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Pen & Paper Roleplaying Central => Pen and Paper Roleplaying Games (RPGs) Discussion => Topic started by: Age of Fable on December 11, 2008, 06:01:05 AM

Title: a way of playing fantasy games using real-world maps?
Post by: Age of Fable on December 11, 2008, 06:01:05 AM
http://www.kalimedia.com/Atlas_of_True_Names.html

It's an atlas which translates the meanings of its place names into English. In the case of places that are named after someone, they also translate the meanings of the name. The result is very fantasy-ish.
Title: a way of playing fantasy games using real-world maps?
Post by: KenHR on December 11, 2008, 09:16:35 AM
Hey, that's really cool.  Thanks for the pointer!  I may have to order a set.
Title: a way of playing fantasy games using real-world maps?
Post by: CavScout on December 11, 2008, 10:13:48 AM
That is really cool. Nice find.
Title: a way of playing fantasy games using real-world maps?
Post by: James J Skach on December 11, 2008, 10:36:26 AM
I have not created my Christmas list.

I now have the first entry or two (or three...).

Awesome.
Title: a way of playing fantasy games using real-world maps?
Post by: arminius on December 11, 2008, 01:56:10 PM
It's like Glorantha!

I think we English speakers are among the most alienated from the concrete meanings of our words and place-names by the way, due to the double heritage of our core vocabulary.
Title: a way of playing fantasy games using real-world maps?
Post by: Spellslinging Sellsword on December 11, 2008, 02:26:56 PM
That is super cool. Must get one next time I'm buying stuff for gaming.
Title: a way of playing fantasy games using real-world maps?
Post by: RPGPundit on December 11, 2008, 05:33:16 PM
I wonder if they got Uruguay's real-meaning right, its pretty commonly known here: "The Land of the Painted Birds".

RPGPundit
Title: a way of playing fantasy games using real-world maps?
Post by: Kyle Aaron on December 11, 2008, 05:44:00 PM
I'll tell you in a couple of weeks when it arrives, RPGPundit.
Title: a way of playing fantasy games using real-world maps?
Post by: RPGPundit on December 11, 2008, 06:19:28 PM
Of course, Canada's is an interesting one too: an absolutely gigantic country named "The Village".

RPGPundit
Title: a way of playing fantasy games using real-world maps?
Post by: Spinachcat on December 11, 2008, 06:43:28 PM
This is awesome!  

Thank you!
Title: a way of playing fantasy games using real-world maps?
Post by: Bradford C. Walker on December 11, 2008, 07:52:27 PM
On the Christmas List it goes!
Title: a way of playing fantasy games using real-world maps?
Post by: Age of Fable on December 11, 2008, 10:09:06 PM
I don't know if it's a particularly scholarly work...a lot of places have disputed meanings, and from what I can see they've only got one for each place.
Title: a way of playing fantasy games using real-world maps?
Post by: Age of Fable on December 11, 2008, 10:17:11 PM
Anyway, maybe you can use this to see what's happening in this alternative world:

http://thesurrealist.co.uk/fantasy.html
Title: a way of playing fantasy games using real-world maps?
Post by: Kyle Aaron on December 11, 2008, 10:32:25 PM
Not when the page won't load, we can't.
Title: a way of playing fantasy games using real-world maps?
Post by: Age of Fable on December 11, 2008, 10:57:12 PM
Not sure what the problem is - I checked the link I posted, and it loaded for me, in both Firefox and Internet Explorer.
Title: a way of playing fantasy games using real-world maps?
Post by: arminius on December 12, 2008, 01:34:52 AM
No problem for me, either.
Title: a way of playing fantasy games using real-world maps?
Post by: Imperator on December 12, 2008, 01:44:57 AM
It works for me, too.
Title: a way of playing fantasy games using real-world maps?
Post by: Kyle Aaron on December 17, 2008, 11:55:27 PM
Okay, so I've now got the world map version of this (there's a UK and Europe one, too, but I only had enough in paypal for one!) Individual countries aren't named, but in the region of Uruguay there's a Land of Bird Tails, with cities called Good Breezes and I See The Mountain. Inland on the Silver River is Rosary.

My continent is called Land of the South Wind and my city, Millstream.

It's pretty cool, it'll make a good Hannukah present for my woman - she likes maps a lot. And dice and games and stories. No, I don't know why that doesn't turn into a like of roleplaying, but there you go, she'll like this, anyway.
Title: a way of playing fantasy games using real-world maps?
Post by: RPGPundit on December 18, 2008, 10:30:26 AM
Quote from: Kyle Aaron;274314Okay, so I've now got the world map version of this (there's a UK and Europe one, too, but I only had enough in paypal for one!) Individual countries aren't named, but in the region of Uruguay there's a Land of Bird Tails, with cities called Good Breezes and I See The Mountain. Inland on the Silver River is Rosary.

Not sure what Land of Bird Tails woudl be, but "Good Breezes" is surely Buenos Aires, Argentina's capital. And "I see the mountain" is Montevideo's meaning.
Does it mention the Colony of the Sacrament? Or Big Jump? Piria's city? Etc etc.?

RPGPundit
Title: a way of playing fantasy games using real-world maps?
Post by: Kyle Aaron on December 18, 2008, 06:56:32 PM
Those don't appear, no.

Remember it's not a huge and really detailed map. It's some kind of lenticular projection (ie where the whole world is shown a big flattened oval), 1:90million scale.

I'm sure everyone will have arguments as to why the names of their local or favoured areas are wrong. It's still a fun map, though.