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Mapper's Challenge
A few weeks ago Anne looked at the map I was drawing for another project (hopefully to be released this month) and asked if I was drawing a full-page map. I wasn’t at the time, but I took it as a challenge.
The end result is posted here, and has been nicknamed “the Mapper’s Challenge”. It is a one-page, one-level dungeon map with multiple elevations, mixes of finished rooms, halls and chambers along with natural caves and an underground river. The entry point is in the lower middle of the map, indicated by an arrow.
I haven’t even considered stocking this bizarre map yet. I figure it was once a set of deep gnome warrens that has since been taken over by three different groups of creatures (depending on the level of the party, either goblins, kobolds and hobgoblins, or perhaps lizardmen, bugbears and wererats – and maybe a small colony of doppelgangers to keep paranoia levels high).
Please feel free to use this map in your own games. I would love to see the sheer confusion and consternation it will cause yur party’s mapper (although feel free to not use it if you do the mapping for your players).
In all, it took me about four days to draw this map in my spare time. The small cross-hatching accounted for about 2/3 of that time investment. I’m definitely looking at larger cross-hatching for future maps, even if it doesn’t look as awesome.
(Click map for full size image)
Nice Map, however unfortunately most mazes are easily defeated by using the “Right hand on the wall” technique. Mind you this doesn’t help when you are in a stressful situation like fleeing for your lives.
True, but this isn’t designed as a maze, it’s a warren. Using the maze technique will have you moving from one “region” to another without dealing with all the trouble in that region. In effect, treating it as a maze will allow the residents of the environment to defeat you.
This is frickin’ brilliant! Multiple elevations, underground water features, tons of rooms – all on a single page. This is my kinda map. Sweet.
This map looks awesome. I’m thinking about starting to draw maps myself.
That’s a sweet map! I love the fact that sections are square within themselves, but not with other sections. Do you freehand it, or use another method?
Completely freehand – black pen on a letter sheet of paper, no pencil roughs, no grid, just fun.
Glad you like it.
Wow! That’s something else.
I’m going to use this in my game, just so you know.
Hi…
Great style!
Do you have a bigger version (*.psd) of this one??
Really want to blow it up, frame it and hang it up on my wall!
-ss-
Interesting mix of constructed and natural caverns. At the fact that it’s blank leaves so much up to the imagination–*anything* could be lurking in there.
It just occurred to me that you wrote, over a year ago:
the map I was drawing for another project (hopefully to be released this month)
What was that other project?
PS. I still haven’t gotten tot do anything with this map, but I still love it.
For the record, it was the random dungeon generator to go with the geomorphs – something I gave up on in the end.
This is gorgeous! Definitely using this.
You know we would pay good for something like this on a poster, right?
Imagine the size of THAT spelunking-site!