Terrainmonkey's Map-A-Day thread

[pyrandon]

Woo hoo: my spearmen compass occupy another map! Thanks!

I like this map, TM! I hope you do play wiht it more in the future. Plus, I'm glad we'll be seeing more of your "doodlings"!

[terrainmonkey]

here's another one. cities aren't named or anything. this map is in response to a PC in my campaign asking, what's beyond those mountains? (sigh).... i don't know, but i'll bring a map of the larger campaign world next week, i say to him.

so this means i have to make a larger map. okay..... what do i do? i know, google earth has never let me down, maybe i can get an idea from that! sure.....

one picture of messopotamia later, here's the result. a quick player's map they can use. took about 3 hours, basic and simple i know, but i'm all about simplicity. one thing i know to be a fact. i love my Wacom tablet. any mapper out there who doesn't have one, i can't see how you can design maps without it. just using the mouse is almost impossible for me anymore.

[terrainmonkey]

today is a two-fer. i got the idea for this city after looking through some of my old judges guild maps and seeing the simplicity of design for a map of a city in one of the books. can't name the city right off hand, but thought i'd give it a go.

this was done with the tablet, all freehand with a felt tip pen brush and a couple of artistic styles. took about half an hour, then another ten minutes for the text.

i envisioned this as a town led by a lawful evil ruler who has let the town fall on hard times. there's really no scale because i wasn't really thinking about it. this is just mostly a freehand doodle based on ideas i had during the moment. i may go back and revisit this one, but i think its mostly done.

[terrainmonkey]

wow, two weeks.... sorry guys

anyway, back to the show, here's one i just put together for the last hour or so. trying to make hand drawn on the comp without using the scanner. getting used to those layer fills. so much easier...

here's a random cave sample. i'm working on something else right now, a dwarven citadel on a mountain called Grisskaald City. maybe i'll post a WIP on it here in a few days when i get the style down i want.

well, anyway, here's the map:

[The Cartographist]

terrainmonkey-
I'm new to the site in the last few weeks, and when I first got here I didn't take the time to peruse this entire thread. I've just done so. Nice!

Really like a lot of your work, especially Temple of the Dragon God, Smugglers Caves, The Keep, Catacombs of the Lexrian Princes, and Caves of the Brine Overlord (In no particular order).

Some of your other stuff, not so much. . . But it's great to look over all of it.

Keep posting--as several have said, it's really enjoyable to come and take a look on a regular basis.

[thebax2k]

Hey Terrainmonkey, did you ever flesh out (hmm, maybe a bad choice of words) any additional levels for Fortress of the Ghoul Lord? It looked like you had made a good start.

[terrainmonkey]

yes, i've worked on it from time to time, but my work and performance schedule makes it rather difficult to post or do anything really productive lately. add the holidays and travel to the mix and you can see why its been a while since i've posted here. anyway, thanks for the interest, and i'll see about getting those maps up here soon.

[terrainmonkey]

hey

heres another one. took a couple of hours, but i think i'm getting pretty good at layer masks and all that. reading a lot of tutorials and transferring that into corel draw.

[RPMiller]

My how your skills have improved young grasshopper.

That is very nice!

[terrainmonkey]

thanks! every day i have to try something different. this is a happy blending of several happy accidents in map design over the months i've been here. thanks to all who have spurred me on to be better than i thought possible.

anyway, the above map with emboss techniques and stalactites. (because no self respecting cave can be without those.)

also with added texture on the floor. this one is done. i can't do any more to it to make it better than i feel it is.