I was browsing the web for RPG stuff (as I'm want to do) and I found this cool creator making his world - Nate Mangion/Elyden. It's similar to the world I'm creating for Radiance where it's near-19th century. The setting I'm penning has magic, steam and electro tech all blending together to create more modern communications, transportation, energy and weapons (derived directly from/supporting all the cool material available in the game).

I've started making the maps, and my initial maps are more "fantasy" flavoured. But the maps this gent was making are much more modern styled. And they look amazing!

If you were romping around this 19th-century stylized setting, what kind of maps would you prefer?

Quote from: trechriron;997594I was browsing the web for RPG stuff (as I'm want to do) and I found this cool creator making his world - Nate Mangion/Elyden. It's similar to the world I'm creating for Radiance where it's near-19th century. The setting I'm penning has magic, steam and electro tech all blending together to create more modern communications, transportation, energy and weapons (derived directly from/supporting all the cool material available in the game).

I've started making the maps, and my initial maps are more "fantasy" flavoured. But the maps this gent was making are much more modern styled. And they look amazing!

If you were romping around this 19th-century stylized setting, what kind of maps would you prefer?

I like the imagery the Robert Downey Jr. Sherlock Holmes movies brought.  The tight streets, crowded markets, heavily industrializes factories, juxtaposed with higher class of cleaner looking establishments, like the gentleman's clubs and eateries.

Quote from: trechriron;997594I was browsing the web for RPG stuff (as I'm want to do) and I found this cool creator making his world - Nate Mangion/Elyden. It's similar to the world I'm creating for Radiance where it's near-19th century. The setting I'm penning has magic, steam and electro tech all blending together to create more modern communications, transportation, energy and weapons (derived directly from/supporting all the cool material available in the game).

I've started making the maps, and my initial maps are more "fantasy" flavoured. But the maps this gent was making are much more modern styled. And they look amazing!

If you were romping around this 19th-century stylized setting, what kind of maps would you prefer?

I would go for an acid etched into polished metal look. Maybe brass. As for the drawing of the maps, take a look at old maps from the 1880s to 1900. You can find them in the Perry-Castaneda Map collection online: http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/

Sounds like fun!

Quote from: flyingmice;997607I would go for an acid etched into polished metal look. Maybe brass. As for the drawing of the maps, take a look at old maps from the 1880s to 1900. You can find them in the Perry-Castaneda Map collection online: http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/

Sounds like fun!

Thank you for the link.

Quote from: trechriron;997594I was browsing the web for RPG stuff (as I'm want to do) and I found this cool creator making his world - Nate Mangion/Elyden.

That's some pretty good work there. It might be challenging to replicate the style but Campaign Cartographer could probably do it.

Is this a handout map or the DMs map? Either way I prefer it to be readable at a glance.

Heres an enormous map of London done in 1806. I put it in spoilers as its a big image.

Spoiler

Omega, that is a gorgeous map, and I love that style!

I have CC3+ so I think I can emulate this style, I might need to track down an annual for the effect.

I like the acid on brass idea, especially for a stylized boiler plate or sign inside a club.

Quote from: trechriron;997664I have CC3+ so I think I can emulate this style, I might need to track down an annual for the effect.

If you find something, feel free to mention it. I have CC3+ and some addons like Fractal Terrains and Cosmographer but none of the annuals. I'd probably try emulating the look by just playing with layers and effects. The setting sounds fun, I used to run some games which used Gothic Earth from Masque of the Red Death as a backdrop, with less Gothic Horror and more Gaslight Fantasy, with the added bonus that Mad Science and Psychic phenomenon can be explained away as the effects of tapping into the Luminous Ether.

I vote for maps that look like the maps from the analogous earth time period. Ideally you should match the map style to the Napoleonic, Georgian, American Civil War, later Victorian period, etc. as appropriate.

@trechiron - regarding your link, that map of Venthir&Tzallrach is impressive. It's a very readable map which is a good thing. I like the way he does mountains, pretty much descending shades of greyish brown layers. Those shapes look like they're done by hand though, unless there's some magic mountain brush that I don't know about. You could probably do it with fractal shapes if you're really really patient.

The one thing I see that may not be technically possible, so far as I know, is the horizontal hatching that he has around the land masses. I suppose if you had a layer with the hatching, you might be able to cut out the shape you wanted. One thing I would stress is to create a color palette that you like. 19th Century Maps have color as much as they do not, though that color isn't always very bright. Subdued tones seem to the norm, but it's okay to have your water a little bit blue. In some maps, geological features (mountains) and topological features are present. Sometimes elevation is done as shading or hatching. Forests and farmland might be represented. Personally, I'd decide what biomes were important enough to the setting that they would need their own color on a map.

Quote from: Krimson;997725@trechiron - regarding your link, that map of Venthir&Tzallrach is impressive. ...

Thanks for your thoughts! I agree this guy is an impressive cartographer.

Did you see my post with the maps I whipped up over a weekend? I really like them but I don't think they fit the feeling of this setting. I LOVE the farmland pattern on these, I may have to go more "topographical" with small circles and squares for cities/towns but keep some of the stylized "hatching".  I'll post back if I find a style or cook one up that fits my vision.

Quote from: trechriron;997836Thanks for your thoughts! I agree this guy is an impressive cartographer.

Did you see my post with the maps I whipped up over a weekend? I really like them but I don't think they fit the feeling of this setting. I LOVE the farmland pattern on these, I may have to go more "topographical" with small circles and squares for cities/towns but keep some of the stylized "hatching".  I'll post back if I find a style or cook one up that fits my vision.

It took a little while to find it, despite having made a post in the same thread right after your post. I bet you could keep most of it the same if you muted your color palette a bit and maybe changed the fonts. Though to get closer to that style, I'd probably get rid of the mountains and wooded areas and just do them as blobs of color, with layers for mountains. The farm areas definitely look nice.