WIP: Shadowrun-ish map of upper Manhattan
Rob_Wordsmith
Traveler
Hey all,
I'm working on a map for a new Shadowrun/Bright/Cyberpunk-ish game I'm starting. This is a small part of a city-state I call Ultima-York (A walled New York sprawl that stretches from Long island to Lake Ontario encompassing some 32,000 square miles)
I'm going for a bit of a darker feel, so I used Darklands City style and made my own road tools. A question is do I want to put in symbols for buildings to capture the crowded over-built feel? Would that make a clean map look too busy? If I do, how do I put buildings in that look modern?
Thanks!
and 3 others.
Comments
2) What I do with my real-world-ish maps is to put google maps to roughly the same scale of what I plan to use, and see what sort of things they put on theirs. Then work up from there. For example, the bank herd gets culled, and the ones left take up more space in the block because they're more fortressie. Similar for police stations, being mostly private security of some sort. My malls tend to turn into more or less self-contained arcology-megastructure things (more arc, less, uh, ology). If I'm extra ambitious, maybe just a bit of research into the area to see what the flavor is.
Of course, I also rarely finish a damn thing. Maybe when I retire..
Modern maps and buildings is a bit of an issue. Modern maps are essentially road maps. The problem is that road maps never convey much beyond the roads. There are not any styles for a modern buildings. I mean there is like a Cthulhu City that has a few symbols suitable for the 1920's.
Since a shadowrun map style has come up, I have thought about asking for modern city symbols. While this won't help you on your map, if you look at NighCity for cyberpunk 2020 many of their maps have building symbols that convey building blocks as well as skyscrapers.
I also thought about building styles from say SimCity.
On this style of map, it would probably work best to simply have a few standout shapes with labels (of a specific appearance, designated by a map legend, perhaps), but only for key buildings. Individual building symbols may detract from the modern appearance, though it depends on how you draw them, and what they show.
I see you snuck in the symbols for the four elements. Thas pretty cool. Might look a little more natural if the lines of air and earth met up with the other roads though. But idk how subtle you want to make it.
Is Shadowrun making a come back? I have not played that since High School..which was right after dinosaurs died out. I did recognize the background behind the Movie Bright as soon as I saw it thigh.
@Frosty asked: "Is Shadowrun making a come back?"
Not sure it ever went away entirely. The current version is 6th edition, or Shadowrun Sixth World which came out in 2019, I think. It's now set in 2080.
Come back? Hmm . . . After FASA went bankrupt, the license was sold to WizKids. They then licensed it to Fanpro - the German company releasing the game in the EU. They re-released the third edition and then made a fourth edition in 2005. Topps then bought Wizkids and pulled the license. It was then licensed to Catalyst Game Labs who continued the 4th edition, released a 20th anniversary edition, and and then released a 5th edition in 2012.
Shadowrun 6 came out in 2019. There was also Shadowrun Anarchy, which was supposed to be easier less crunchy version. It did not do so well.
Every since the release of 4th, the core fans complain about the rules with them complaining more each edition. The original version of 6 is totally unplayable as written. This isn't just a rules issues, but a editing and writing issue. Things are better and they continue to release new material, albeit slowly.
Cyberpunk Red has stolen Shadowrun's thunder. Shadowrun used to be the only option, but CPR release now give an alternative.
But yes, people still play Shadowrun. It has a core group of players and does get a few new players. I think if there was a comback, it was about 10 years ago.
It's exciting to see Shadowrun gaining attention again! I haven't played it since high school either. I also noticed the similarities in the background of the movie Bright; it definitely has that Shadowrun vibe. Maybe it's time for a comeback!