*** July/August Mapping Challenge: Wheel of Prompts ***

[Ifrix]

We're back with another challenge, this time combining suggestions by XCali and Straf (a different wheel spinner was chosen to Straf's original suggestion as the result didn't stay on the screen for very long on that one)

There are 3 steps for this challenge:
1. Pick a Genre from the list below
2. Roll 5 times on The Wheel and record each result (the page does record the results if you click on the clipboard to the right of the wheel)
3. Pick at least 1 of these features to map, combining with the genre you picked in step 1

Clarifications:
Choose the genre first, then the prompts - all of them should work, some just might require a little more imagination. What would a sci-fi elven settlement look like? A cyberpunk dragon's lair? A high fantasy corporation?
A lot of these are structures which I appreciate is not everyone's cup of tea when mapping - if you want to include the structure/settlement as a point on a larger scale map try and think about how the nature of it would influence the wider area you are depicting.
You are welcome to include as many of the results in your map as you want, but obviously include at least one of them.

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Genres:

• High Fantasy - Lush forests, soaring mountains, and ancient ruins mark this classic setting.
  
• Grimdark Sci-Fi - A desolate landscape dominated by an eerie atmosphere, shrouded in perpetual smog and patrolled by ruthless enemies.
  
• Biopunk Sci-Fi - A world where technology integrates seamlessly with mutated flora and fauna.
  
• Gaslight Fantasy - Gas lamps illuminate cobbled streets in a world with Victorian-era technology and magical creatures.
  
• Lovecraftian Horror - A swirling vortex of madness and tentacles hints at terrifying, unseen monsters of the deep.
  
• Skypunk Fantasy - Floating cities drift amongst the clouds, powered by magical crystals and patrolled by airships.
  
• Post-Apocalyptic Fantasy - Lush greenery reclaims the ruins of a once-great civilization, where mutated flora harbors both beauty and danger.
  
• Cyberpunk Sci-Fi - Neon-drenched buildings sprawl across the landscape, controlled by powerful corporations and inhabited by augmented humans.
  
• Sword & Sorcery Fantasy - A savage and unforgiving land populated by warring tribes, nomadic traders, and legendary beasts.
  
• Space Opera Sci-Fi - A vast and unexplored star space dotted with vibrant alien civilizations, hidden space stations, ships and uncharted nebulae.
  
• Steampunk - Retrofuturistic, steam powered, victorian aesthetic

THE WHEEL OF PROMPTS

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Challenge Rules:
1. Any map for this challenge cannot have been started before now
2. Label your map thread like this: July/August 2024 Challenge: (your title here)
3. Preface any work-in-progress pictures you post with the WIP tag button - it's in the toolbar on the second row down, towards the right. Or you can just type out ### Latest WIP ### Doing this allows the picture scraper to see your work and let the voters see it at the end of the month
4. Clearly state the genre you have chosen, the 5 prompts you rolled up and which one(s) you have chosen

The Challenge will run until the 1st of September (UTC).

Good Luck!

[Turambar]

Amazing prompt! I will definitely be entering this one, though I won't be able to start my entry for a couple weeks since I am about to go on vacation. Looking forward to it.

[Straf]

Ooh, I'll come back to this. I think I'll roll a D-10 for the genre just for added randomness. I have a writing guild meeting on Wednesday for which I've been assigned a 500 word fiction piece. So far I haven't started it

[Chashio]

This is gonna be fun

[Greason Wolfe]

Hrm... My curiosity is piqued. Would like to have seen maybe steampunk, Old West, and Victorian themed in there (although lovecraftian might work for those last two). Did take a look at the wheel, and have a question....

Suppose I get "elven settlement" am I allowed to interpret that a little loosely (i.e. substituting something similar from, say, native American folklore/mythology) or would it have to be specifically "elven?"

Edit: Oh Wow!! I just had a crazy flashback to a game that came out in the mid to late 80s called TORG (That Other Roleplaying Game). The basic concept was that other realities were invading Earth, so you had a mix of like typical fantasy, Victorian horror, prehistoric dinosaurs, ancient Egypt, a cyberpapacy and high tech corporate Japan. Essentially, you could have a party made up of a priest of Ra, a caveman, a k ight of the round table, a cyber-jock, a pulp hero, and some corporate guru. Never got a chance to play it, but it sounded intriguing.

[Greason Wolfe]

Amazing prompt! I will definitely be entering this one, though I won't be able to start my entry for a couple weeks since I am about to go on vacation. Looking forward to it.

Looking forward to the challenge, the vacation or both?

[Ifrix]

Hrm... My curiosity is piqued. Would like to have seen maybe steampunk, Old West, and Victorian themed in there (although lovecraftian might work for those last two). Did take a look at the wheel, and have a question....

Suppose I get "elven settlement" am I allowed to interpret that a little loosely (i.e. substituting something similar from, say, native American folklore/mythology) or would it have to be specifically "elven?"

Ooh, those would have also been good genres - I must admit I did just take XCali's list and run from that but I have actually retroactively added Steampunk onto the list as that's a very popular genre (if you've already rolled but want to change to steampunk please feel free). Maybe we should do a similar challenge but with all the *-punk genres...

But yeah feel free to substitute for something recognisably close, for example the Eldar in Warhammer 40k are basically just space-opera elves

[Straf]

That's 11 and I don't have a d11. Can we add another genre so I can roll a d12?

A d11 would be handy for a Spinal Tap TTRPG.

[Straf]

12th genre idea: Bronze Age - Egyptian, Babylonian, Biblical settings. Stuff like that.

[Greason Wolfe]

That's 11 and I don't have a d11. Can we add another genre so I can roll a d12?

A d11 would be handy for a Spinal Tap TTRPG.

2d6-1 will give you a result between 1 and 11 ( which just happens to be a 25 active point killing attack in hero systems)

Edit: And as Captain America would say, "I get that reference."