Mapmaking merry (5)

As promised last week, another instalment of the very occasional series on merging mapmaking and terrain-making. The reason given to the mapmakers for tuning in?

For a different kind of expression, for time away from the number crunching and paper, from pencils and dice. Indulge the artist within, get tactile - show yourself in another medium. It's a breath of fresh air, and will likely give you a different understanding of spaces and decor that will feed back into games.

And for the terrain-makers just a few of those words need switching round.

For a different kind of expression, for time away from the sculpting and scattering, from paints and LOS. Indulge the planner within, get calculating - show yourself in another medium. It's a breath of fresh air, and will likely give you a different understanding of spaces and movement that will feed back into games.

Board games are popular all over, and many manage to mix both approaches - carefully considered arrangements with beautifully decoration, perhaps even raised or sculpted elements. Think Space Crusade and HeroQuest, or Space Hulk and Warhammer Quest. Skirmish games often have narrative approach to space and form a link to larger wargaming. Recent Triffles have also tried to bridge the gap, with the secret passage coming closest yet.

The first post in the series offered ideas found out on the thoroughfares of cyberspace, a range of approaches from 2D to 3D. The second post had links for giving an idea a fixed final form. The third dealt briefly with campaign maps, and the fourth with planets and systems. This fifth will just get us back up to date with the magic that's going on all over the place and offer more stunning vistas. Click and lose yourself in new worlds.


General setting design

• Super Galactic Dreadnought has some excellent links for system design.
• Here again is that updated spreadsheet from The Orb for even more data.
• Tower of the Archmage has a whole subsector starting here, linked like this.
• At city level, I See Lead People has a trio of fantasy district maps.
• Gothridge Manor links to a city encounter generator to inspire more.

Fantasy, modern and sci-fi 2D

• Risus Monkey has generously made available his first 100 geomorphs.
• More well-thought-out examples at The Nine and Thirty Kingdoms.
• A character for every game has a mass of excellent 'dungeon' maps.
• Suggestions for modern maps at The Society of Torch, Pole and Rope.
• I'm betting most of you have seen this already, the Tantive IV at Mik's Minis.
  
• ArmChairGeneral really loves his battlemats, and lists the collection here.
• The list of fictional mines here at the Expanse also links to a few maps.
  
• ... and many more excellent links for mapmaking at Old School Heretic.
  

Fantasy, modern and sci-fi 2D / 3D

• Mik's Minis again, here using Heroscape tiles in a skirmish game.
  
• Aeons & Augauries has been experimenting with virtual wilderness hexes.
• A hex map of Europe, gifted at What a horrible night to have a curse...
• A Zombie Town, courtesy of Skankgame and via Have dice, will travel...
  
• Plastic Legions is now building a vast cargo bay - latest update here.
• The enormous Sin of Alacrity at A Gentleman's Ones can now be yours.
• Build a planet to orbit, again with Super Galactic Dreadnought.

Fantasy, modern, sci-fi and more, 3D

• Tales from the Maelstrom have a funky frontier hab-bunker and farm.
• Great sci-fi terrain, some with wider uses, at Confessions of a 40K addict.
• Various downloadable contemporary buildings, care of Winter of '79.
• The Angry Lurker has a whole contemporary city table, seen in action here.
  
• Terrainthralls has tutorials galore, also thanks to Have dice, will travel...
• ... and he introduced me to TerraGenesis too, an inspiring forum.
• Blue Table Painting has a vid of an Ork junkyard for the Valhalla event.
• Ten inspirational gaming boards at cianty's Tabletop Wargames Blog.