Canonfire! Forums-viewtopic-Anna's Atlas of the Flanaess

Sat Nov 17, 2012 8:04 pm

Back in my day, we only had hand drawn/colored maps, and we liked it!

Oh, how you spoil the Greyhawk n00bs, Anna. Well, and us too. Laughing

I ran quite a few adventures in this area of the Flanaess, so this brings back a lot of memories. Makes me want to DM those adventures all over again.

Thanks, and keep up the great work! Cool

_________________
- Moderator/Admin (in some areas)/Member -

Sun Nov 18, 2012 4:08 pm

Great work playing with CC3 (dont know what you use), I can only imagine how time consuming this is. I'm happy now, my favorite dungeon the Lost Caverns is portrayed.

Mon Nov 19, 2012 1:50 am

Beautiful, to see the adventure locations a mountain-style map it reminds me of the fact how remotely located they are. It must be quite a hike to reach some of them.

Mon Nov 19, 2012 6:04 pm

Sighs and shakes his head at "Stron-Uberfart."

Beautiful maps, though.

Mon Nov 19, 2012 6:10 pm

I agree Rasgon, its not Greyhawky at all IMHO. Luckily its not mentioned in any of the LG modules so I can either remove it or change shorten it to Stron perhaps?

Mon Dec 17, 2012 4:46 pm

The Great Oz (ette) opens the curtain abit......

Was perusing the postings of one of our favorite Cartographers.. Cool

In this posting she reveals how a bit of the magic is created....
Cool

Sorry in advance Anna... Couldn't resist.. I thought many would wonder at the amount of detailed effort you go thru for a single mountain...

http://ghmaps.net/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Bryce-tutorial1.pdf

Tue Jan 15, 2013 9:07 pm

Thank you for holding the fort for me Lord_Dark_Galen!

I'm sorry I haven't been posting here in a while. So here is a project update.

I have covered roughly 80% of the Flanaess and have been hard at work on the northern part of the Sheldomar Valley with Bissel, Gran March and the Valley of the Mage the last couple of weeks.

From now on I have decided to switch my workflow from CorelDraw to Illustrator. Its something I had planned to do for the final map a long time back , but I have decided to switch now rather than waiting. I realized that instead of making the small area maps until I get them all done will save me a bit of time now, but it will be a huge operation to convert everything later. I decided to convert what I've done so far and then do the rest in the "new" way. That will mean a week or so of conversion work before I can move on to new things.

So now you probably wonder why go to all the trouble of changing to a new set of tools. Several reasons, first and foremost I want to be able to have everything in one master map, one place to keep updated and corrected. That way I can much easier just define an area I'm interested in and export it to make a special map with very little work. Everything from local maps with extra details to large area overview maps can be made in a couple of minutes. I can also make them look much more polished with text and symbols having the final look.

It will also be much easier to add overlays with hexes, range circles or other grids and such. Plus I can export them with a much improved style over all. You will be fed updated symbols and map styles that I want your input on. My goal is for the Greyhawk community to have a set of campaign maps that are as good as the best both in style and in content, with your critique I hope I can start delivering that withing a couple of weeks.

Thanks again for all your support!
Anna

Thu Jan 24, 2013 1:02 am

Nice! Very nice! An added hex grid layer with the vertical/horizontal number-letter keys along the edges would be a very, very nice thing to add. The Church of Greyhawk may very well have to canonize you once you are done. Laughing

_________________
- Moderator/Admin (in some areas)/Member -

Tue Feb 12, 2013 3:38 pm

as always, thank you very much.
_________________
Does the walker choose the path, or does the path choose the walker?

Tue Feb 12, 2013 7:28 pm

Sat Feb 16, 2013 6:44 pm

Mon Feb 18, 2013 8:12 pm

Thanks all of you for all your encouragement!! Happy

Took me a couple of days to answer, I'm on a short vacation driving up the Californian coast to spend a day or two around San Fransisco. then it's back home to my desk to work on bite Sheldomar Vallley.

On my website http://ghmaps.net you can find a preview of the updated style and a how far I've come.

There will be new detailed maps of Veluna, Bissel and Greand March in about two weeks.

Thanks again for all your support!
Anna

Mon Feb 18, 2013 8:43 pm

Holy Cats Anna!

I finally made it to this thread, then to your website...I am just amazed! You are so very talented! Speaking as someone who can only draw flies, I am just plain impressed!

And speaking as Greyhawk old-timer, thank you for the work you're doing!

Wed Feb 27, 2013 4:56 pm

Thanks bugsy! Smile

So time for some updates. First you can have a look at the latest version of my campaign map. It has some non canon stuff added, but it might be of interest anyway.

You can download the full size map here: http://ghmaps.net/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Campaign-map130227.zip

The next is an updated map of Veluna, this time complete!

Full size version here: http://ghmaps.net/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Veluna-130221.jpg

and a initial map of Bissel!

Full size version here: http://ghmaps.net/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Bissel3.jpg

These maps all have the a new updated map style as well as presentation. I'm still tweaking with with the looks. I have migrated all my work to Adobes Illustrator and Photoshop to be able to produce better looking maps easier and faster. These are the first results of that migration. I will add more complete and better looking headers and footers soon, and also release a new legend explaining my new styled maps.

After years of struggle and hard work my Flanaess mapping project are on the home stretch, and I hope to finish the mapping part in a couple of months. Then comes the next phase creating the various ways the maps will be printed or digitally used. Thanks to Illustrator and Photoshop and the format I'm working in now I can use the map in lots of different ways without too much hassle.

So I will soon look into wall maps and other printed versions like a notebook and some other cool ideas, and digital versions and for use in Realm Works.

Thanks again for all your support!
Anna

Wed Feb 27, 2013 5:02 pm

I LOVE the new map style! *frog-thumbs up*

Fri Mar 29, 2013 6:28 pm

Two non-webbed thumbs up!

Sat Mar 30, 2013 9:14 pm

Thank you Rasgon and bullywug Happy

Here are some more:

Gran March:

Full size JPG: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/296601/Gran%20March%20130327.jpg

Geoff

Full Size JGP: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/296601/Geoff130323.jpg

Valley of the Mage

Full size JPG: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/296601/Valley%20of%20the%20Mage%20130328.jpg

These are all first version previews. I haven't spent time and effort on making PDF versions of these maps yet. I want to give you the experts as much time as possible to weed out all the errors, while I continue to map the remaining parts.

Right know i'm working with Keoland, Sterich, Yeomanry and all the damn mountains in the area Wink

There will be layered versions and many other cool maps once all this is done.

Thanks again for all your support!

Anna

Mon Apr 01, 2013 5:40 pm

Thank you for all your hard work, Anna. Happy

SirXaris

Mon Apr 01, 2013 8:21 pm

Great work! I'm anxiously waiting for the great day that I can see Sterich and Keoland in such high-quality maps. This is simply amazing.

Tue Apr 02, 2013 5:03 pm

Anna, where did you get the names you used in Gran March?

Tue Apr 02, 2013 6:22 pm

First here is a "exlusive" Wink

first look at Keoland and Sterich:

A bigger jpg here: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/296601/Keoland%20preview1.jpg

It is an early screenshot with many things missing and a rough terrain. This is my "first run" with a terrain that is rough and are missing parts. In this stage I'm mostly trying to make sure that all the major features are in the right place.
If you know my previous work you notice that I have redone large parts of the Uleks and practically the whole of southern Keoland than I had done earlier. The western slopes of the Lortmill's and the Duchy and County of Ulek where one of the earliest areas I did back in 99' and they where too big and way off west. I've known this for a long time but waited with it until it was time to do the rest of the Sheldomar Valley, which is now.
I think I got the scale and placement right now, so I'm just about to move in and start work on getting the smaller details right and work on the terrain to get it to look really good.
The Gran March names and details are from the LG campaign. I have read every page of all modules and looked at their official campaign map. there where a few inconsistencies that I have tried to solve the best I could. There are also a few places that are referenced in the text but doesn't appear on any of the maps, and I've tried to use the text as a guide to my placement.
The excellent Gran March project that I think you're a part of Anced_Math I decided to leave out of this version of my map. Not because I think it is bad in any way, but it competes with the LG content. My priority are:
1. Published source books and modules
2. Living Greyhawk modules and source material
3. Well made fanon.
If the fan made material adds to the other content, like adding towns and names to areas without features in 1 or 2 I add it to my map. But there are some great fan made stuff that are a replacement in which case I'm not using it. But don't despair!
When I'm done with the whole map and when my Flanaess mapping project move in to Stage 3 I will start releasing all my source material, so anyone who wants to can make their own versions. My project goals and status are available here: http://ghmaps.net/?page_id=600

Thanks again for all your support!!

Anna

Tue Apr 02, 2013 8:29 pm

I liked the preview a lot! There is a hq map of Keoland in Wizards' website which I have used, but your version looks better in usability and appearance.

Mon Apr 08, 2013 3:37 am

Oh boy. The Sea Princes and the Sheldomar are the areas that I'll be using in a few weeks. Starting in the Sea Princes, progressing north to Thornward, through Ket, and then it is into the exotic (and deadly) west for them...over the course of 10 adventures or so. I am going to be using whatever you have ready, Anna. Having all the little map details gathered into one place will no doubt save me vast amounts of time for reasons I have yet to even contemplate. I must say that the full-sized new style maps look beautiful. Wow, but does Bissel have some details! Cool

Also, I fixed the links to the full-sized Bissel and Veluna maps 9 posts above this one (they linked to thumbnails). I now know your secret "th" system. Wink

_________________
- Moderator/Admin (in some areas)/Member -

Tue Apr 16, 2013 8:56 pm

Thank you Cebrion for fixing the links!

Here comes Keoland and a updated look at Duchy of Ulek. So now I hope you have all your maps Cebrion, from the Hool to Thornward Smile

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/296601/Keoland130416-02.jpg

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/296601/Dunchy%20of%20Ulek130416-02.jpg

Now its off to Sterich Smile

Thanks again for all your support!
Anna

Tue Apr 16, 2013 9:26 pm

Well, at least you're close to The Yeomanry! Laughing

Perhaps someday it will happen. Wink

Your work is as impressive as ever, Anna. I hope you never stop!
_________________
Mystic's web page: http://melkot.com/mysticscholar/index.html
Mystic's blog page: http://mysticscholar.blogspot.com/

Tue Apr 16, 2013 9:48 pm

KEOLAND!!!

Thank you thank you Anna!

Brilliant, as always. I really can't emphasize enough how important this map is for me, since we are playing a very long campaign in Keoland at the moment.

One detail that really pleased me was the demographics!
There are 13 large towns in Keoland:
Saltmarsh
Seaton
Sanduchar
Gand
Endereisen
Linnoden
Nirdal
Malbridge
Ravonnar
Plamton
Craufield
Middlebridge
Barandsford

One small city whose population is not identified in canon:
Segor

Summarised, the minimum population in these is 31,000.

If you count in Cryllor, Flen, Gradsul and Niole Dra, the total is 125,700. The population of Keoland is 1,800,000. This means that less than 7% of the population is living in large towns and cities (assuming that all large towns and Segor have minimum population). This is consistent with the 3.5 DMG rule that 1/15 or 1/10 of the population is living in small hamlets and such.

Good work! I give you A- because Istivin is misspelled ;)

Tue Apr 16, 2013 10:31 pm

Doh! Javan's Ferry is missing! Shocked

It's supposed to be about 12 to 15 miles from Flen. It's the crossing they used to retake Sterich. Wink

Hmm, you're also missing Johann's End, the first town the Keolandish forces captured when they retook Sterich. Laughing

Well, at least I don't see them on there. Confused

You can thank the Paizo maps for those two mentions, though I'm sure you're not copying the Paizo maps! Although Gary Holian wrote about those two cities. Happy

_________________
Mystic's web page: http://melkot.com/mysticscholar/index.html
Mystic's blog page: http://mysticscholar.blogspot.com/

Tue Apr 16, 2013 11:01 pm

I think Johann's End will be more important when Sterich has its turn. Right now, I'm perfectly content that other nations featured in the Keoland map are lacking detail. It's the Keoland map after all.

Tue Apr 16, 2013 11:20 pm

So true. I only mentioned it because it lies between Javan's Ferry and Istivin -- which is on the map. Cool

_________________
Mystic's web page: http://melkot.com/mysticscholar/index.html
Mystic's blog page: http://mysticscholar.blogspot.com/

Tue Apr 16, 2013 11:30 pm

Tue Apr 16, 2013 11:42 pm

Istivin is on the edge of the map. The first letters of the name Istivin are cut off.

And I've been praising Anna for years, as she, herself, can tell you. It was I who dubbed her the "Goddess of Geography" long, long ago. Anna knows that I "speak" to her in good fun.

You're on some kind of tangent. Let it go. rolleyes

_________________
Mystic's web page: http://melkot.com/mysticscholar/index.html
Mystic's blog page: http://mysticscholar.blogspot.com/

Wed Apr 17, 2013 1:30 am

Mon Apr 22, 2013 1:12 pm

Braggi made a great Geoof map where he integrated the work done by Joe Katzman in his Geoff project. Braggi writes that the LG work and later didn't include Joe's work so Braggi decided to go with Joe's work more than the official LG and recent WoTC version of Geoff. I did the opposit in my first version of Geoff, I ignored Joe's and Braggi's work and tried to stay with the official version.
Braggi have done a very good job with his Adventure Atlas project so I wanted to include it, and it adds a lot of stuff to areas of Geoff that are in great need of detail, so I decided to try and have a go at trying to merge the two Geoff versions.
I have't replaced any official content merly tried to fill in the gaps by adding Joe's and Braggi's work. It is added to my private layer so I can easily remove it from the "official" version of my map. So what do you think of it?

high res jpg: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/296601/Geoff%20Braggi%201.jpg

So off to Sterich!

I had marked out Istivin long ago as a reference to measure things from, you see even I do that from time to time Wink

But here comes a first version of Sterich:

high res: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/296601/Sterich130418-02.jpg

This is a first version, so it will need some more work so feedback are much approved!

Thanks again for all your interest and support!

Anna

Mon Apr 22, 2013 6:18 pm

Can't say what I "think" of Geoff. I can enlarge the Sterich map, but not this particular Geoff map, so I can't really "see" of "read" anything on it. Sad

_________________
Mystic's web page: http://melkot.com/mysticscholar/index.html
Mystic's blog page: http://mysticscholar.blogspot.com/

Mon Apr 22, 2013 6:23 pm

my mistake with the links, should work now!
Sorry

Sat May 11, 2013 11:45 am

Hi Anna,

Your proficiency, dedication and talent are most appreciated! Your maps continue to amaze!

I wanted to comment on two things:

1 - I really, really, really like the "Realm Maps."

The "Atlas Style Maps" are great but the style sometimes means that a country like Ratik, gets split up among three different Atlas Maps.

The Realm Maps, like Keoland, Geoff, Veluna, etc., are a wonderful addition. Each of these areas would likely be split between a number Atlas Maps otherwise.

Applause! Applause!

2 - Eventually, you will be mapping the Hellfurnaces and the Sea of Dust. The latter could very easily be monochromatic and dull because there is not a lot of canon detail about the Sea of Dust.

However, the terrain itself in the Sea of Dust could be quite varied if you take into account the varieties of sand/dirt/dust/ash/rock, and the formations of dunes each might take - star, crescent, linear etc. As well, there are ergs, wadis, jebels etc. ie - desertish terrain types.

By way of example, the Al Qadim setting for D&D from TSR had some great maps with lots of interesting detail rather that just "here there be grit."

My suggestion would be to let your artistry go, much in the same way you have creatively rendered swamps, particularly the swamps along the course of the Nesser River - GH Atlas Pages 60 and 61 (Fennelmore Marsh and Gnat Marsh - these are exquisitely beautiful). Maybe you can make the Sea of Dust as beautiful and compelling, just by using terrain features creatively?

Best regards,

GVD Happy

Sat May 11, 2013 2:48 pm

There are times when being a fantasy map maker really rocks, when you get feedback like this!! Happy

Thank you so much!!!!

I totally agree with you on the Realm maps, this is the way to display the realms of the Flanaess. It might be a bit difficult to print some of them this way since they are a bit odd in size, but for digital use its great. I will present all of the realms this way starting with the newly mapped ones. The reason I made small squared ones earlier, was purely technical, my computer and software couldn't handle everything in one file. But now I have upgraded my computer and switched to Adobe Illustrator CS6, so now it can handle everything in one file.

For publishing I'm looking into (beside wall map and online) a ring-bound Atlas 11x17 inches, using a system where you can change individual pages, great way to accommodate for errata and custom map versions. I can also overlap as needed and make overview and closeup maps, as well as some other cool maps that are in the pipeline for the future. With the ring-binding more maps can be added as I make them. I have begun to invest in printer and laminator and other gear needed to produce them myself to keep the cost down. Another reason is that most of my maps are going to be customized to individual needs. It is too early to say anything about prices yet, I have to make the maps and then a few prototypes first Wink

I'm so glad you like the artistry I'm trying to get into with the terrain Smile

That is some of the most fun parts of making fantasy maps, tro try and create fantastic terrain. I'm trying to express something special with every realm but some are more special then others, and Sea of dust are among the most interesting (read: demanding Wink

) That is why I have saved it along with the Crystalmists and the Hellfurnaces until now over a decade into the project, that way I hoped my skills and tools would be up to the job.

Great advice with Al-Qadim and variations and destert terrain types. I will study the Al-Qadim maps along with lots of landscape and satellite pictures from deserts and badlands for inspiration and textures to use!
The marshes are among the most fun to do and I like the way they turned out. Working on the Hool Marshes now and have a lot more of them to cover down in the Sea Princes.

Here are the realm map of Keoland

full size: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/296601/Keoland130430.jpg

So here comes a first look at Yeomanry. This is a first draft, I have just started my final research going over all the LG material for fine details. There are a lot of small towns, that I hope I will find some more details about to make some of them smaller and other larger. Rivers and forest aren't named yet, that is also in the works. But the overall look of the land is roughly done, with one more touch-up I think it will starting to look like something.

Full size: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/296601/Yeomanry4.jpg

Thanks again for all your support!!

Anna

Sat May 11, 2013 8:51 pm

Anna, it's great that you're finally getting around to the Yeomanry area! Happy

And it only took you 14.5 years to keep your promise! Shocked

Okay, so that's a little bit of an exaggeration. Wink

Just don't leave my "home" off the map . . . Darkgate. Evil Grin

And you really do . . . do Awesome work and I know that everyone here appreciates it.

Thanks! For all you do. Happy

_________________
Mystic's web page: http://melkot.com/mysticscholar/index.html
Mystic's blog page: http://mysticscholar.blogspot.com/

Tue May 14, 2013 11:11 am

So after almost 15 years here is it, Yeomanry! Smile

High res JPG: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/296601/Yeomanry130513.jpg

and Dark Gate is there Wink

Now it off to the south!

Thanks again for all your support!

Anna

Wed May 15, 2013 1:53 am

There is a problem with the zig-zag dividing line on the counter-posed Sterich heraldry. This is most easily seen on the Sterich map: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/296601/Sterich130418-02.jpg
_________________
- Moderator/Admin (in some areas)/Member -

Wed May 15, 2013 12:39 pm

I know, it was a heck of a lot of trouble getting it that way! Wink

Used the design from the LG Gazetteer, and it looks like that. I prefer a straight line and wouldn't mind changing it back to one.

Thu May 16, 2013 12:58 am

Great work Anna! I love the addition of Thurmaster, Parlfray's Keep and the other Night Below communities, that certainly brings back memories )

I don't mind the Sterich Heraldry at all, I assume the line is meant to represent the surrounding mountains. Speaking of mountains, saving this region for last seems to have really paid off with the highland valley nations, they look quite rugged )

Thu May 16, 2013 3:55 am

Thu May 16, 2013 10:19 am

Thanks for the help!

Here is a new version of the shield of Sterich:

Thu May 16, 2013 6:15 pm

That looks excellent, Anna! Happy

Are you going to use Paizo-Hawk as canon for your maps? Specifically, are you going to include Sasserine, Cauldron, Fort Blackwell, and Scuttlecove (if it's within the area your maps of the Flanaess cover)?

SirXaris
_________________
SirXaris' Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SirXaris?ref=hl

Thu May 16, 2013 8:18 pm

Bingo!

_________________
- Moderator/Admin (in some areas)/Member -

Thu May 16, 2013 9:38 pm

Thanks!

Paizo-hawk will definitely be included, I've had the big hardback sitting on my shelf for years waiting for this moment Wink

Sun May 26, 2013 8:41 pm

Time to add a new realm to my project! Smile

High res version here: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/296601/Sea%20Princes130526_3.jpg

Now I'm going to travel along the Hellfurnaces south to the Amedio Wink

Thanks again for all your Support!

Anna

Sun May 26, 2013 9:00 pm

Gorgeous, Anna! :)

I don't see Fort Blackwell on the northern tip of the Amedian peninsula, though.

SirXaris
_________________
SirXaris' Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SirXaris?ref=hl

Sun May 26, 2013 9:16 pm

Thanks :)

Thanks for the reminder!
Fort Blackwell will be there, the Amedio is in research. That means I'm collecting map details and then make a first terrain version. This is as far as I've got with Amedio so far.
Its only when I have a terrain good I think is enough to work with that I start placing items, this is so I minimize the risk of having to correct a whole bunch of them.
Things might seem to be out of order but I've been at this for years and i'm starting to get a hang of how to work fairly efficiently.

Mon Jun 03, 2013 7:29 am

Hi Anna,

Wonderful work, as always. I couple of thoughts to share.

You have a label "Yan-Ti Lands of H-Thiss'Kaa." I believe it should be "Yuan -Ti," referring the the monster.

It may be endemic to maps in complex areas such as this, but

1) Melkot and surrounds do not appear "live," as in colored, on either the Yeomanry Map or on the Sea Princes Map. Maybe they will be part of the HellFurnaces map?

2) The confluence of the Javan and Hool Rivers is very hard to see. While technically not party of the Hold, excluding it makes the map harder to comprehend at a glance.

3) The extent of the Hool Marshes seems off, particularly above the Hool River. Shouldn't the Marshes nearly abut both Melkot and The Tors? I'm looking at the 4 Part Dragon Magazine Map.

Lastly, a purely aesthetic note. This map, unlike any other, looks somewhat "muddy," "cloudy," or generally indistinct. The relief and the colors are not as crisp. Maybe this is intentional to suggest the "heat" in the area or a hot environment? Or maybe its just me.

I really like the sound of your custom map idea, that you mentioned upthread. I eagerly await details.

BTW - Will you be completing all the smaller atlas map sections, or are you permanently moving to just realm maps now?

Best regards,

GVD Smile

_________________
GVD

Mon Jun 03, 2013 7:50 am

Hi again Anna,

Of note, my previous post concerned the Hold of the Sea Princes Map.

Thinking my eyes might be going on me with respect to the "muddy" note I made above, I did a comparison with the 2nd Keoland map from your site and found - "The Cryp of Thestos" on the upper edge of the Dreadwood. Should this be "Crypt?"

Then again, the Thestos Cryps might just be representing, letting Gradsul Bloods know what they gonna get they try to get all up in the Dreadwood. Wink

Best regards,

GVD Happy

_________________
GVD

Tue Jun 04, 2013 7:19 pm

I'll try and answer all the great input GVD!

You are totally right with Yuan-Ti and the Crypt of Thestos, spelling is not a talent I can be blamed for, so I'm so glad you checking my work!

Melkot deserves its own map and I'm going to send it to Maldin first for approval and ask him for herladry so it will be more complete.

The fuzziness in Hool and the river confluence is not your eyes. It comes as a side effect from the use of layer effects to make the river look like they are depressed into the land a bit, the effect creates a "ditch" through the marsh which look funny. I'm aware of the problem and will try and improve it. I will publish an updated map soon.

The extent of the Hool Marshes, youre right I need to exend the marshy area closer to Melkot. Will update that!

Custom maps to suit individual campaign variations are a must if you make a detailed maps of a setting like Greyhawk. You have different ages back in time to game in, and each campaign evolves differently where borders shift and things get burned to ashes etc.
Hawker's also seem to be a stubborn bunch who has strong opinions that needs to be catered for, so to layer maps so they can be customized have been something I have designed into my work from the start.
But it is also best to work out a base map to customize from, which is what I'm doing now. Even if you want to play a game set in before the Wars you might like to use the settlements and other details but shift the borders around and reinstate some of the ruined cities for example.

Until I upgraded my hardware and started to work in Photoshop and Illustrator CS6 64-bit, I had to work on a small piece at a time. Now I can have to whole map in one big document so I started to divide the task to what work best to research, one realm at a time. The latest series of maps are only preview maps, a way for me to receive as much input and criticism as possible, to weed out as many error as possible before anything goes into print.

I can export any part of the map I like as a jpg or layered PDF or play with it more for special effects. I have some really cool ideas for some really cool maps Wink

I'm also going to do some major updates to the parts I mapped back in the 90's. I will start with Verbobonc. the Wild Coast, Pomarj and Verbobonc are also in need for some revision before print. So they will also be presented as preview maps for criticism the coming weeks. I'll jump a bit back and forth between mapping new places and doing updates, it gets a bit too tedious to do the same thing for more than a few days. The Amedio Hellfurnaces and Sea of dust are enormous.

Here is a small teaser Smile

Thanks again for all your Support!

Anna

Tue Jun 04, 2013 8:46 pm

Awesome, Anna! It's such an incredible project. Happy

SirXaris
_________________
SirXaris' Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SirXaris?ref=hl

Wed Jun 05, 2013 8:37 am

Thu Jun 06, 2013 6:13 pm

Wonderful to see someone who thinks like I do, you're starting to see maps as an essential part of a game too Wink

I doubt WotC will come around on that soon, but I might be wrong. They might start to realize that they are more to publishing RPG's than printing books. I have a whole slew of ideas I'm going to try and realize in the coming years, customizing campaign maps on commission are only the beginning!

The following maps are on their way soon:
A first look at Amedio, the northern half at least
Sea Princes update, sharper and some added features
Verbobonc, a new and updated look at an old time favorite

Then their are more in the pipeline,... Hellfurnaces, Sea of Dust, Dry Steppes and the Sulhaut Mountains. Lots of things too keep me occupied Smile

Thanks again for all your help!
Anna

Sun Jul 07, 2013 5:42 pm

Time for a whole range of preview maps. I call them preview maps since there purpose is to weed out errors before anything goes into print or other type of publication.

First out is the Sea Princes:

Full size download here: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/296601/Sea%20Princes130707.jpg

Then it is south across Jeklea Bay to Sasserine and Cauldron:

Full size download here: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/296601/Sasserine%20Couldron130707.jpg

Now its time to take on the enorumous Amedio Jungle!

Full size download here: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/296601/Ameido%20northern130701.jpg

Full size download here: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/296601/Amedio%20Central130706.jpg

Full size download here: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/296601/Amedio%20southern130706.jpg

That was all new maps I had to show for now, but soon their will be time for the map I'm most proud of, the Tilvanot Peninsula Wink

Thanks again for all your support!

Anna

Sun Jul 07, 2013 7:31 pm

I'm curious about the political boundaries (red, dotted lines) around the various forts and cities in the Amedio. Did you use any sources for those areas, or are they your own best guesses as to the territory claimed/controlled by each point of civilization?

SirXaris
_________________
SirXaris' Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SirXaris?ref=hl

Tue Jul 09, 2013 2:08 pm

Its my interpretation that the Scarlet Brotherhood at least in the CY590s are not controlling the whole Amedio. They base their presence on coastal fortresses and make raids to collect slaves and various other resources back to the forts to the ship them back to their heartlands for use or selling.

I remember reading somewhere about fears of overstretching and that the SB empire was going into more of consolidation rather than conquest. So its my interpretation since details for Amedio are sketchy at best and not much is mentioned considering how wast it is.

Tue Jul 09, 2013 6:00 pm

Thanks, Anna! That's what I guessed, but wanted to be sure I hadn't missed a source for the Amedio. Smile

SirXaris
_________________
SirXaris' Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SirXaris?ref=hl

Sun Aug 11, 2013 1:31 pm

Annaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa... Would you mind doing some comission work for this poor writer monkey?

I'd send a PM, but this way, you can simply write "no", without being impolite.
But I have been looking for a mapper for some time, and, well, I like your maps. A lot. Smile

_________________
"A Minstrel's Memory": PBPs & Other Games, since 2005.

Mon Aug 12, 2013 5:34 pm

Tue Aug 13, 2013 5:52 am

In contact with Anna. :) Thanks, Galen! :)
_________________
"A Minstrel's Memory": PBPs & Other Games, since 2005.

Thu Aug 15, 2013 6:08 am

Most Welcome Le Noir Faineant...
And to steal a template moniker from Lanthorn

Dark Lord Galen
Unworthy Paladin of the Cartographer Goddess

Wink

Tue Sep 17, 2013 7:17 pm

It would be better to mention credits when each map section goes up, rather than waiting until everything is done. Do not go with something as vague as "various Living Greyhawk sources", or similar. If you don't know the specific person who might have done something (i.e. the source was a group project), just credit the source by name and those who worked on it, if known (i.e. "Living Greyhawk Gazetteer Map: Dennis Kauth, Rob Lazaretti, et al.").
_________________
- Moderator/Admin (in some areas)/Member -

Fri Sep 20, 2013 9:49 am

I received widespread support during this from many Greyhawk fans and community members including several prominent creators of Greyhawk material. Thank you so much all of you who want me to share my maps with the Greyhawk community. It would be sad if only me and my gaming group would be the only ones to make use of it.

To credit all the sources for information is almost impossible and would create so much extra work for me that I have decided to not do it. I can rightly be criticized for it, but to do a map of this magnitude on a shoestring budget means you can't do everything to track down your sources and register them and list them. So I will make a long list of people that created Greyhawk and helped me over the years, to be included on the final map. During the 15 years I've been donging this I've received lots of comments, emails and forums posts, reviews etc. So far only one person have been negative and accused me of misusing his creations, and his contributions are very minor. The opposite, to give me the rights to put their settlements and names on the map have been the norm.

Now on to my latest updates!

Here is the first Full map PDF test:

It has layers and all the features on it, and the public layers are turned on. My private layers are there but initially turned off. It is 214MB in size and in order to achieve this I have down sampled the terrain from 600dpi to 50dpi. Hopefully its enough for you to use and check that everything are where it suppose to be, while still responsive on most computers.

It is a huge file with thousands of objects so it will require a decent machine to display, and it might take some time for the terrain to resample while panning and zooming. So please be patient and report errors.

You can get the file here: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/296601/Flanaess%20Full%20map%20test%20130916.pdf

The Sultanate of Zeif preview map:

You can download it here: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/296601/Zeif130909.jpg

Thanks again for your support!

Anna

Fri Sep 20, 2013 6:44 pm

I completely understand, and this is certainly a tough gig that you signed up for. Some will be understanding, and some will not. Leaving out something that further complicates things is always an option too. I guess you will have to go with a more general list of credits then, such as "various Living Greyhawk sources", etc., as that has apparently been deemed perfectly suitable for even those that would complain.

You have accomplished a huge amount over the last twelve months, so I guess that your new system has been working out well. Keep up the good work, and the full map is shaping up to look insanely awesome!!! Cool

_________________
- Moderator/Admin (in some areas)/Member -

Fri Sep 20, 2013 8:11 pm

Anna, your work is wonderful and much-appreciated.

Thank you. Smile

SirXaris
_________________
SirXaris' Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SirXaris?ref=hl

Sat Sep 21, 2013 10:06 am

Ditto SX's rebuttal..... Your efforts have only added to the collective.....

Fri Oct 11, 2013 6:20 pm

Thanks guys! Happy

Here are something you should try: http://ghmaps.net/onlinemap/onlinemap.html

I'm sure you like it Exclamation

Fri Oct 11, 2013 6:33 pm

Anna, I am sooo! happy for this map. When you finish that SE corner, I'm going to print the entire thing off and attach it to my living room ceiling. Happy

SirXaris
_________________
SirXaris' Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SirXaris?ref=hl

Wed Oct 30, 2013 1:48 pm

After a REALLY long time here is a first look at the whole map!!! Happy

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/296601/Flanaess%20Full%20map131027.pdf

It is a layered PDF map that is 245MB in size, so it will take some time to download and a proper PDF viewer to use. It is just a preview so it still needs corrections and things might be missing here and there. But it covers the whole area I set out to map 15 years ago. So now I need your help to spot things that still needs attention.

Thanks again for all your help!
Anna

Wed Oct 30, 2013 11:52 pm

Wonderful Anna! What a thrill to see it all together, and get a real appreciation for the Flanaess, and for all the work it took you to reach this point.

I will do my best to scour the minutiae, and find anything that might need correcting, although I'm sure ill find myself lost in the wonder of it all before long.

My enduring gratitude for all your efforts!

Thu Oct 31, 2013 6:36 pm

Anna, this is a work that you have every right to be very proud of accomplishing. Know that you have made every Greyhawk fan in the world very, very happy. Happy

SirXaris
_________________
SirXaris' Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SirXaris?ref=hl

Thu Oct 31, 2013 9:01 pm

Great stuff. If you are including adventure locales, the Forbidden City is located in the Pelisso Swamp of Hepmonaland.
_________________
- Moderator/Admin (in some areas)/Member -

Wed Dec 11, 2013 9:05 am

Ok a month is long enough for this thread to sit idle after Big C's housekeeping Wink

In case anyone hasn't noticed Anna has posted a high resolution version of the entire map for review here.
Here or Her Site
Here
*Edit* Forgot to forwarn all that this file is HUGE (1.47G) so it takes awhile. On her site there is also a condensed version as well.
DLG

Fri Dec 13, 2013 5:39 am

And everyone should remember that it is not the final version. Be sure to look for things that might be missing, and let Anna know about them if you find any.
_________________
- Moderator/Admin (in some areas)/Member -

Fri Dec 13, 2013 7:48 pm

First, thank you so much Cebrion for holding my back and defending me Wink

So there are a ton of things to report Smile

First I have a finished map, that I have had some great help of no other than Darlene herself!

This is a 576 CY version 34x45 inches in size, and you canread all about it here: http://ghmaps.net/?p=1078

If you want to download high quality versions of my maps you can read about how here: http://ghmaps.net/?p=1091

The Big map is getting close to being finished, what is hopefully the last preview is being uploaded now. You can download a compressed PDF version 168MB here: http://ghmaps.net/special/FlanaessFullmap131212small.pdf

The online map will (if everything works out) be up again tomorrow. It can be found here: http://ghmaps.net/onlinemap/onlinemap.html

Again thank you all for your help over the years making this project possible! Smile

Anna

Wed Dec 18, 2013 4:59 am

Yay! A 576 CY map!

***Check your PMs too.***
_________________
- Moderator/Admin (in some areas)/Member -

Wed Dec 18, 2013 6:36 pm

Wewp! 576CY! Thank you so much!

Fri Jan 17, 2014 1:10 pm

It took a while but here it is!

You can download a layered 171MB PDF here: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/296601/Final_map_140116small.zip

Online and print quality versions will be available next week.

Thank you for all your support over the years, you made this project possible!

Anna

Fri Jan 17, 2014 4:13 pm

Yeehaw! Woohoo! Happy

SirXaris
_________________
SirXaris' Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SirXaris?ref=hl

Fri Jan 17, 2014 9:18 pm

Thank you! Smile

Here is the map is 6 JPG pieces:

http://ghmaps.net/special/Final_map140116-part1.jpg

http://ghmaps.net/special/Final_map140116-part2.jpg

http://ghmaps.net/special/Final_map140116-part3.jpg

http://ghmaps.net/special/Final_map140116-part4.jpg

http://ghmaps.net/special/Final_map140116-part5.jpg

http://ghmaps.net/special/Final_map140116-part6.jpg

Thu Mar 20, 2014 10:48 am

With this monumental project done, I am wondering, what is up next for Anna? Other than a bit of rest that is. Happy

_________________
- Moderator/Admin (in some areas)/Member -

Thu Mar 20, 2014 1:14 pm

Someone smart with years of experience of the RPG industry said that, "the reward for work well done, is more work" Smile

I have a couple of map commissions that I'm working on right now. Compared to the Flaness map they are small, and I'm glad that I don't have to research them!

My next big project is something that will eventually become bigger, much bigger in fact than the Flaness map. I'm working on a system of map tiles for dungeon, wilderness and town maps. It is a commercial project for both digital and print use, and I will present it in detail later this year.

Here is a promotional image I made to show off my skills:

A high resolution version can be found here: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/296601/Promo1_1.jpg

Then there is the Atlas version of the Flanaess, and how about hexes? Smile

I'm working on that too on the side.

Thu Mar 20, 2014 1:26 pm

Thu Mar 20, 2014 2:12 pm

It would also seem congrats are in order for the Demi-Goddess of Cartography

Certainly well Deserved!!! Happy

2014 Ennie Nominations

Thu Mar 20, 2014 2:14 pm

Its only a submission, but who knows Smile

But thank you!

Thu Mar 20, 2014 9:46 pm

Hex layers are always good, and I am glad to hear that you have other projects. You could always do battle mats, floor plans for town buildings, dungeons, ships, etc. There are a few decent ones out there, but it is not like one can have too many of them. Happy

_________________
- Moderator/Admin (in some areas)/Member -

Thu May 01, 2014 10:47 am

On the question of what constitutes "canon" for the map, and on the principal that Anna's maps are a never-ending work in progress...

Always in search of new Flaneass canon, I took a look at this:

http://www.greyhawkonline.com/grodog/gh_dungeon_adventures.html

...and bought Dungeon #89. As grodog suggests, "Wedding Bells" is a Greyhawk adventure in all but name. The geography is a dead ringer for the meeting of the Jewel and Handmaiden Rivers. It's set on the east side of the rivers, in an area described as a buffer zone for an Elven land [obviously Celene], and the wedding is supposed to take place on Freeday, 7th of Goodmonth [ Wink

]. My only reservation is that the area is shown as being more populated than I allowed for, but YMMV.

FWIW, I'm going to integrate the information into my campaign. IMC, that area is currently at Readyreat, 578. This will give me time to have all these hamlets and thorps get settled! Since there is no mention of a recent attack, and no sign of one, I assume that the adventure occurs in Goodmonth, 583, before the Pomarj invasion. Of course, its possible that Turrosh Mak's guys didn't make it to that area, although I always assumed that they at least tried. Again, I might simply have to modify "the future." Laughing

So, I'd argue that this may be canon, but not for a 576 map.

Fri Jul 04, 2014 12:03 pm Greyhawk Population figures

I just thought I'd post this here, in order to avoid making a new and likely unnecessary thread. Has anyone done much work on the populations of Greyhawk's countries. I've figured out the square area of various countries, then used the Doomsday Book to get population figures and such. Boy does it NOT come out anywhere near the same!

I figured a thread was already here, for something as obvious as this, but for the life of me I couldn't find one. Any help would be appreciated. :)

Mon Jul 14, 2014 2:20 pm Congratulations!

Congratulations on the Ennie nomination (see http://www.ennie-awards.com/blog/2014-ennie-awards-nominees)!

Mon Jul 14, 2014 9:19 pm Re: Greyhawk Population figures

Tue Feb 10, 2015 10:40 am

Looking at Anna Meyer's map (http://ghmaps.net/onlinemap/onlinemap.html) where the Yeomanry, Hool Marshes and Keoland meet, there are a couple of places where I couldn't find any information about them: Parlfray's Keep and Sirister's Tower.

Any ideas where they come from?
_________________
Discord: @GrillWizard

Tue Feb 10, 2015 6:36 pm

Good question carlanco!

Parlfray's keep is from "Night Below". The Yeomanry League placed it on their LG campaign map.

Serister's Keep has its origin from LG adventures as well. The Lamia "Kjali the Cunning" was once enslaved by a local pyromancer, named Serister, and was held in stasis for some three hundred years after he was killed by Keoish forces. I liked the story and decided to give the Pyromancer a tower. So the tower and its placement is of my origin, but he name is from the LG campaign.

Anna

Fri Feb 13, 2015 6:34 am

Thanks Anna!
_________________
Discord: @GrillWizard

Thu Apr 30, 2015 11:20 am

Hi Everyone!

I have made a zip file with all the heraldry from my map: http://ghmaps.net/heraldry/

It also includes a number of my own design so keep and use the ones you like!

Anna

Thu Apr 30, 2015 4:22 pm

Sat May 02, 2015 3:15 am

Thu Jun 16, 2016 4:31 am

New downloads page for the massive map, and all of the smaller maps: http://ghmaps.net/greyhawk-maps/flaness-map-download/
Cool

_________________
- Moderator/Admin (in some areas)/Member -