My tabletop RPG campaign went to the deep unground, so I have a few maps to share. I’ve definitely been enjoying creating content for dark, dank caves and ruins.
Underground and Caves Maps
Maps
Abandoned Manor Map
I made a for-fun map at someone’s request, so here it is! A spooky abandoned manor in the woods. I took some extra time to try some new techniques and details with shading and texturing.
Village Maps
I made some maps for an overhead view of villages in the story. These are originally for somewhat specific story-based locations, but with some imagination hopefully they’ll work for whatever they need to.
Winter Themed Maps
Another image dump of maps for my campaign, which is now in the winter season. There’s been a lot of travelling in the game itself, so a lot of the maps have been on or just off the roads.
Mapmaking Catchup
Work has been busy lately, so I’ve had a backlog on maps and tabletop RPG content I haven’t been able to post or work on. Because I’m not 100% sure the direction I want to take the campaign after the hiatus, I’ve kind of been working on some more generic and reusable play maps. It’s not everything I’ve done, but here’s some of my favorites:
Another redo of an older map I had made. I added some lighting for the campfire to make it a bit more dynamic.
Labyrinths and Boss Fights
To set up for a dramatic finish to the first ‘story arc’ I wanted to two things: a very big dungeon to explore and then a dramatic looking map for a boss fight.
I really enjoyed putting the extra effort into these, I think that they both show I’ve been getting better at different tricks for stuff like blending and shading.
Image Dump – Random Campaign Maps
Just putting out some of the maps I’ve made more recently. These have been specific to my recent tabletop RPG campaign, so the usefulness may vary. Some of the quality has been getting away from me as well since I’ve been busy with work and other stuff since the start of the year.
Castle Wall and Training Yard
Here’s a quick map meant to be a reusable outer wall castle set piece. I wanted something that can be used as a generic castle training area or barracks for sessions. I wasn’t 100% happy with how the dirt textures came out, but I’m gradually building up to understanding shading and texturing a bit better so it’s probably as good as it gets for now.
Campsite Maps
These are some campsite maps I’ve been working. I’m trying to make a bunch of plain combat maps that I can use in sessions, and campsites seemed like a good place to start.
All maps on this page will follow the same format and are designed for a 20×20 grid. I’ll be adding to this page as I have updates as well.
Update: I’ve updated the maps originally posted here with some nicer designs, skip to the end if you want the old versions still.
The old versions of the maps are available too, they’re simpler (and uglier in my opinion) but I’ll keep them in case someone wants them still.
If you enjoyed this post, feel free to check on my other content! I try to update this site somewhat regularly with new content, mostly with maps and homebrew sheets from my campaigns.
To Build a Continent – Starting
This is just some short observations on creating a fictional continent. I recently starting creating maps and writing history on them for fun. The continent I’ve been writing for is the following:
It’s easiest to start with the outline. For creating the landmass, there’s tons of software available now that can generate a decent looking blob of land. For the above map, I actually used a continent from the video game Dwarf Fortress, which is a video game that uses procedural generation to create an entire world.
Next, we can pretty up the landmasses. Procedural software can often lack nuances that allow for a more natural look, so understanding some geology and geography can go a long way. For example, cut off from the coast by sharp mountains might create a rain shadow, causing a desert in the area, or maybe a landlocked lowland area might have runoff water accumulate, creating a marsh or swamp area.
Temperature regions should affect the map and how it develops. Islands near a warm equator might have good rainfall too, making them tropical locations. Biomes progressively change as they move to colder regions, which can create denser forests, barren tundra, or whatever depending on the map.
It might help at first to not think of the cities or populations when creating the world. Creating the landmass and environment and then placing populations or settlements based on where people might gather can make the world more grounded in reality.
I’ll probably continue on these notes as I feel like it. Or not. Who knows? I do this for fun so I’m not held to any standards.
Mostly Sheets and Numbers 