The Bleak Castle

[foremost]

Wow Foremost, much luck on your 10 day project! I wish I could be as methodical and self-disciplined as you are. The thought of making 1 map a day along with a couple pages of story to go along with it sounds like a mountaneous task to me. :3 But I am sure you will succeed with flying colors!

Thanks It won't be as demanding as it sounds - I'll only post twice a week. I'll post the first day Saturday, then Sunday, then I'll have the weekdays to write the story. So it should leave me plenty of time; five weeks. I've got the majority of the maps ready, and those I need to make are near the end. So I won't be working straight out (though it will take some work and dedication).

I was taking a look at your Bleak Castle map which looks fantastic, and thought I would share what went through my mind. I really enjoy the elevation change which is something I clearly understood while looking over it. I was reading your text and wanted to suggest maybe putting the sleeping quarters of the castle above the Library and Dining Hall instead of below them, underground. Maybe turning that part of your castle into a 2-story, or whatever it takes to stick those bedrooms up above. Of course if that is not consistent with your story, as if it is not something natural to the culture to have balconies in your royal bedrooms, it would make sense to stick them underground then.

I know! I completely agree. In the story, I do have a balcony (or I will, haven't got there yet) so I sorta need it to be above. Alternatively, the balcony could be in the side of the cliff. I don't want to redo this to put it on top, but I will if I have to.

And also, your secret underground study room with the map table (which is my most favorite part about this castle) - I was thinking it would be neat to have something on top of that hill above ground, like a gazeebo or religious circle or graveyard or any kind of a structure that would give reason to its existence. If I was a 'nobody' looking at the grounds of this castle I would wonder what that empty space of land near the castle is being used for. Because there is nothing to be seen above ground I would naturally think that there is something underground. So I guess what I am saying is if I was looking for a secret chamber of sorts, that round steep hill would be the first place I would start searching! But if you had something on top of that hill then it would kind of fool the mind of the average person.

Again, I'm not sure how to represent this. Maybe several maps (on for each layer) or make the map again on a smaller scale and add in the upstairs bedrooms and hill-stuff in on the side.

[Caralel]

Well I have never made a worthy map in my life but I've looked at quite a few in my lifetime. For the layers of your map I was going to suggest exactly what you mentioned above, in that a map for each layer would be the way I would do it and set them next to each other on the same sheet of paper. I've also seen house plans where they have everything for the first floor in dark ink and everything representing the second floor is in lighter ink, or dotted ink, all on the same map. They seem to work out well. Or maybe you can color code it by filling in the rooms for the bottom layer a light color and then the rooms for the second layer a little bit darker shade. Maybe someone with actual map-making experience could give you some better tips!

The balcony coming out of the cliff for the royal bedroom/s sounds nice. It is different from the norm and I would definitely go with that if you still want to keep the living quarters beneath the Library and Dining Hall.

[foremost]

I'm starting the first chapter of the story today. I think the first two chapters will be the hardest to put out in terms of time - I've only got a few days now.

I have to make my decision on whether or not I'm redoing this map. I might try, and we'll see where it goes from there. I know I can't display the top and bottom floor in the same space - not with Sharpies at least.

Thanks for your feedback and ideas Caralel, hope to see you when the story starts!

[Caralel]

hope to see you when the story starts!

I will be there^^

[foremost]

The story starts tomorrow @ 11:00 PM. I'm very excited!

[foremost]

A reminder - Day One is here --> http://www.cartographersguild.com/ge...-foremost.html