Re: Completed Ytarria Hex map with terrain added
 

Humble bundle has a map making software bundle currently.

Re: Completed Ytarria Hex map with terrain added
 

It´s a good deal and the software has many useful functions, but beware Campaign carthographer needs a lot of skill and experience to be useful.

Re: Completed Ytarria Hex map with terrain added
 

Link to the bundle? I searched briefly but couldn't find it.

Re: Completed Ytarria Hex map with terrain added
 

Look under Humble Bundle Maps Bonanza, I hope it´s ok to post the link too.

https://www.humblebundle.com/softwar...softwarebundle

Re: Completed Ytarria Hex map with terrain added
 

Not wanting to let this thread disappear, I am compelled to ask if any more updates have been made to the map. I usually check here to see because I can’t always tell if the blog post has been updated. Thanks!

Re: Completed Ytarria Hex map with terrain added
 

The disappearance problem is solved. There's a link to this thread in the "Index to threads with lasting value" thread in the GURPS Resources sub-forum.

Re: Completed Ytarria Hex map with terrain added
 

Sorry gents. I was 7 days a week, 12 hour shifts for three weeks now, leaving little time for cartography.

Anyway, I have been pondering what to add next. There are a few options:

Additional Named Locations (peaks, valleys, waterfalls, minor river names, ect)
Village Names
Island Development (there are many)
Castles / Towers
Major Monstrous Lairs
Detailing the Djinn & Orclands Lands
General Background Development

For me at least, all I need for a creative spark is a few sentences or two, perhaps a paragraph, on an area. I do not want to get sucked into too much detail. I will start this and post this via a PDF or some other means on a new blog post.

Ideas are welcome.

Re: Completed Ytarria Hex map with terrain added
 

I maintain that there should be a truly impressive waterfall on the Yvostek River, akin to Victoria or Niagara Falls. It should be located south of the town of Yurr'Zon and north of the canal.

The canal will also be a mighty feat of engineering, equivalent to the Erie Canal or the ancient Chinese grand canals. There will be locks to raise or lower boats every 2-20 miles, based on terrain slope, possibly with impressive multi-lock structures near the ends of the canals to lift barges over or down escarpments. If you like this idea, lots of good pictures here.

For names, it's not unreasonable to name towns, rivers, etc. after features from the original settlers' home countries, possibly tacking the equivalent of "New" in front of the name. (e.g., Neu Rhein, Nova Salamanca). Places might also be named for early heroes or explorers (e.g., Bjornholm, Cuthbert's Peak) or religious figures (e.g., Marienbad, Jabal al Fatima, Odinsfjord). That makes place names somewhat easy, since you just need a map of the inhabitants' original country or a list of saint's names/culturally-appropriate names.

There will be fortifications at any strategic location on the map - along rivers and trade routes, near national or regional borders, etc. Castles in some cases, military camps or watchtowers in others. Some might be ancient ruins, having served their purpose in the distant past. Don't forget walls and dikes like Offa's Dyke, Hadrian's Wall or the Great Wall of China (easy to do with Create Earth spells) along frontier areas to discourage monsters and/or barbarians. All these things seem particularly appropriate in Megalos with its large population, large military and weaponized mages.

The same idea holds for major monster lairs. One man's monster lair is another orc's embattled border outpost. Don't be too specific about details, however. For example, the "lair" of a major dragon might be an area hundreds of miles in diameter.

Finally, if you don't have a background in geography, take a quick look at the topics of cultural and economic geography for further inspiration.

Assume that the big cities marked on the map will be surrounded by smaller cities or towns, approximately 1-2 per 24 mile hex, out to a distance of 50-100 miles, with settlement patterns being channeled along rivers, trade routes, valleys, and coasts. Wherever traders must shift transportation modes (e.g., boat to caravan, or river barge to seagoing ship) or bypass some obstacle there will be some type of settlement.

Towns and smaller cities in relatively settled areas will be surrounded by hamlets or small towns every 5-20 miles with roads of varying quality linking them. Small settlements within half a day's to a full day's walk, larger settlements separated by 2-5 days travel time, really big settlements every 200-500 mi. serving an entire region and with road, river, and seaport networks sufficient to support a big population.

There should be a settlement at any point where a river meets the sea or where a trade route meets a major mountain range or a major desert. If there isn't a settlement, there might be a very good reason for it (e.g., ruined former settlement, monster lair, residual Banestorm effects, etc.)

Re: Completed Ytarria Hex map with terrain added
 

I earlier mentioned I'd like to see a location strewn with a ridiculous number of lakes – like Minnesota, except that that's still nothing compared to a bit farther north in Canada.

It's by no means an important feature, so I wouldn't worry about it much. But for your amusement, here's a map I later came across: https://i.redd.it/k27xjls80mw21.jpg

It's a map of the world's lakes, and Canada is... insane. Half the country is merely rich in lakes. The other half looks like more lake than land.

Some area like that on Ytarria, even far smaller in scale, would mean lots of Boating in summer and Skiing in winter on overland journeys.

Again, not a particularly important or fascinating feature, but I thought your mapmaker sensibilities might find that map interesting.

Re: Completed Ytarria Hex map with terrain added
 

Thanks Tbone/Pursiviant. That gives me something to work on this weekend. Like all those ideas.