The Vagothian Village of Givrsvida! - (First attempt at creating a village)
CharlesWayneRobinson
Traveler
Typical Vagothian Village - WIP Version 1
You can see a more detailed version here: https://www.cartographersguild.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=87075&d=1472541004
You can see a more detailed version here: https://www.cartographersguild.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=87075&d=1472541004
Comments
I also like the different buildings. One thing that niggles at me, though, is the contrast between the engineered stone walls and towers and the more rural wood (and straw?) buildings. I think it's just because, in my head, I'm expecting a wooden palisade. Perhaps it'll seem less striking to me when you're done.
Regardless, this is a really nice start. I forgot to mention I also think the bridges are a nice touch, too. What is that in the clearing on the right?
Looking forward to seeing this progress.
Thanks for sharing!
~Dogtag
One small nitpick from me... you might want to raise the pattern size of the tundra a bit? it's a little too repetitive at the moment...my opinion, of course.
I look forward to seeing more of this!
Finished the fortifications (uncolored)
Moved some houses around; added houses; put in some more paths and a road; added another barn/stable; added troughs; completed touch up of sheds and barns; placed sod roof, smoke hole, and smoke on a house; and added Druid to sacrificial alter in the woods.
You can find a full size version at: https://www.cartographersguild.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=87109&d=1472612976
Thanks
I agree with the river, but I am using the river symbols that come with the set and as such, I am limited on how I can attach them to one another. I run into a similar problem with the walls. Because of the symbol design, it is hard to put it together any other way. These are the only wooden wall segments that I have and they will have to be "colored" to work. So far, I have tried to break up the "square affect" by jumbling the buildings creating pathways instead of roads/streets within the village. The square, so-to-speak, will be the open area in front of the long-house. Vagothians also do some of their farming within the village walls, the western side of the village with actually be subsistence farming plots. Part of the ground to the north of the village wall will be put to grazing when it gets warmer, part of it will remain open. I am also trying to break up the patterns by putting large boulders and such within the woods so they are not just a mass of trees. I will be doing something similar to the northern woods as well.
Thanks! And, if you have any tips and/or tricks to help, drop them on by. :-)
I am grabbing stuff from all over the ProFantasy CC3+ line of Products - LoL!
I will have to find time to actually list what came from where and place it on the forum. :-)
Lorelei,
I could rotate some of the building some to mix it up.
With the small villages that this one loosely based off of, their was not a lot of planning that went into them and they were pretty small.
Many consisted of only a few family groups and had little is the way of streets, although some did lay down a wooden version of sidewalks (mostly larger settlements).
I am not that worried about sticking 100% with my research though, each major group (such as the Vagoth) are actually amalgamations of a variety of human tribes that were brought to Kelleemah. In addition, these mixed cultures have changed over the several hundred years since they were first drawn into Kelleemah. It is more about creating the proper feel for each of my culture.
To tell the truth, the common buildings that I have on their so far where just dropped willy-nilly to just give me ideas and a sense of scale.
I will see what I can do with the layout.
Thanks for all the great feedback and ideas! ;-)
Just a small update tonight.
I added a few boats in the bottom half corner along with one in the water with one person and a dog.
I want my villages to be populated.
I want the players to feel the "life" of the settlements.
I also want my settlements to reflect their culture; as such, I want players to instantly recognize new maps as belonging to a particular culture in the world of Kelleemah.
Here is the link to the bigger one: https://www.cartographersguild.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=87148&d=1472717234
Typical Vagothian Settlement v4
I have been working on my wooden walls.
It is a little tedious - LoL! :-)
Here is a link to a more detailed version: https://www.cartographersguild.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=87249&d=1472946787
I am still thinking about the best method for plotting the buildings.
I have done some more research and it is surprising on how organized Norse settlements and forts actually where:
Viking Fortress
http://medieval.ucdavis.edu/130/vhK.jpg
Viking Village
http://myhistro-content.s3.amazonaws.com/event/27488/1_large.jpg
Viking Turf House
http://wanderforlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Iceland-2013-Skalholt-8.jpg
The Viking walls were more circular with few if any towers, but for right now, I don't have the stuff needed to make the walls that way.
But, that does not bother me that much.
The Vagothians are modeled after the Norse Vikings, but are still made up of various tribes and have been in Kelleemah for several hundred years now.
As such, they would not be exactly the same.
Thanks for everyone's input and ideas.
I greatly appreciate it!
Yes, in the first three maps, the Viking meet hall is the large building in the center with the turf/sod roof and the two smoke holes. :-)
During the winter, animals were kept within barns or in Viking houses.
This map depicts the end of winter and the start of spring in this portion of Kelleemah.
As such, there will not be any actual crops to display, just where the ground has been dug up from before.
They ate a lot more than meat.
See this link from the History Channel: http://www.historyonthenet.com/vikings/what-did-vikings-eat.html
Here is a link to a larger version of the settlement: https://www.cartographersguild.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=87297&d=1473130475
Did you freehand the paths coming up to the gates of the fort? What fill did you use? And what's in that little space in the southeastern corner? The little open glade?
Are you going to leave the turned soil for the crops inside the fort the same color as the soil surrounding it? And is it's current color mean it's permafrost?
Just curious!
LLAP
Nacon4
Charles