I did a minor update to my world map. I adjusted the terrain for Western Sutheimr so that it would match better for the regional maps that I have already done.
A wonderful exercise in imagination, Charles. You certainly seem to be cut from the same cloth as me when it comes to world building, and I imagine you find it as engaging and entertaining as I do.
I create a "Player's Bible" for every campaign world I create, but it's just enough to cover the races, cultures, and current political/religious/military situation as the campaign begins. I always want to create a "Silmarillion" for every world, but once the campaign begins the focus is on the story, and it's through that where the world grows, with any intentions of writing the next big campaign sourcebook falling by the wayside - so I commend you on your persistence and dedication. Awesome!
Your CA images are just fantastic too! I think I would find it really useful because I believe portraying the looks and styles of different cultures and races helps the player's visualise what their characters look like and helps to immerse them deeper in the context of the rest of the world, but I never bought a copy because I didn't know what scope there was in it. With the amount of character's you've displayed here It seems it might have, but I do have a question...
...My current campaign setting only has four racial groups. They're all human groups distinguished by physical differences like hair colour, height, build, skin colour, etc. Each of these four are again divided into cultural sub-groups distinguished by dress style, cultural practises, religion and the like. So, there are around 20 pictures that I need to represent one example from each group. These range in appearance from Aztec/Mayan/Zulu appearance to Mongols/Cave-men/and traditional fantasy feudal cultures. There are also around 10 exotic peoples that are mutations of humans created during a global cataclysm in the distant past. Your images depict some similar peoples to what I'm describing, but I was wondering just how versatile CA is, and do you think it's capable of scratching my itch?
In the meantime, keep up the sterling work. I, too, would be another who would love to read a PDF should you get the chance to publish one.
" I imagine you find it as engaging and entertaining as I do."
Yes I do. For me, creating the world is just as much fun as having people playing in it. :-)
"Your CA images are just fantastic too!"
Again, Thank you very much for the complement! :-)
"...My current campaign setting only has four racial groups. They're all human groups distinguished by physical differences like hair colour, height, build, skin colour, etc. Each of these four are again divided into cultural sub-groups distinguished by dress style, cultural practises, religion and the like. So, there are around 20 pictures that I need to represent one example from each group. These range in appearance from Aztec/Mayan/Zulu appearance to Mongols/Cave-men/and traditional fantasy feudal cultures. There are also around 10 exotic peoples that are mutations of humans created during a global cataclysm in the distant past. Your images depict some similar peoples to what I'm describing, but I was wondering just how versatile CA is, and do you think it's capable of scratching my itch?"
Character artist has a lot of flexibility. But, you will need to develop your Drawing Tools skills. It does take some patching here and there with the drawing tools and you may need to "create" some of the items you need using the drawing tools. I see no problems making the Zulu, Mongols, Cavemen, and Fantasy Feudal cultures. Mutations should not be hard to make. But Aztec and Mayan will be a challenge. You will have to use the drawing tools to make many of the items that you need. It is a challenge that I myself is running into. Do not forget, you can pull bitmaps from other styles outside of CA as well.
Here is a link to one of my threads that shows the touch ups that I did to a basic CA character: http://forum.profantasy.com/comments.php?DiscussionID=7346&page=1#Item_8 After making those changes and reposting it on my deviantart page, the character went from obscurity to one of my top ten in my featured section.
Remember that some of the races have different body part and item choices. You can adjust the dimensions to use them for one of the other races and this expands your flexibility. You can find and example here: http://forum.profantasy.com/comments.php?DiscussionID=7332&page=1#Item_1 I adjusted the dimensions of a set of Dwarven Arms and used them for a human character for the Android Game - Kingdoms of Myth.
Here is an example of using the drawing tools to create items that are not part of the CA set and using different bitmaps: http://forum.profantasy.com/comments.php?DiscussionID=7001&page=1#Item_11 This was a science fiction piece so I used different bitmaps. I also used the drawing tools to create camouflage armor, face paint, beret, bullet holes in the concrete and a unit crest.
I would highly recommend CA!
If you ever need help with a specific project, just let me know. ;-)
Thanks, Charles. Not only for taking time out to reply, but for the advice and links. Greatly appreciated.
I feel that a visual element to tabletop RPGs helps immerse the players more, suspends their disbelief, and engages their imagination. While my maps can achieve that in a big way, showing them what their world looks like, or their local tavern, or the ruin they're just about to explore, I lack the ability to portray the people, the villains, or the races and cultures they can explore as characters, and I would love to. Don't get me wrong. I do use pictures, but they're stolen form google searches. Using someone else's incredible artwork isn't what I really want to do, because I want my world to be my creation in it's entirety, and I'm just an absolutely rubbish character artist!!
I also agree with your earlier comments in this thread and agree there should be a bumper Annual devoted to CA, or something of that nature. I subscribed to Vol 6 for the 13th Age style alone, so I would probably subscribe to another Annual for a single issue if it covered the right style.
I hope we see such an addition, but in the meantime I'll check out your links . Thank you.
Comments
I create a "Player's Bible" for every campaign world I create, but it's just enough to cover the races, cultures, and current political/religious/military situation as the campaign begins. I always want to create a "Silmarillion" for every world, but once the campaign begins the focus is on the story, and it's through that where the world grows, with any intentions of writing the next big campaign sourcebook falling by the wayside - so I commend you on your persistence and dedication. Awesome!
Your CA images are just fantastic too! I think I would find it really useful because I believe portraying the looks and styles of different cultures and races helps the player's visualise what their characters look like and helps to immerse them deeper in the context of the rest of the world, but I never bought a copy because I didn't know what scope there was in it. With the amount of character's you've displayed here It seems it might have, but I do have a question...
...My current campaign setting only has four racial groups. They're all human groups distinguished by physical differences like hair colour, height, build, skin colour, etc. Each of these four are again divided into cultural sub-groups distinguished by dress style, cultural practises, religion and the like. So, there are around 20 pictures that I need to represent one example from each group. These range in appearance from Aztec/Mayan/Zulu appearance to Mongols/Cave-men/and traditional fantasy feudal cultures. There are also around 10 exotic peoples that are mutations of humans created during a global cataclysm in the distant past. Your images depict some similar peoples to what I'm describing, but I was wondering just how versatile CA is, and do you think it's capable of scratching my itch?
In the meantime, keep up the sterling work. I, too, would be another who would love to read a PDF should you get the chance to publish one.
All the best
DMG
Thanks Dungeon Mastger Gaz! :-)
" I imagine you find it as engaging and entertaining as I do."
Yes I do. For me, creating the world is just as much fun as having people playing in it. :-)
"Your CA images are just fantastic too!"
Again, Thank you very much for the complement! :-)
"...My current campaign setting only has four racial groups. They're all human groups distinguished by physical differences like hair colour, height, build, skin colour, etc. Each of these four are again divided into cultural sub-groups distinguished by dress style, cultural practises, religion and the like. So, there are around 20 pictures that I need to represent one example from each group. These range in appearance from Aztec/Mayan/Zulu appearance to Mongols/Cave-men/and traditional fantasy feudal cultures. There are also around 10 exotic peoples that are mutations of humans created during a global cataclysm in the distant past. Your images depict some similar peoples to what I'm describing, but I was wondering just how versatile CA is, and do you think it's capable of scratching my itch?"
Character artist has a lot of flexibility. But, you will need to develop your Drawing Tools skills. It does take some patching here and there with the drawing tools and you may need to "create" some of the items you need using the drawing tools. I see no problems making the Zulu, Mongols, Cavemen, and Fantasy Feudal cultures. Mutations should not be hard to make. But Aztec and Mayan will be a challenge. You will have to use the drawing tools to make many of the items that you need. It is a challenge that I myself is running into. Do not forget, you can pull bitmaps from other styles outside of CA as well.
Here is a link to one of my threads that shows the touch ups that I did to a basic CA character: http://forum.profantasy.com/comments.php?DiscussionID=7346&page=1#Item_8
After making those changes and reposting it on my deviantart page, the character went from obscurity to one of my top ten in my featured section.
Remember that some of the races have different body part and item choices. You can adjust the dimensions to use them for one of the other races and this expands your flexibility. You can find and example here: http://forum.profantasy.com/comments.php?DiscussionID=7332&page=1#Item_1
I adjusted the dimensions of a set of Dwarven Arms and used them for a human character for the Android Game - Kingdoms of Myth.
Here is an example of using the drawing tools to create items that are not part of the CA set and using different bitmaps: http://forum.profantasy.com/comments.php?DiscussionID=7001&page=1#Item_11
This was a science fiction piece so I used different bitmaps. I also used the drawing tools to create camouflage armor, face paint, beret, bullet holes in the concrete and a unit crest.
I would highly recommend CA!
If you ever need help with a specific project, just let me know. ;-)
I feel that a visual element to tabletop RPGs helps immerse the players more, suspends their disbelief, and engages their imagination. While my maps can achieve that in a big way, showing them what their world looks like, or their local tavern, or the ruin they're just about to explore, I lack the ability to portray the people, the villains, or the races and cultures they can explore as characters, and I would love to. Don't get me wrong. I do use pictures, but they're stolen form google searches. Using someone else's incredible artwork isn't what I really want to do, because I want my world to be my creation in it's entirety, and I'm just an absolutely rubbish character artist!!
I also agree with your earlier comments in this thread and agree there should be a bumper Annual devoted to CA, or something of that nature. I subscribed to Vol 6 for the 13th Age style alone, so I would probably subscribe to another Annual for a single issue if it covered the right style.
I hope we see such an addition, but in the meantime I'll check out your links . Thank you.
Keep up the awesome work!
DMG
How many Symbols have you used in this map? There must be over a thousand mountains:)
Actually, I used the Mountain Fill bitmap from the Mike Schley set for the world map.
You can go to http://charleswaynerobinson.deviantart.com/art/The-World-of-Kelleemah-678921481 and click on the map to see the larger version off the map.
:-)