Ideas for future Annuals
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I know this may be a bit presumptuous, but I plead being an Aussie.
I would like this thread to encourage forum members to say what ideas they may have for future annuals.
I have linked to some discussions on this.
My own wishlist will be in the following post.
Comments
Quenten's wish list:
A dedicated tropical annual - mangrove coasts, different types of rainforest, different types of swamps, various tropical type buildings, and specific trees - palms, vines, mangroves and jungle vegetation, and perhaps savannah; tropical seas; waterfalls (think Victoria falls) and mountains,hills (think Mt Kilimanjero). Great to have some jungle and savannah flora and fauna, though I guess we have CSUAC for that.
If you include Pacific/Maori/Aboriginal type buildings, and tropical island stuff, the Pacific islands would also be covered. luckily, Spectrum includes fabulous desert stuff, though we could do with more rocky desert, monoliths (think Uluru and KataTjuta) - with variable colouring.
As well, stuff for a detailed desert/oasis battlemap, and tropical battlemap, with various ruins.
Finally, pre-Columbian North American, and South American annuals.
In addition to certain things already mentioned:
So anyway, more symbols that fit in with this vision of the future - building and furniture symbols of that blueprint style, but 'modern' in 2021, so all the stuff you see now that you didn't see much of in when SS3 was published, and things cyber-runners might be interested in. Internal devices like keypads, biometrics, data terminals, safes (hidden, visible, floor standing, embedded, whatever), vaults, cameras of various types, motion sensors, heat sensors, guard posts, hunter-killer mobile platforms that are on standby until a threat is detected.. Anything else that is common enough to have its own designator but in the Olde Days would have been written out.
Building designators that are the modern electronic version of the shingles that used to hang outside of various shops and establishments. Police, corporate security, fire stations, hospitals, 'family doctors' (doctor / hospital / medical services, but on the 'down low'), fixers, weapons / armor shops, public data terminals, whatever, you get the idea.
Here is an ideas page that I put together for another kind of map entirely for a game called Satellite Reign with some symbols and ideas and fonts - although I tend to use Slider a lot on my maps when I do the labeling. http://junkdrawer.thehawkonline.com/ideas2.png
Is there an annual that allows you to map out an old graveyard? If so, point me to it, if not, put it on my wish list!
A selection of grave markers - Old church graveyard to boot hill styles to desert style stone mounds
freshly dug graves, freshy robbed grave, body/skeleton bits
A selection of crypts, statues, steps going down
Gravel paths, paved paths, worn paths, skull paths
Stone walls, skull walls, Fences, Hedges, Metal Railings, big gates,
Big tufts of grass, Ivy that can be draped over everything, creepy hangman's tree with rope and old lantern, long shadows
you get the idea
Given all of the undead in fantasy games, you would think there would be a graveyard. That seems a good idea. It could be mixed with existing maps that are being used to be crypts.
Annual Idea - the Haunted Mauseleum
A modern topographical map annual It may be of limited interest, however.
There are elements for this sort of work spread among various templates but a dedicated one would be nice.
Not much is required in drawing tools, but the symbol set could be consolidated and expanded. I know I could construct a custom symbol set drawing them from all the various other sources, but I have had little success with doing this in spite of several attempts.
A custom palette also might be useful concentrating on providing more shading for contours in green (for most environments) and brown/sand (for desert environments). Monson prepared for me a several large pallets of green/brown with 32 and 48 ranges of colors, as well as one that splits the 48 into two between green/brown.
Overhead views of trees and other vegetation would be good as well, allowing one to replace the various symbols with easier on the eyes overhead views of trees for example.
We do really need several top down regional/world maps - as far as I know, only the 13th age annual #69), and the Real world terrain annual (#62, and #60a) has this. we need top down mountains, hills, canyons. We do have a variety of top down trees and other vegetation (esp in CSUAC/Dundjinni), but not really on a large scale map - though I guess appropriate bitmaps would achieve this.
As far as top down structures, I think for large scale maps simple symbols would be best eg 13th Age, but for medium and less scale maps, then a more pictorial top down - as you can see in google maps.
Same for marine symbols - reefs, etc, though most styles almost mimic top down for the sea.
There are more top-down regional/world terrain styles than these in the Annuals Quenten - such as Shaded Relief (2008), Fantasy Realms and Modern Atlas (2009), 1930s Overland Maps (2013) and Worthington Historical (2014). Some of the smaller area maps use this kind of terrain drawing style as well, which could be easily extended to work for larger areas.
Some options for vegetation beyond simple colours or hatching might be interesting, but commonly impractical on top-down maps of this scale (if the symbols have too much detail, to properly define what they are, it may not be clear where the relief boundaries are, for example). Similarly, settlements seen top-down only really work as simple shapes at this kind of scale, or again, the definition's liable to be lost or become too confusing.
@Wyvern True, but these are not that 'pretty' a style as 13th Age. I reckon we do need a more pictorial top-down style for larger regional maps
Definitely need an annual for regional overland maps. City, town, castle, tower symbols along with forests. Should also include more crops. Currently there are grapes, apples, grain, etc. Needs to be more wide variety.
West of where I lived in Texas were mesquite trees, prickly pear cacti. The symbols currently available are for saguaro cacti. No mesquite trees either.
I like the tree variety in CSUAC, which is why I have started using that set. I realize making an official set would cost, but a few more not covered by the official or CSUAC would be great.
On my cell.
I've found myself needing tents more often than you would think. All kinds of tents. Circus tents, pavilions, military tents, "gypsy" tents/caravans, essentially, mobile structures.
Also, kind of in line with the graveyard stuff, "ruined" furniture, for abandoned structures or destroyed places.
Steampunk would be equally fabulous! :)
If contours could be done more easily, that would be my #1 choice. Shaded, not-shaded, shadowed, beveled.... I'd love to see some more top-down mapping options for overland.
I'd love to see more perspective options for towns.
Ruins, definitely ruins. They are a fantasy staple that can never have enough variety.
A wider variety of biomes for battlemaps and overland - desert, scrub, tundra, savannah, swamp, marsh, artic....
I'd like cultural styles for cities and interiors. The Euro-Western focus works well for most of what I map but I'm at a complete loss if I move out of Euro-Western.
Graveyards and more crop variety are great suggestions.
@AEIOU Annual 138 has ruins.
I know there are graveyards, but I can't seem to find them.
I'm a bit late to the party but modern era ruins, bombed out buildings, battlefield terrain damage, post war overgrowth, battle damaged vehicles, etc, are all on my wish list. I would also like to see South/Central American Inca, Maya and Aztec buildings/style both in ruins and well maintained.
Very much support Central/South America pre European styles.
Yeah, tents would be a great idea. Many of the RPGs I run have tent city outside of a main city or have the need of a military encampment.
One thing I would like are bronze age symbols, possibly an entire style. I would love buildings that look not just like ancient Greece, but Egypt, ancient Israel, Babylon, Persia, etc. I'm a Runequest / Glorantha nerd, which is why I'm interested, but it seems like the sort of thing that would be nice to have in general.
@Nevermet, I cranked these out as prototypes in Bryce. I'd like to see more Perspectives styles but I can see why there are so few. The symbols aren't that difficult to produce as 3d models but it is devilish hard for me to wrap my old brain around the proper orientation angles for the symbols.