Topside over Under Street Thieves Guild

[Gamerprinter]

I'm still working on all the supplementary maps for an upcoming pubication with Johnn Four of Roleplaying Tips Newsletter and Yax of GameMastery/4e Blog, as a Rogue's Resource containing a Beggar's Guild for low level rogues, a Thieves Guild for medium level rogues, and my Assassin's Lair (June Challenge Entry) as a high level rogue map. John will write 20K of written content, including my Gnomic Syndicate and Gnomic Lettering (font).

The final product will have all maps sliced into multiple letter size sheets, combined with text, formatted into a downloadable PDF product.

This is the topside map, directly over the Under Street Guild.

Steps in its creation:

1. I created some walls in Xara printed it out at 17 x 22 onto my large format b/w laser printer. Got some tracing paper and traced the walls with the assumed brick-like texture to the outline. Then scanned it with my 11 x 17 flatbed in 2 scans, stitched the image as one, saved as a 300 ppi TIF.

2. I imported the scanned TIF into Xara, created beveled walls and placed under the hand-drawn walls. Then created an outline shadow for depth.

3. Individual doors, beds, tables, horses, were initially created in Xara as rectangular shapes, or used Poser to generate topdown views of horses, printed them out onto laser, traced them sketched in detail - like the paving stones. Scanned, saved to TIF, imported, colored, beveled, shadowing in Xara.

So I don't hand-draw the whole thing at once, but in stages, adding more detail, multiple scans then composited in Xara, applying all color, bevels, etc in that application. Finally exporting to JPG format.

Notice the partially transparent stairway in the back of the Tavern, this is to show the hallway beneath the stairs with the trapdoor in the floor leading down to the operations chamber of the Thieves Guild below it - as one of the secret entrances to the Guild area.

Although this map is for publication, this is map is the least assuming, more fluff to better describe the Thieves Guild beneath it. Yet it is one of the more beautiful maps of the set.

Link to original thread:
http://www.cartographersguild.com/showthread.php?t=8531

Enjoy!

GP

[Rythal]

oOoOOo awesome job, especially on the horses. What are those blue circle things though... I thought that they were birdbaths, but it wouldn't make sense to have one indoors?

either way, looks great!

[Gamerprinter]

Those are rain barrels in an outside courtyard between the buildings. The one in the "kitchen area" of the tavern is the water source in the tavern. Barrels filled with water - I thought it was more obvious.

GP

[Ascension]

This is a good looking map, bro. I'm definitely liking the lighter touch of the pen combined with the light color and subtle shading.

[Ramah]

Looks lovely. Great stuff.

[Steel General]

More neat stuff here GP...

[Gamerprinter]

Thank you everyone for your kind words - I'm glad you like the style. Has me thinking of ideas too. It might worthy to attempt to create a complete castle in this style and/or an entire village.

Looks like something to try in February though, my January is already filled up. I'm finishing up my last map for the Rogue's Resource, a Beggar's Guild, probably finish tomorrow. Then I'm starting a seven map project for Dog House Rulez, which incidentally was the same company as my first pro mapping gig about three years ago, almost exactly. Something for their Old West game - Sidewinder? Anyway, a series of cattle rustler maps in the Zion Canyon region of Utah. So January is booked up - to busy to map for myself.

So what do you think, a castle or a village in this style - all with full interior maps, not just roofed over buildings?

Thoughts?

GP

[wampuscat43]

Thank you everyone for your kind words - I'm glad you like the style. Has me thinking of ideas too. It might worthy to attempt to create a complete castle in this style and/or an entire village.

Looks like something to try in February though, my January is already filled up. I'm finishing up my last map for the Rogue's Resource, a Beggar's Guild, probably finish tomorrow. Then I'm starting a seven map project for Dog House Rulez, which incidentally was the same company as my first pro mapping gig about three years ago, almost exactly. Something for their Old West game - Sidewinder? Anyway, a series of cattle rustler maps in the Zion Canyon region of Utah. So January is booked up - to busy to map for myself.

So what do you think, a castle or a village in this style - all with full interior maps, not just roofed over buildings?

Thoughts?

GP

Village all the way. You can never have enough street scenes.

Excellent job.