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Post by merctime on Jun 2, 2015 22:35:02 GMT -5
So, been messing around with Hexographer (The free version). Eventually, I'd like to have enough work done to run a simple, but hopefully fun, pBp here on these boards. It will likely be quite some time before I can do this.
I bit the bullet! This thing's going live... soon... Details here. Each hex is numbered, and is 30 miles. Smaller hexes will be made in 6, and 1, miles to the hex respectively. (eventually  ) Stole a name or two from R. E. Howard too. Maybe one. Hehe. Well, enough is enough for one day! Here is the beginning version of it:  It's... Kinda big. (OK it's ridiculously big  ) Click the picture for a full-size version in a new window. Hold your mouse cursor in a kind-of 'hover' for a second or two for title. EDIT: Updated some. Added national borders. |
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Post by The Semi-Retired Gamer on Jun 7, 2015 17:26:08 GMT -5
The map looks great! I need to do this with my old hand drawn map just because yours looks so awesome. Have an Exalt!!
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Post by merctime on Jun 7, 2015 17:28:50 GMT -5
Thanks, brother! I used the freely available tool Hexographer for this. ...And, that's precisely what I did here... This is a modified version of my hasty scribbling on hex paper for my home game, haha.
Give Hexographer a shot! Note that I used a third-party program to add the text (faststone image viewer, edit tab, draw board tab, add text button).
Good luck! Can't wait to see your masterpiece!!
Fight On!
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Post by tetramorph on Jun 7, 2015 17:38:19 GMT -5
I am so bummed, but I can't get hexographer to work on my MacBook Pro.
Sorry, guys, I'm a liberal arts / humanities kinda guy so I just don't do PC.
But it looks like that is really what hexographer is made for.
I welcome any tips.
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Post by merctime on Jun 7, 2015 17:39:00 GMT -5
Hmm. I'll see if I can find an .MSI, instead of an .EXE, for Hexographer. Give me a few?
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Post by merctime on Jun 7, 2015 19:37:36 GMT -5
PM sent. Not sure if it will be helpful though  |
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Post by makofan on Jun 9, 2015 11:30:17 GMT -5
nice work!
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Post by merctime on Jun 9, 2015 12:32:18 GMT -5
Thank you!
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Post by Admin Pete on Jun 9, 2015 18:35:52 GMT -5
I am so bummed, but I can't get hexographer to work on my MacBook Pro. Sorry, guys, I'm a liberal arts / humanities kinda guy so I just don't do PC. But it looks like that is really what hexographer is made for. I welcome any tips. , I did a google search and Hexographer claims to be for PC, Mac and Linux. You might try contacting them for assistance directly. |
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Post by The Red Baron on Jun 9, 2015 19:14:04 GMT -5
I am so bummed, but I can't get hexographer to work on my MacBook Pro. Sorry, guys, I'm a liberal arts / humanities kinda guy so I just don't do PC. But it looks like that is really what hexographer is made for. I welcome any tips. I took a look at the hexographer website. The first link on the "free download" page is a .exe for windows. The second link looks like a java archive which should be what you're looking for. |
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Post by tetramorph on Jun 10, 2015 7:26:02 GMT -5
The Red Baron, et al., thanks guys. I've tried all that and no can worky. I may just have to schedule a 1 to 1.
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Post by merctime on Jun 10, 2015 11:15:10 GMT -5
Just a bit of discussion on the map in the OP (and not directly tied to pPb or my home campaign). Like The Semi-Retired Gamer brought up above, this was based off a map I drew on hex paper for a home game. Some of the design notes include the following: I wanted there to be more than one nation of people in the world, right away, for players to be able to both choose to have characters from for a bit more RP fodder for them, and to eventually explore if they wanted. This also allows for behind-the-scenes RP value like crafts from other nations being a little more valuable if found due to being exotic. Not to mention being able to meet exotic people. I wanted the world to feel 'new' so I left TONS of undeveloped space on the map. Much but not all of the green hexes with no icons represent that. Lots of pristine, untouched wilderness that I don't even know myself what's in those hexes. This of course offers the great benefits of allowing me, the ref, to be just as surprised by the world I made up as the players might be, and also leaves plenty of room for player development (like establishing a castle) or input (like tetramorph already did in my pBp by adding a hometown for his character). The ability, and desire, of the players to place their stamp on a campaign and not just with the actions they take but on the very world as a whole like this is truly what makes a campaign come alive in my opinion. And it's terribly fun. I put water areas, like the oceans and the inland sea, to promote eventual water-borne exploration and adventure. The place is big, and the nation's far apart. In keeping with my above desire to have the world possess a feeling of new-ness, I have chosen the world map hexes be 30 miles. This serves two purposes. One, it divides by 6 easily, and thus meshes with base D&D movement rates better than hexes of 5 and 25 miles do. And, two, it hopefully gives the world's nations a feeling of being isolated in the midst of vast swaths of uncharted wilds, which I hope makes for interesting play. This is converse to published game-world's wherein every square mile is cultivated like our modern world is, which I don't think is very fun. Lastly, some game mechanic stuff. I used the advice, somewhat loosely, from the First Fantasy Campaign by Arneson in regards to setting up how the nation's can interact with each other while being so far away. I chose to implement caravans by season between them, which I feel justifies the huge numbers men are encountered in the wilds in. Caravans would need to be a military force to brave the miles and miles of unknown territory to enact trade. This also provides me some reasonable excuse to move characters around the nation's: "Oh, your character arrived via caravan". This also lets me allow characters to be from a nation outside of the initial play area, if the player thinks that would be fun... his character came via caravans and decided to stay or got stuck. Well, that's enough for now. I'd love to see and read about the world's you guys create! |
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Post by The Red Baron on Jun 11, 2015 10:43:08 GMT -5
A quick map using the Hexographer principles outlined in Oakes Spalding's "Zylarthen":  |
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Post by The Red Baron on Jun 11, 2015 10:43:49 GMT -5
Edit:
Names reclaimed for reuse
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Post by merctime on Jun 11, 2015 11:31:28 GMT -5
Awesome map, The Red Baron! I'm imagining either a lot of great contest around the central bay, or perhaps one big, mighty empire. The large swamp gives me a sense of great danger! ...So when ya gonna run a Zylarthen game?  |
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Post by The Red Baron on Jun 11, 2015 13:13:23 GMT -5
or perhaps one big, mighty empire. The large swamp gives me a sense of great danger! Hit the nail right on the head. |
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Post by merctime on Jun 11, 2015 13:15:33 GMT -5
BTW this is surely exalt-worthy stuff. Make it so!
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