Mapping Competition - The Eternal Barrow of the Black Prince

I didn't think that I would have time to work on a map for Lorelei's competition but have managed to get a bit done on it. Here it is so far...
Arcwynd

Comments

  • MonsenMonsen Administrator 🖼️ 46 images Cartographer
    Looking cool. I always like how well you manage to depict elevations.
  • Looking good. I like the giant jawbone entrance (I'm assuming!).
  • LoopysueLoopysue ProFantasy 🖼️ 39 images Cartographer
    Oh I like that! :D

    One suggestion?

    The shadow at the entrance seems paler and sharper than the glow inside. If those two things were brought closer together in nature it would look even better.
  • You REALLY do a fantastic job with the illusion of elevations!!! I'm loving this
  • A description of the techniques and template you used (the sheet effects look amazing) would be very helpful.
  • edited June 2020
    Thanks everyone! Thanks for the suggestion too Sue. The shadow of the doorway is actually part of the symbol (one of the problems with the Dundjini symbols is that many have their own directional shadows) so I didn't pay much attention to it. Your suggestion to adjust the interior glow to match is quite helpful.

    DaltonSpence, I'll gladly do a write-up on how I do this. It really is simple, much like my cliffs tutorial but stacked several sheets deep.
  • edited June 2020
    I've started playing around with the interior details as well as adding lighting to make it creepier looking. I'm not sure if I like the lights as they are...still a lot of fiddling around with them to do before I'm satisfied.LOL
  • jslaytonjslayton Moderator, ProFantasy Mapmaker
    If you turn it upside down, that entryway looks extremely happy!
  • LoopysueLoopysue ProFantasy 🖼️ 39 images Cartographer
    LOL!

    Shessar - I like the lighting. Maybe just a tad brighter so you can see everything?
  • Very atmospheric but it's a bit dark to make out the contents of the "Barrow" clearly (which presumably should include the remains of the "Black Prince"). Is the skeleton some sort of undead guard monster? Also the entrance is cool but the path to it is a bit iffy; barrows don't (or shouldn't) get a lot of traffic. (I assume the gate itself is tricky to open.) Finally do you really want a grass border to your map?
  • I think Sue's right; maybe a bit more light is needed inside. The GM needs to see what's happening regardless of the reality!
    DaltonSpence commented:Very atmospheric but it's a bit dark to make out the contents of the "Barrow" clearly (which presumably should include theremainsof the "Black Prince"). Is the skeleton some sort of undead guard monster? Also the entrance is cool but the path to it is a bit iffy; barrows don't (orshouldn't) get a lot of traffic.
    I can spot at least two skeletons so far, one a quadruped, one a biped (not sure if there may be more at this resolution). Wouldn't wish to claim which one might be the Black Prince though ;)

    The worn path's quite reasonable for a royal burial mound, or one which would have been visited regularly in the past, as some were repeatedly in the real world. It's even possible the barrow might be reused for each fresh Black Prince's interment, and cleared of its previous occupant. "Eternal" can suggest such a possibility. Again, actual burial mounds were repeatedly reused in some cases.
  • I can  vaguely  see the human skeleton on the stone if I squint but I didn't before. (Thought it was gravel.) A paragraph or two about the game story  behind  this map would be nice.
  • edited June 2020
    Like I said in my post, I just started playing with the lights. Surely you all know me enough by now to know that I change a map a dozen times before calling it done. LOL


    As for a story behind it...you'll have to ask Lorelei for that, she's the one who created a map with an area called the Eternal Barrows. I'm just making a map of a barrow for the competition. ;)

    My inspiration for the map and it's entry....
  • LoopysueLoopysue ProFantasy 🖼️ 39 images Cartographer
    Fascinating! Where is that?

    Most of the barrows around here (Dorset) have been damaged too badly to still have entrances.
  • Posted By: ShessarAs for a story behind it...you'll have to ask Lorelei for that, she's the one who created a map with an area called the Eternal Barrows. I'm just making a map of a barrow for the competition. ;)
    Gee, that implies that more than the Black Prince is interred there. Where is this map? Nice photo of the entrance! Are there any of the interior?
  • Sue, that image is the Uley long barrow. Of course, the actual barrow is not very high and has to be crawled into on hands and knees. I think that I read that it has had some restoration done on it, though I read about so many different barrows while researching this that I might be mistaken about that.



    Speaking of having to crawl into a lot of the long barrows, I would like a brief discussion of form vs function as it concerns maps for gaming.

    In my above map I received comments about not being able to make out the details. Part of that is because I was/am still working on placement and brightness of the lights (this is a WIP thread after all). It is also in part because of the size of the symbols in the map which I made to scale while leaving enough space around them for there to be player figures for combat. The extra space around them results in smaller, less visible symbols.

    In this map, I've kept the scale but reduced the area around the symbols. It leaves little space for combat but makes the symbols more visible on the screen.

    Which is preferred by other DMs? Form, that is, fine details that are visible and easily discerned on a screen, or function, which are maps that are scaled to figure use?

    I know that I often print to scale for figure use, so prefer a functional map rather than a visually pleasing one. The above comments make me believe that my viewpoint may be less common.
  • Posted By: DaltonSpenceGee, that implies that more than theBlack Princeis interred there. Where is this map? Nice photo of the entrance! Are there any of the interior?
    Lorelei's original map is posted in the Dice competition sticky at the top of the forum. :)

    I don't usually post links to offsite but here is a you tube video of the interior. Very cool!
  • LoopysueLoopysue ProFantasy 🖼️ 39 images Cartographer
    Wow! Thank you :)

    I didn't know they had actual rooms inside them for real. I've always thought that because they didn't have doors (the local ones) they were just mounds of earth used to bury important people of the day.
  • Wonderful - and educational too, judging by Sue's comments!
  • Shessar, is this suitable for the Atlas - plenty of Barrows on Helinesa in Artemisia.
  • MonsenMonsen Administrator 🖼️ 46 images Cartographer
    Looking great. Excellent terrain. But where is the treasure for the adventurers to plunder?
  • edited June 2020
    Thanks! Glad you like. :)

    @Quenten - yes, everything is Atlas compatible. Do you have a place in mind for it? I'll happily submit it for inclusion if so. I'll confess to being rather distracted the next few days so won't have time to search for a good place for it. Plus, I'm sure you are much more familiar with Artemisia than I am. :)

    @Monsen - The treasure is there. You just have to fight the black prince for it...errr... I mean you just have to zoom in near the skeletons to see it. ;) The FCW is in the competition thread.
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