then 3 full page sample maps using the same technique - that's what each tutorial consists of. It's as much an 'art book' as a tutorials guide to show you what can be done using these techniques.

The most wordy part of the book will be the chapter called Explanation of Terms. When a tutorial states "Create a Shape", different applications use different tools to accomplish this, so after giving the general description of what this instruction means, then you'd visit one of 4 (maybe more) subsections using Photoshop, GIMP, Inkscape, or Xara on which tools and techniques allows you to accomplish that task.

[MichaelTumey]

Here's a quickie map I did as one of the sample maps for my upcoming tutorials guide. This one I think could find a place in one the more 'civilized' of the dark lords' home's in Ravenloft, or other nobleman. I used a Photoshop plug-in to apply a mosaic filter onto a classical painting of Bacchus to add extra floor detail.

[MichaelTumey]

I was going to start the Kickstarter today, but I only just got verified by Amazon Payments yesterday (the first step in setting up a Kickstarter), so that caused a delay preventing me from starting it today, and I still want to start the Kickstarter on a Friday.

However, another opportunity popped up that I can't pass up. Since I'm in the print industy and member of various print industry associations, I can get prices for outsourced large volume printing at better prices than most publishers can get, while still making a nice commission. Gygax magazine called me yesterday about getting them prices for printing 2 maps at 5000 prints each to be included in a RPG setting box edition they will be publishing (plus prices for box/box printing sources, GMs screens and more). So in addition to the commission I'll earn, Gygax magazine has offered me 2 free full page, full color ads for issue #2. I'll be promoting my Gamer Printshop RPG map POD service, and the Kickstarter project for the tutorials guides in one ad, and my Kaidan Japanese horror setting as the other ad.

So now I want to ensure that the Kickstarter funding period covers the time period of the release for issue #2 of Gygax magazine for a huge potential in acquiring contributors to the project. It's too good an opportunity to pass up! So the project might be delayed for a couple more weeks...

[HuManBing]

Glad to hear it - it's great that your obvious talent is being harnessed profitably for the industry!

[MichaelTumey]

Although I will start a new thread focused on my upcoming Kickstarter (which starts tomorrow!), I will also soon be doing a regular column on Game Cartography in Paco Garcia Jaen's G*M*S online magazine - a blog site and more. For the Kickstarter, Paco will have me as a guest in the next G*M*S podcast. So I'll have several ways to keep you guys updated on my project and my general cartographic expertise. Look forward to seeing you there!

Michael

[MichaelTumey]

25 Quick & Dirty Map Tutorials Guide Kickstarter has been launched! Join today and help spread the word.

[MichaelTumey]

I'm the new cartography columnist on G*M*S Magazine - Paco Garcia Jaen's popular RPG blog/zine, and my first article was posted there helping potential map-makers choosing the best software for their needs. It's really just an overview of what's out there and how it might best fit you.

The Cartographer's Table - Which Mapping Software is Best for You?

[MichaelTumey]

Anyone need a night time cemetery map just in time for Halloween?

Link to larger version: Grave Night map

[alhoon]

http://www.rpgnow.com/product/123716/NU ... The-Forest

6 OK maps of a forest for free. It's a promotional product.
Each one can combine with any other map at the edges, creating a large number of different maps.
They're not of the excellent quality of some maps in this thread (no drop-shadows for example) but they can be combined to create at least 50 different maps.

[MichaelTumey]

http://www.rpgnow.com/product/123716/NU ... The-Forest

6 OK maps of a forest for free. It's a promotional product.
Each one can combine with any other map at the edges, creating a large number of different maps.
They're not of the excellent quality of some maps in this thread (no drop-shadows for example) but they can be combined to create at least 50 different maps.

I use to sell a set of 4 printed, color laser printed 11 x 17 (full bleed), double-side printed (so 8 maps in total) that have geomorphic edges - meaning if I line up 2 such prints edge to edge, the graphics match up perfectly. And I included drop shadows, and same techniques I use in my photo-realistic map style. It came laminated, which was a pain to do, and I didn't sell many, so I kind of dropped the product. However, I have offerred them as a digital downloadable product as part of my Map Tutorials Kickstarter - I added it when I hit $20K in the last 6 hours of my KS campaign. I am offerring 8 different sets: heavy forest, swamp, desert, arctic/winter, urban alleys, dungeon, caverns, and highland terrain. These will be available as printable PDF, when I release most of the other products from the KS. And I will probably design more, eventually.

[alhoon]

Urban alleys is a must! Please do so!

[MichaelTumey]

Yeah, urban alleys is a favorite of mine too. I've thought of creating a pocket domain of dread that required the set of Endless Terrain Battlemaps (urban alley) - that's what the product is called. The way I intended use of the product and the way the pocket domain worked is you lay out four 11 x 17 prints edge (2 x 2). Each 'tile' has 6 exits, 1 each on the 11" sides, and 2 each on the 17" sides, however not all tiles allow use of all 6 exits in each one. Many are separated by walls, buildings and other obstacles, like canals, etc. If you walk past an exit 'off map', you simply grab one of the tiles without any of the PCs in it and place it where it needs to allow the PCs passage. You can rotate the map 180 degrees, or flip it over (since the originals were 2 sided). So you have an endless variety of alleys to maneuver within. However, if the party has moved out of a given tile, since it may have been moved to accommodate passage into, you can't go back, the terrain will be different...

Some of the tiles have larger open spaces within that could accommodate different smaller subtiles to fill the spaces with something different, even using the same tile. Things like a debris field or abandoned building the PCs could enter. maybe a hole in the ground leading to sewers and tunnels below, or access to catacombs, then switch out the Endless Terrain Battlemap (dungeons) or (caverns) and continue the process.

I have an NPC list of urban people of interest over the year, any of which could be a domain ruler or other interesting character of the pocket domain. Of course the usual rogue types - cat burglars, thugs, street gangs, maybe the yakuza or something similar. I have an insane NPC druid who came as anti-urban life protester who was thrown in jail and forgotten, when finally released he became a homeless wino who hates people, but cares for vermin, stray animals, pigeons, rats. There's a tavern called the Cat o' Nine Tails which is a primary hang-out in the alleys. Other than ideas for some kind of urban witch, I've never really developed a domain ruler for the place.

The idea intrigues me. (Almost worth starting it's own thread on the concept...)

[MichaelTumey]

Here's some sample map objects in the soon to be released 100 map object set from the Kickstarter. These are funerary objects: (top left) neolithic grave, (top center) stone sarcophagus, (top right) coffin, (bottom left) rock pile tomb, (bottom center) pyre, (bottom right) wooden casket. These should fit burial needs for different cultures for you. Enjoy!

[alhoon]

Can you give a link to this kickstarter project?