WIP: Cepheus Engine / Traveller tactical battlemap

edited May 2022 in Show and Tell

About a month ago I stumbled into a "tactical battlemap" for Traveller (can't remember where), and I liked the concept enough to give it a try myself.

I don't know if I'll use it since my I'm playing my Traveller/Cepheus game in person. But, we make maps because we like to make them, right?

Anyway, this is what I have so far:

I did try to upload it to my preferred VTT, but I edited the image to have a transparent background (in case I want to later add something else as a background or something else).

I wanted to see if I can get some feedback on things to change, tweak, improve, or just what to put in the upper-right corner. Or how to choose better colors. I'm not the best at choosing colors.

Thanks!

WazzebuLoopysueMonsenmike robelJimPDakWyvernDaltonSpenceRalfRicko Hascheand 1 other.

Comments

  • I like this style! Could make a good CA issue if you want to set up the templates and drawing tools for it. (Or does it already exist and I missed it?)
  • edited May 2022

    Thanks @DaltonSpence !

    Can't take much credit here. I just used the... Traveller Ship style (?). Not at my mapping computer atm, and I can't remember the correct name, but it's the second image in this Cosmographer sampler:

    https://www.profantasy.com/products/cos3_examples.asp

    All I did (style-wise) was changing the colors.

    EDIT: It's called Cosmographer Traveller Deckplan

  • Take credit, your colors are amazing! I would never have guessed you started with that style. The MICR font text was a very nice touch too.
    roflo1
  • edited May 2022

    I ended up making 3 versions (using the magic of layers).

    Cepheus Engine:

    Cepheus Deluxe (the range chart is not really needed in CD, but it looks cool):

    Mongoose 2E:

    I guess I'm almost done. I just want to double check I didn't mix rules between systems.

    EDIT: BTW, the range chart is my take on the "ruler" mentioned in this video: https://youtu.be/u0rPlnZ2uJE?t=599

    JimPLoopysueMonsenDak
  • 2 months later
  • For those interested in copying my color palette for your "Cosmographer Traveller Deckplan" maps, I made a macro to change all the colors in the main template.

    It works for the Beowulf template, but I still have to figure out a way to handle errors (specifically, when no entities are selected for a given command).

    MACRO TACTICAL
    SELSAVE
    SELBYC
    SHEET BULKHEAD
    SHIDEA
    SHEET ENGINEERING
    SHEET LEGEND
    CHANGEC 240 101
    SHEET TEXT
    SHIDEA
    SHEET TEXT TITLE
    CHANGEC 0 104
    CHANGEC 240 103
    SSHOWA
    CHANGEC 240 99
    SHEET BACKGROUND
    SHIDEA
    CHANGEC 15 240
    SHEET DECK
    SHIDEA
    CHANGEC 15 243
    SHEET MAP BORDER
    SHIDEA
    CHANGEC 0 102
    SSHOWA
    CHANGEC 252 244
    CHANGEC 248 99
    CHANGEC 15 0
    CHANGEC 255 248
    CHANGEC 250 98
    SELREST
    ENDM
    

    And for the two or three of you who don't read every single post (heh), one of the limitations of using macros is that you can't change the symbol references already placed in a map (at least not in one step). There are four options to accomplish this:

    1. Explode the symbols in the drawing. (thanks for the reminder Monsen!)
    2. Edit all references, one by one.
    3. Create a new catalog and then replace all symbols, one by one.
    4. Write an XP

    For option 1, you might want to modify my macro above.

    For options 2 and 3, something like this may be handy (especially if you're trying to create a new catalog, since you can use "Symdefs to Sheets", run the macro below, and then "Sheets to Symdefs"):

    MACRO SYMTACTICAL
    SELSAVE
    SSHOWA
    SELBYC
    CHANGEC 15 241
    CHANGEC 240 101
    SELREST
    ENDM
    

    And if you go for option 4: please share it! ;)

    JimP
  • And, to wrap it up, I made a catalog with the few trackers I made. I included both the main neon-colored version and a varicolor one (the range trackers use 4 colors and I can only set one varicolor, so my recommendation would be to clone+edit the symbol instead).

    This is the catalog thumbnail (I selected the neon green for printing the varicolored symbols):

    And this is the FSC for you to enjoy:

    For use in your own tactical map, I do recommend adding some sort of glow effect. Blur Alpha worked for me with these settings:

    Cheers!

    LoopysueJimPMonsenEukalyptusNowlionshold
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