Author Topic: Are there any higher resolution continent maps of SW?  (Read 3113 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Thot

  • Senior Adept
  • **
  • Posts: 610
  • OIC Points +0/-0
Are there any higher resolution continent maps of SW?
« on: December 13, 2019, 03:17:42 PM »
In preparation for a campaign I am pondering, I wanted to draw a few maps. In the Jaiman book, there are actually maps of the whole continent that are empty for the individual GM to fill with his stuff; unfortunately, they are in rather low resolution, and once you zoom in, they get all blurry.

Any chance we could get higher resolution maps somewhere? Like, here on the forum, or elsewhere on the website?

Offline Malim

  • Adept
  • **
  • Posts: 424
  • OIC Points +0/-0
Re: Are there any higher resolution continent maps of SW?
« Reply #1 on: December 13, 2019, 04:16:55 PM »
Of what area?
Sir Elor Blacke knight of Helyssa, Kytari Fighter lvl 25 (RM2)
Malim Naruum, Yinka Lord Bashkor lvl 27  (RM2)

Offline Thot

  • Senior Adept
  • **
  • Posts: 610
  • OIC Points +0/-0
Re: Are there any higher resolution continent maps of SW?
« Reply #2 on: December 13, 2019, 04:31:35 PM »
Of what area?

Ideally, of all of them, of course. But for the time being, I'd be fine with Jaiman.

Offline MisterK

  • Senior Adept
  • **
  • Posts: 656
  • OIC Points +0/-0
Re: Are there any higher resolution continent maps of SW?
« Reply #3 on: December 15, 2019, 10:18:46 AM »
I have made a few large-size B&W "blank" continental maps for my own use. You can see them on the Third Era website :
Jaiman : http://third.era.free.fr/?page_id=813 (scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the image)
Uj (in Emer) : http://third.era.free.fr/?page_id=217
Kelestia : http://third.era.free.fr/?page_id=816

I have them on my own drive (Jaiman is 6067x5432 - 8.5Mo, Uj is 7673x5873 - 3.4Mo, and Kelestia is 11500x12900 - 16Mo). I can upload them if there is enough interest in them, or send them by email if only one person is interested.

Please understand that part of the maps, notably elevation lines, are interpretations - the official maps are not really precise on those aspects.

I have a full map of Emer in the works (I really should work on it...).

My main source was the Kulthea Western Hemisphere world map.

Offline Thot

  • Senior Adept
  • **
  • Posts: 610
  • OIC Points +0/-0
Re: Are there any higher resolution continent maps of SW?
« Reply #4 on: December 15, 2019, 10:32:22 AM »
That does sound excellent... I'd appreciate a higher resolution file of Jaiman!

Offline MisterK

  • Senior Adept
  • **
  • Posts: 656
  • OIC Points +0/-0
Re: Are there any higher resolution continent maps of SW?
« Reply #5 on: December 16, 2019, 05:10:54 AM »
I have uploaded the maps on Google Drive. The link to access the (normally public) folder is the following:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1VeDfDbuYhcX8RjRRJZYOFUG6DMsICtz2?usp=sharing

Feel free to share.

As I indicated earlier, I have a map of Emer in the works. I also have a detailed map of Saralis, but I have not scanned it yet (and it is by no means canon, having been done before the Xa-ar module was published).

I also included a handful of city maps that I used throughout my Shadow World campaigns:
- Kaitaine is, well, Kaitaine (my take of it, anyway). Two maps, one "blank" and one including the ward boundaries and names.
- Bentara is that city in Vornia on the northern coast of the Bay of Izar.
- Eschalis is a small city facing the island of Ciros (the island on which Kaitaine is built). I assumed that, if caravans were crossing the mountains and Uj to go to Kaitaine (or from it), then a settlement and harbour would likely have developed on the mainland, as close to Kaitaine as possible.
- Flamlin is a coastal city in Tanara. In my version of Shadow World, it was a Sulin coastal town that has greatly expanded following the retrieval of the Pegasus Crown and reinstatement of the Kingdom of Tanara (more a federal kingdom, as it is).
- Gonur Kawy is a coastal village in northern Jaiman. In my version of SW, it is located at the northwesternmost point of Saralis. From it, there is a trail crossing the Dragonsfang mountains to the bay of Quellbourne.
- Tyrin and Lydenis are Lysian cities - respectively capital city and main sea port.

Offline Thot

  • Senior Adept
  • **
  • Posts: 610
  • OIC Points +0/-0
Re: Are there any higher resolution continent maps of SW?
« Reply #6 on: December 16, 2019, 05:17:10 AM »
Awesome, thanks!

For city plans, I tend to use
https://watabou.itch.io/medieval-fantasy-city-generator

Offline MisterK

  • Senior Adept
  • **
  • Posts: 656
  • OIC Points +0/-0
Re: Are there any higher resolution continent maps of SW?
« Reply #7 on: December 16, 2019, 08:46:59 AM »
I'd rather hand-draw all maps. I like it, and it gives me time to think about what's in them :)

Offline Hurin

  • Loremaster
  • ****
  • Posts: 7,347
  • OIC Points +0/-0
Re: Are there any higher resolution continent maps of SW?
« Reply #8 on: December 16, 2019, 09:24:57 AM »
MisterK, those are exceptional. I especially like the way Kaitaine is laid out, as you can see the historical expansion of the city, as extensions are made to the walls, and districts grow outside of them along the main roads.

Excellent stuff! Thanks for that.
'Last of all, Húrin stood alone. Then he cast aside his shield, and wielded an axe two-handed'. --J.R.R. Tolkien

'Every party needs at least one insane person.'  --Aspen of the Jade Isle

Offline MisterK

  • Senior Adept
  • **
  • Posts: 656
  • OIC Points +0/-0
Re: Are there any higher resolution continent maps of SW?
« Reply #9 on: December 16, 2019, 10:06:04 AM »
MisterK, those are exceptional. I especially like the way Kaitaine is laid out, as you can see the historical expansion of the city, as extensions are made to the walls, and districts grow outside of them along the main roads.

Excellent stuff! Thanks for that.
You're welcome.

As a matter of fact, when I worked on the Kaitaine map, I sketched the basic outline of the city (perimeter walls, main roads) at different stages of expansion. Thus, I knew where the "old walls" were, how the city developed first along its main roads, how the second wall was built (making the first one obsolete and partially reused for civilian building construction), and how the city again grew out of it. I also tried to "specialise" the different wards somewhat, according to their location (thus Bankers' Hill is obviously very upper class, but so is Quarry Road because it is on a staged slope that is left over from the time the area was a stone quarry to built the early city. The Damp Logs is a poor ward, sandwiched along the riverbanks and without significant sewer system. The Old Harbour is a roungh'n'tumble ward, but Amber Flasks is worse, basically being something of a red lights district almost completely controlled by gangs and smugglers cartels. And so on).
Doing it that way is fun when you can justify the time spent on it - but characters spent much time in Kaitaine during my last campaign, so it was time well spent for me.

Offline Hurin

  • Loremaster
  • ****
  • Posts: 7,347
  • OIC Points +0/-0
Re: Are there any higher resolution continent maps of SW?
« Reply #10 on: December 16, 2019, 11:03:53 AM »
Well, I just wanted to let you know that I appreciated all the time and care you spent on that. It definitely shows, creating a city that feels very realistic and 'lived in'.
'Last of all, Húrin stood alone. Then he cast aside his shield, and wielded an axe two-handed'. --J.R.R. Tolkien

'Every party needs at least one insane person.'  --Aspen of the Jade Isle

Offline Jenkyna

  • Seeker of Wisdom
  • **
  • Posts: 274
  • OIC Points +0/-0
Re: Are there any higher resolution continent maps of SW?
« Reply #11 on: December 16, 2019, 11:58:57 AM »
MisterK, those are exceptional. I especially like the way Kaitaine is laid out, as you can see the historical expansion of the city, as extensions are made to the walls, and districts grow outside of them along the main roads.

Excellent stuff! Thanks for that.

Seconded, those are awesome. When I saw the Tiryn map, the first thought I had was this feels like a Pete Fenlon map. It's hard to put my finger on any one thing that says why, but that was my first impression.

Offline MisterK

  • Senior Adept
  • **
  • Posts: 656
  • OIC Points +0/-0
Re: Are there any higher resolution continent maps of SW?
« Reply #12 on: December 17, 2019, 03:35:25 AM »
Seconded, those are awesome. When I saw the Tiryn map, the first thought I had was this feels like a Pete Fenlon map. It's hard to put my finger on any one thing that says why, but that was my first impression.
Honestly, I have two main sources of inspiration for urban "flat" top-down maps like that : the old MERP maps (which were Pete's if I remember correctly) and Harn, which is a fantastic resource for medieval maps of all kinds (from hamlets to castles and cities).

The more difficult point in a town/city map is to give it some kind of unique character - something that would make people say, merely by looking at the general layout, that this is a city from a certain culture and not another. That's what I tried to do with the Tiryn map (and I had mixed feelings about the end result - it looked much better in my head :p). I started to work on a map for Orv Cibur (the main port city in Namar-Tol) and wanted a very distinctive look for it, but I never got to finish it. The main point of those cities is that they are elven cities - the elves think, plan and build differently from men, with different goals and on a different time scale, and the end result should "feel" different.

Offline Hurin

  • Loremaster
  • ****
  • Posts: 7,347
  • OIC Points +0/-0
Re: Are there any higher resolution continent maps of SW?
« Reply #13 on: December 17, 2019, 09:25:36 AM »
+1 for some Harn love. They do a great job of trying to recreate medieval cultures.
'Last of all, Húrin stood alone. Then he cast aside his shield, and wielded an axe two-handed'. --J.R.R. Tolkien

'Every party needs at least one insane person.'  --Aspen of the Jade Isle

Offline RandalThor

  • Sage
  • ****
  • Posts: 3,116
  • OIC Points +0/-0
Re: Are there any higher resolution continent maps of SW?
« Reply #14 on: December 17, 2019, 09:41:11 AM »
I have to agree with all the gushing about your maps, MisterK, they are excellent. I wish I had the patience to do that still. That and hand cramps kicking in way to soon these days; keeps me from free writing as much as I like. I cannot tell you how many notebooks I have filled to one degree or another with various game and story content. All handwritten. Now, it is the computer because I can type for much longer than I can free write.

Thanks again for posting those. I, for one, would love to see everything you have done. (OK, and snag it. I am an opportunist in that sense.  ;) )
Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Scratch that. Power attracts the corruptible.

Rules should not replace the brain and thinking.

Offline brole

  • Initiate
  • *
  • Posts: 128
  • OIC Points +0/-0
Re: Are there any higher resolution continent maps of SW?
« Reply #15 on: December 17, 2019, 05:22:09 PM »
Thanks for sharing. They are nice maps.

I have uploaded the maps on Google Drive. The link to access the (normally public) folder is the following:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1VeDfDbuYhcX8RjRRJZYOFUG6DMsICtz2?usp=sharing

Feel free to share.

As I indicated earlier, I have a map of Emer in the works. I also have a detailed map of Saralis, but I have not scanned it yet (and it is by no means canon, having been done before the Xa-ar module was published).

I also included a handful of city maps that I used throughout my Shadow World campaigns:
- Kaitaine is, well, Kaitaine (my take of it, anyway). Two maps, one "blank" and one including the ward boundaries and names.
- Bentara is that city in Vornia on the northern coast of the Bay of Izar.
- Eschalis is a small city facing the island of Ciros (the island on which Kaitaine is built). I assumed that, if caravans were crossing the mountains and Uj to go to Kaitaine (or from it), then a settlement and harbour would likely have developed on the mainland, as close to Kaitaine as possible.
- Flamlin is a coastal city in Tanara. In my version of Shadow World, it was a Sulin coastal town that has greatly expanded following the retrieval of the Pegasus Crown and reinstatement of the Kingdom of Tanara (more a federal kingdom, as it is).
- Gonur Kawy is a coastal village in northern Jaiman. In my version of SW, it is located at the northwesternmost point of Saralis. From it, there is a trail crossing the Dragonsfang mountains to the bay of Quellbourne.
- Tyrin and Lydenis are Lysian cities - respectively capital city and main sea port.
e crits all round

Offline Gideon

  • Neophyte
  • *
  • Posts: 15
  • OIC Points +0/-0
Re: Are there any higher resolution continent maps of SW?
« Reply #16 on: March 27, 2020, 04:05:11 PM »
Thank you for the Tiryn map!

I have a new game centered along Western Emer (can't wait for the next Emer book), and the city map will save me hours of time. Any Itanis or Vajaari port maps would rock. Else I do what I can.

+1 for Harn.

Offline Accipiter

  • Apprentice
  • *
  • Posts: 1
  • OIC Points +0/-0
Re: Are there any higher resolution continent maps of SW?
« Reply #17 on: July 08, 2020, 12:57:00 PM »
I have made a few large-size B&W "blank" continental maps for my own use. You can see them on the Third Era website :
Jaiman : http://third.era.free.fr/?page_id=813 (scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the image)
Uj (in Emer) : http://third.era.free.fr/?page_id=217
Kelestia : http://third.era.free.fr/?page_id=816

I have them on my own drive (Jaiman is 6067x5432 - 8.5Mo, Uj is 7673x5873 - 3.4Mo, and Kelestia is 11500x12900 - 16Mo). I can upload them if there is enough interest in them, or send them by email if only one person is interested.

Please understand that part of the maps, notably elevation lines, are interpretations - the official maps are not really precise on those aspects.

I have a full map of Emer in the works (I really should work on it...).

My main source was the Kulthea Western Hemisphere world map.

I would love a set of those maps. We're about to start on a new campaign (for some of us the first in near 20 years, for others their first taste of Rolemaster and Shadow World!), and it promises to have a travel-by-sea component to it. So maps and navigation info are very welcome!

Offline Malim

  • Adept
  • **
  • Posts: 424
  • OIC Points +0/-0
Re: Are there any higher resolution continent maps of SW?
« Reply #18 on: July 08, 2020, 02:34:52 PM »
We need more maps that are more detailed like fearun :)
Sir Elor Blacke knight of Helyssa, Kytari Fighter lvl 25 (RM2)
Malim Naruum, Yinka Lord Bashkor lvl 27  (RM2)

Offline terefang

  • Initiate
  • *
  • Posts: 195
  • OIC Points +0/-0
Re: Are there any higher resolution continent maps of SW?
« Reply #19 on: July 09, 2020, 10:12:23 AM »
who would be willing to work on it as a collaberative community project ?

why not use github for it ?
I'd swallow cthulhu whole, with sushi and soy-sauce.

Currently: [BME] [FitD]
Legacy: [d6] [Genesys] [ArsMagicka] [MERP] [HARP] [Ubiquity] [d20] [WoD] [SR] [WHFRP] [WOIN/O.L.D.] [RM2/C]