Quote from: Xanther;1014601Well it's not an RPG but "Source of the Nile" (an old AH board game) did a great job of capturing the feel (if not details).

That looks kind of amazing! I'm going to dig up a copy and see if I can adapt it to the smaller scale of most rpg hex crawling.

Quote from: Larsdangly;1014612That looks kind of amazing! I'm going to dig up a copy and see if I can adapt it to the smaller scale of most rpg hex crawling.

It's a fun game, but takes 2-3 hours to play.

Quote from: RPGPundit;1014299Very few people ever actually used this map, in terms of the larger history of D&D. But it basically laid the ground for the entire history of hexmaps.

Well, Hex maps were very common back then. Almost every war game was made with a hex map, and hex maps made calculating movement, and measuring distances ridiculously easy.

More than almost any other type of game, simulations are enormous information processing and learning problems. Even the simplest game requires the player to manipulate dozens of discrete pieces (units) in hundreds of possible cell locations (typically hexagonal): sort out thousands of relevant and irrelevant relationships: and arrive at a coherent plan of action (a move) several times in the course of play of that game. It is a testament to the power of the human mind that anyone can begin to play such a systems let alone do it well. The average gamer may have several dozen different titles in his library, each of which differs from the other, yet miraculously he can sit down on any given night and (with perhaps a glance or two at the rules) play a creditable game. Given this large burden on the player, the challenge to the graphic designer is clear: make the information the players use clear, organized, accessible, and pleasing to look at for long periods of time.

It is sometimes difficult to separate poor (or good) graphic design factors from poor (or good) game design factors. There is a great deal of feedback between the two. Of course, no matter how good the graphics and physical system, they cannot turn a weak game into a stong one (although the can sometimes cosmetically hide an inadequate game design, at least for awhile.) But the reverse is possible: bad graphics and poor physical systems (i.e. what we call today game mechanics)  can ruin a good game.

Redmond A. Simonsen
Image and System: Graphics & Physical Systems Design from Wargame Design: Strategy & Tactics staff study #2 original published in 1976 from Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI)

Redmond has a lot to say about maps, and about how they can contribute to making your game better, and I'll share a few more details about this today, along with some commentary...

Although all must work together, the parts of any game can be examined as distinct problems: These parts are 1) The Map: 2) The Counters; 3) The Rules; 4) the Charts, Tracks, and Tables that operate in the game.

The Map
Usually, the game map represents a specific section of the world's geography in terms of those of its features that have a bearing upon the maneuver and combat of military units. In other cases, the map is a synthesis of typical terrain designed to provide varied situations for a group of scenarios (The latter type of map is most often found in tactical level games).

My comments on this: Every game map has a specific purpose. In the case of RPGs, the terrain is laid out to serve as 1) Obstacles to movement; 2) A canvas on which to place encounters, and 3) To aid the GM and players alike in imagining the physical dimensions of the fantasy world.


At SPI I've setup a number of standards for game maps in their various stages of production. This has been done for practical management reasons but it also serves to reduce the learning problem for the players in the final printed version of the map. In the sketch stage the designer/developer makes use of the standard colors and symbology developed by me in order to regularize the production of map prototypes. This enables the designer/developer to quickly produce his map without having to "re-invent the world" each time a new game is done.

My comments here: With RPGs every new map is an opportunity for the GMs to engage the players, to immerse them further into the details of the fantasy world, and a well designed map will provide both GMs and Players with new opportunities and possibilities. Everyone talks about how fun it is to play in a sandbox, but in reality, While there should always be room for players to add new features and landmarks into a a given map or "area", the GM should have a rich and easy-to-use framework to help him or her understand the fantasy world, and to help him convey the details of the world to the players, in a believable and consistent manner, and a well designed map will do exactly that.

The typical game map is a simplified physical map overlaid with a political map. The graphic designer must make the proper choice of colors and symbology to create a map which will have a high utility for the player and yet be pleasing to the eye.

Additionally, the more colorful a map is the harder it is to read the overall sense: The Patchwork quilt of a multi-colored map can be confusing to the eye and tiresome to look at for long periods of time. For the same reasons, use of raw primary colors should be avoided in map work except as accents. When using color to convey information, the designer must strike a balance between the ability of the gamer to separate with his eye the difference in color and the harmony of the color scheme.

My comments here: An example of a truly great map, Darlene's Greyhawk map.  Simple rich earth tones, maybe ten colors. A few simple map symbols. I happen to like colorful maps as well, however limit my color choice to nine basic colors  Light Blue for shallow water, Dark Blue for deep water, Sandy or Orange for hills or rough. Brown for mountains. Forest Green for deciduous forests, Dark green for Evergreen forests, Light Green for plains, Light Yellow or Gold for Deserts, Purple or Lavender for swamps. Also ...super important, all roads, towns, cities, structures, and unusual features (I add mines, caves, and caverns into all of my fantasy maps) are done in black. This is so that colorblind people can still read the map, and when I do up a digital map, I'll greyscale it, and see how the map looks, and add additional map features, specifically for the people that are color blind.


The Designer should never lose sight of the fact that most gamers are deeply influenced by the game map: A good map goes a long way towards creating a positive impression of the game. Since the map is the most constantly used component, it should be the most effective in doings its job of providing the basic environment for the game.

~Redmond A. Simonsen

Quote from: Xanther;1014601Well it's not an RPG but "Source of the Nile" (an old AH board game) did a great job of capturing the feel (if not details).

I've heard good things, but never had a chance to play it.

Quote from: Xanther;1014629It's a fun game, but takes 2-3 hours to play.

So less time than it takes to create new characters in many RPGs.

I've been working sporadically on an OSR supplement for detailed exploration and travel sort of movement and actions on hex maps; I was thinking I would post it some time this break. I ordered a copy of Source of the Nile to see if there are ideas I could pilfer, particularly for solo play where I don't have a very clear idea of what to do.

Quote from: Bren;1014707I've heard good things, but never had a chance to play it.

So less time than it takes to create new characters in many RPGs.

Played it like 3 or 4 times, IIRC there is a solo game.

I'd like to see such a contest, at one end of the table Source of the Nile, at the other Character Creation....start the timer...

Quote from: Xanther;1014601Well it's not an RPG but "Source of the Nile" (an old AH board game) did a great job of capturing the feel (if not details).

Someone at AH seemed to like these wilderness exploration games. They did it again later with Magic Realm a year later.

Source of the Nile rocks serious ass.

Quote from: Gronan of Simmerya;1014910Source of the Nile rocks serious ass.

Oooh, great video of an actual play session here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKoYJUfiSBQ

Just go to Gary Con and play the damn game already.

Quote from: Omega;1014765Someone at AH seemed to like these wilderness exploration games. They did it again later with Magic Realm a year later.

S'mon runs a wilderness game, I assume the idea/style behind these are similar?

Quote from: Gronan of Simmerya;1015164Just go to Gary Con and play the damn game already.

Most of us are lazy. If you want to do a proper job of shilling you should put a link to their web site in your signature.

Quote from: Bren;1015275Most of us are lazy. If you want to do a proper job of shilling you should put a link to their web site in your signature.

.....d'oh.

Eight beers.

There is a Vassal module for Source of the Nile. Apparently AH hasnt printed it in ages.

Magic Realm has a free PNP version and an updated rulebook up with permission and some input from the original designer.

I ordered a VG+, nearly unpunched copy of Source of the Nile for 25 bucks and should have it in a day or two. It looks super cool in its own right, and from what I've read and seen online it looks like an ideal place to mine for ideas for wilderlands exploration at pretty much any scale and setting.