Newbie Just Saying Hello

[Sotik]

Hello everyone, I am new to the website here. I am a budding DM for D&D, and have been working on making maps for my players and figured after being directed here quite a bit from my Google searches I should just join the community. I am 28 years old, and have been working on a fantasy world since I was a kid and got addicted to EQ. I recently got interested in Roll20, started a game with my wife and some of her family members, and have now spent a lot of time world building more then I ever thought I would. I have to say, when you read the Dungeon Masters Guide, it says that every person enjoys one aspect more than others and mine has to by far be world building and drawing maps.

Right now I am in the midst of trying to settle on a style. I've had Campaign Cartographer forever and have been trying to get more into it, I've also done some tutorials on Gimp and PS CS2, and have just been over all trying other programs that are free, or have free trials. I just figure I would be picky about my tool now and stick with it, instead of going with something and then finding something else I like better half way through and having to convert all my world over to the new style. If you have any suggestions on this topic, feel free to send them my way

So, yeah that's me. Hope to be become a regular, learn some things from you guys, and share some of my work

[Diamond]

Hello Sotik, welcome to the Guild. There are masters of every type of software and technique here, and if you have questions, you definitely came to the right place. As far as settling on a style... half the fun (for me, anyway) is learning a new technique or having a new idea and then redrawing a world setting again (and again and again and again). But that may just be because I'm weird.

[rdanhenry]

EDIT: Sorry, accidentally posted on the wrong thread.

Well, as long as I did post here, I might as well extend welcome to Sotik. Whatever you choose to work with, you will be able to get advice on improving your techniques.

[Sotik]

Hello Sotik, welcome to the Guild. There are masters of every type of software and technique here, and if you have questions, you definitely came to the right place. As far as settling on a style... half the fun (for me, anyway) is learning a new technique or having a new idea and then redrawing a world setting again (and again and again and again). But that may just be because I'm weird.

I can fully understand that. I've actually been finding map making to be more fun than I expected. Just the idea that I can tell a story by making a map has become a joy of mine.


I am taking on a large task though. I am going to be making a lot of maps ranging from different scales. Ideally from a full blow world map, down to a regional scale of a few hundred miles or so. To give it an idea, I used Fractal Terrains 3 to get an idea of how that tool worked, and it was something like 2,000 files. So that's 2,000 maps in the end not even counting dungeon maps, and town maps XD Call me crazy, but I am going to start by just focusing on what the players will encounter in the foreseeable future, and then working out from there as time allows.