Favorite World Map Style?
What's everyone's favorite style for a giant world map showing every continent? I want to use Mike Schley for Regional, but the symbols are too detailed for a large world map that should only show major mountains/forests/rivers and borders.
Mercator looks interesting but not sure how well it goes with Schley.
Comments
Mercator is honestly one of my favorites. Of course, it doesn't go with Schley at all, but since you are thinking different map levels here and not mixing them in the same map, I don't think that matters. I imagine my different maps and map levels being made by different cartographers, and don't have an issue at all with them being different styles.
But there are so many pretty styles out there, and most of them works fine as world maps, it is usually more about limiting detail level when you map rather then a specific style needed for world maps.
It is obviously a matter of taste 🤷♂️
For the "Big picture" I like "Annual Overland Satellite".
Then I cut it down to Regional maps in "Annual Modern Atlas" - but add some icons on it, just as kind of zone marks
(a forest, mountain peaks, big cities)
My map styles vary widely.
So what symbols of Schley are too large/detailed for you? I am thinking it is the cities, towers, bridges, etc. In that case, why can't you just no add them to the map since it should only be showing major mountains and rivers? Or is it that you want to indicate there is a city there, but just not with such a symbol? In that case, you could just use dots to indicate cities.
I think the issue is how much you want the styles to match. You could not care, but I don't think you want that. You could abandon Schley for regional. There are multiple styles that are later on that there is an artists that does multiple annuals that end up giving you large to small scale.
I think Sarah Wroot from the first annual matches with Schley. Beyond that, I am not sure.
As for other world sized maps, it depends on what I want:
13th Age
Midgaard World
Satellite Overview
Ancient Realms
Worlds of Wonder
Erdan Worlds
Here Be Monsters