Night Battlemap: A road less traveled

[XCali]

Okay, so I'm still thinking about what I should call this map.

Anyway, I have a few days on my hands and felt like doing a battlemap set at night. Now, this is a bit of an experiment, so any feedback is welcome.

I'm not sure if I should add a few more buildings to sell a small settlement on this map or just a single building with maybe a barn, what do you think?


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Night_battlemap_byOmri.jpg

[bkh1914]

That building is too big to be a farm house, too fancy to be a barn, so it must be an Inn.

The area above and to the left looks like it has been cleared and smoothed out.
A perfect place for a barn/stables for travelers' horses.
And maybe a coral for the horses.

Plus an out-house near the Inn.

[XCali]

That building is too big to be a farm house, too fancy to be a barn, so it must be an Inn.

The area above and to the left looks like it has been cleared and smoothed out.
A perfect place for a barn/stables for travelers' horses.
And maybe a coral for the horses.

Plus an out-house near the Inn.

Thanks, definitely things to consider.

Though, I was curious as to why it is too big for a farmhouse? I haven't even posted a scale yet.

[bkh1914]

Though, I was curious as to why it is too big for a farmhouse? I haven't even posted a scale yet.

Lots of little things, none of which are conclusive, but together they all point towards it not being a farmhouse.

• The land doesn't look like farm land - too many trees and/or rocks and no signs of cultivation. Maybe ranch land but not tillable crop land.
• The shape of the house. In my experience, older farm houses tend to be more square, which generally gives more floor space per dollar (or whatever currency).
• The building has two significant wings at the one end and a smaller wing at the other. That implies extra bedrooms and/or a very rich farmer. Or plantation owner.
• Farming is a low profit margin business and farmers normally plow any extra money back into their business - bigger barns, better tools and equipment, etc. Not into a bigger, fancier farmhouse. Farmers rarely try to keep up with 'the Jones'. They can't afford to if they want to still be in business after a bad year or three.
• On a farm, barns and other outbuildings occupy a lot more space than the house does. A lot more space. Unless it's a ranch and the cattle live on the range all year long. There isn't enough cleared space near that building for those outbuildings.

Mostly it was the shape of the building. The other things are supporting indicators.

Many years ago, I grew up across the street from a small dairy farm. Actually, the pasture was across the street and the farm was down the road a ways. And I currently live way out in the country, where there are more cows (and deer) per square mile than there are people. [And internet access is very slow.]

-bkh

[XCali]

Lots of little things, none of which are conclusive, but together they all point towards it not being a farmhouse.

• The land doesn't look like farm land - too many trees and/or rocks and no signs of cultivation. Maybe ranch land but not tillable crop land.
• The shape of the house. In my experience, older farm houses tend to be more square, which generally gives more floor space per dollar (or whatever currency).
• The building has two significant wings at the one end and a smaller wing at the other. That implies extra bedrooms and/or a very rich farmer. Or plantation owner.
• Farming is a low profit margin business and farmers normally plow any extra money back into their business - bigger barns, better tools and equipment, etc. Not into a bigger, fancier farmhouse. Farmers rarely try to keep up with 'the Jones'. They can't afford to if they want to still be in business after a bad year or three.
• On a farm, barns and other outbuildings occupy a lot more space than the house does. A lot more space. Unless it's a ranch and the cattle live on the range all year long. There isn't enough cleared space near that building for those outbuildings.

Mostly it was the shape of the building. The other things are supporting indicators.

Many years ago, I grew up across the street from a small dairy farm. Actually, the pasture was across the street and the farm was down the road a ways. And I currently live way out in the country, where there are more cows (and deer) per square mile than there are people. [And internet access is very slow.]

-bkh

That is quite an interesting tidbit there. Thanks.
Though, I have to say having been at and stayed in different farmhouses that had many rooms and complex layouts, I didn't think it odd to add wings because the real life ones were quite elaborate houses. Even the one that was in the middle of nowhere in an arid landscape had quite a big house. But, I know there are simple farmhouses too. I will think on it though.

[XCali]

Hi,

Today I added a few structures, a barn, a differently shaped stable than normal, a well, a ladder to cave at the top and a campfire behind boulders at the bottom.

I'm experimenting with the lights, so let me know how it is coming.

### Latest WIP ###
Night_battlemap_A road less traveled_byOmri.jpg

[wdmartin]

Unless it's very late at night, there should be light spilling out the windows of the house. At least some of them. Err, unless everyone is dead. If they're dead, then never mind.

Is there a moon out? If so, the buildings would have shadows from the moonlight.

Up at the top end, just above the barn, there appears to be a ladder. I can't tell whether it's leading down into a pit or up onto a promontory. My eyes flipping back and forth between seeing it as a pit/rock outcropping.

The hand-drawn buildings sit oddly on the photorealistic background, at least to my eye.

[XCali]

Unless it's very late at night, there should be light spilling out the windows of the house. At least some of them. Err, unless everyone is dead. If they're dead, then never mind.

Is there a moon out? If so, the buildings would have shadows from the moonlight.

Up at the top end, just above the barn, there appears to be a ladder. I can't tell whether it's leading down into a pit or up onto a promontory. My eyes flipping back and forth between seeing it as a pit/rock outcropping.

The hand-drawn buildings sit oddly on the photorealistic background, at least to my eye.

The lights are a bit complicated, the more lights I add the more I have to work out how it affects the shadows of the buildings. But, I'm working on it.

About the pit at the top, it is both, the ladder leads up onto a rock outcropping which happens to have a cave in its center. (I added a few things to make the distinction easier.)

The houses were drawn with pencil, not much I can do about it. But, I did have some ideas.

[XCali]

Tried a few things to blend stuff better.
The rock outcropping was cleaned up and a rope was added next to where the ladder climbs up to. I played around with the lights and the shadows, so hopefully, it works better. I changed the landscape a bit to make it fit closer to the buildings and added a bit more detail to the buildings(Still they are and will remain pencil drawn buildings. I will do my best to blend them better.)

I added a small off the beaten track trail that leads away. (There is a strange rock added there as well.)
Barrels to the fireplace in the left bottom corner.

I think that is all...
Anyway, tell me what you think.

### Latest WIP ###

[XCali]

SIDE POST (Hi! This was the start of my accompanying cave system for the map. You can use it for personal use and for a table top with friends. )

Random_Cave_System_byXCali_Omri.jpg

Random_Cave_System-GRID-_byXCali_Omri.jpg