I’ve decided to not complicate my life with the mapping of my world. You see, ever since I started DM’ing I’ve wanted a kick ass map of my homebrew world, Elderyn. The graphic on my old header was a map I created using Autorealm and a Photoshop plugin that created the elevation and relief on the map. Don’t ask me for a link, because this was years ago, back when I thought I wanted to play and DM 3.5. I didn’t want to do either of those things, but still enjoyed world building. In fact, my current campaign takes place 1000 years after the story I had crafted for that possible game that never materialized.
But enough about that… let’s talk about the map. So my players are basically wondering around the world without a map. I’ve never really drawn one because I strive for the look of nice professional maps, and unfortunately I’m no artist. I went as far as starting from scratch and re-imagining my world, hoping to use blank continents available online, but I was too attached to the shape of my world to follow through.
The other day I was messing around on photoshop, and decided that I’d take my lack of artistic ability and put it to use. My map is now going to be drawn cartoon style, to my abilities, and to heck with it. If it’s goofy and not quite what you’d find in a book, so be it. Who cares? I should have done this 2 years ago.
So here is my work in progress.
If you remember my old header, the southern part of the continent will seem familiar to you, I’m working off the same jpeg.
I complicated myself and spent too much time over thinking this. The point of this post is that you shouldn’t make my mistake. Do what you do, and don’t worry about whether or not it looks like the great poster maps of published settings. What you draw and put on paper is an extension of your DMíng and personality. Embrace it.
www. Newbie DM .com 
elopingcamel
April 20, 2010
Good advice. I also tend to be a perfectionist in things that are non-essential (but really cool).
Sentack
April 20, 2010
Actually, while I’ll agree that just doing it works and not getting overly worried about the details, if you want at least something that can make a cool looking world, at least initially, I say download and run Dwarf Fortress.
Yes, it’s that right. That crazy game where you’re trying to make a dwarven city with just 7 starting dwarves, but there’s a method to my madness.
DF is a great ‘world generator’ as well. It produces some awesome maps, with good city locations and names to use as well. It tries to do as much ‘organically’ as possible and it’s not easy to try and drill down what’s unique about each area, but it does provide a pretty nifty looking map at least!
I say check it out, I’m thinking of using it for a future world I’ll be creating eventually.
Ismael_DM
April 20, 2010
While I love very accurate maps, my preference in D&D is to have more or less hand-drawn style maps. It adds quite a bit to the style of the game, IMO.
dreadgazebo
April 20, 2010
I hand drew a map onto a large piece of drawing paper taken from a sketchbook I got at an art supply store. Took some coffee grounds mixed with water and doused it, crinkled it up with my hands and hung it to dry, leaving great texture and tonalities for contrast. Afterward I took a lighter and singed the edges to fantasy-cliche perfection, even putting a few misc small burn spots/holes randomly on the map. Finishing touches were some spatters of Halloween blood dripped from above and then a smearing from my thumb and finger where one might hold that map…
I’ve yet to draw a damn thing on this blank epic looking piece of ‘parchment’. Yep looks like I’m gonna fire up paint after all, I tried campaign cartographer but I just can’t like it nomatter how hard I try.
In short, you’re not alone brother!
Branden Miles
April 20, 2010
You may want to check out this site [http://rpglabyrinth.blogspot.com] That dude does a lot of mapping and gives tips and stuff. It all looks better than anything I can do I know that!
Glennzilla
April 20, 2010
[http://www.cartographersguild.com] all the mapping advice you could ever want and more tutorials than you could ever finish.
Josh
April 20, 2010
I am always torn whether to make a map from a point of view with raised mountains, sort of 3D esque looking, or whether to do a googlemaps style view down on the land… for smaller areas, starting zones, and unique topography the 3d/point of view maps can be hand drawn, crinkled up, soaked in tea water, and look awesome for the players. For my own maps, I tend to try to make them look as much like a real map as possible, but these are maps my players will probably never see so I can label ruins and “hidden cities” without worry about giving away too much. I’ve played around with free programs like GIMP and hexographer and I’ve even considered swiping the world of warcraft maps and re-naming things and seeing if my players eventually picked up on the geography… but haven’t gone there yet!!
QuestingWord
April 20, 2010
I have a background in design, but when it comes to non-essential things like map making in RPGs, well… I am also a perfectionist of sorts and never really am happy with what I am making, except on a few rare instances… because I keep approaching it from a design standpoint. So, not taking world building seriously, or map making seriously is good advice if you find that you have mental and applied road blocks keeping you from doing what you need to do for something as non-essential as a game.
Do the hand drawn maps, loose and free, label away with names that invoke feeling and don’t worry about what the end product will look like. Cause, in order to do something you really like or think is cool and ‘publishable’ takes time, maybe more time then you want to commit, since its a game. BUT, with the first versions of your map you make, keep in mind, you don’t have to finish it anytime soon… you can keep adding to it, over and over in successive iterations… just chill, relax, and let your mind draw something on paper (8.5×11 copy paper for me) and then after you are happy, do another, stretching the boundries of what you did before… iterations, are the key.
If it takes you 6 times or 20 times to get to what you want, then who cares! Just do it, get ideas on paper, and then make the jump to the PC or Mac in Photoshop or Gimp or CC3 or whatever. When I started drawing maps and playing D&D, I was young, bordering my teens… I didn’t use a PC to do it or a MAC I used graph paper and notebook paper and got inspiration from the maps TSR used to publish… anyways, you get my point. First thing they teach you in any design school, drawing, etc… is keep a sketch journal and PUT IT ON PAPER and get it out of your head….
dwashba
April 20, 2010
Ya, I’ve tried to do them on the computer but they dont have the same look and feel as a hand drawn map. What I did is just had a map of the small area around the kingdom and then expanded it. Then expanded it again. That said I eventually made a world map about mid paragon, you’d be surprised at how interested the players become just seeing far off places!
irontombonney
April 20, 2010
give this a go–produce your map as best as you can, but don’t kill yourself with the details, and then share your passion with your players, and others in your game community. I’m willing to roll dice that SOMEONE you know is a much better artist than you are, and will be willing to make your map into the wall piece that you want it to be. Just make sure you communicate what features are prominent or critical to your vision, and allow the artist to take a few liberties with the rest and adjust your reality accordingly.
Totte Alm
April 21, 2010
@ dreadgazebo: You seriously need this: http://www.filterforge.com/filters/7610.html
Yes, I made that filter for a handout.
@Newbie DM: You are right, my players like any map I make, from perfect drawn maps to handmade scribble. A map is a map. But for myself, as DM, I always want to impress my players, I love that ooohh when I hand something out that I’ve spent a lot of time with.
chris
April 21, 2010
While no new videos have been posted for over two years, I found this series of videos very interesting: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=ZombieNirvana. Straightforward, Photoshop-specific tips for creating really cool looking maps.
Jensan
May 8, 2010
This one I felt was quite inspiring for map making: The Warlock’s Home Brew: Campaign Creation: Map Making Tutorial Part 4 (yes, part 4, it’s easier to navigate backwards from there).