Well, @JNefzen, it really is quite simple:

Your background is going to be a polygon of the square variety, of the colour of your liking. Here it's the darker end of the turqoise spectrum.

Then add grid of the required dimension, with sheet effects BLUR and GLOW.

For structures, then, it's simply a matter of using GLOW and possibly BLUR sheet effects. It's all drawn using simple line tools of varying width and a colour - preferably brighter, I guess, than the background.

BLUR will give lines softer edges and GLOW, of course, will provide that sense of leaking light/terminal screen extravaganza

So that would be

1. Polygon
2. Lines
3. BLUR/GLOW-combo
4. Qapla'

Rounded corners are all Trim & Fillet. The outline actually came first, drawn entirely separate from the fill. Either way you go, TRACE is the ticket. I do prefer outlines first however since the contour typically is a matter of Line-to-path:ing anyway

Here, using up to three sheets for contours and fills, each, means I don't have to worry too much about cutouts in the back for to accommodating in-front bits.

Same, @jmabbott lol

Early to mid 90's we moved from playing outside to indoors. School library had some Fighting Fantasy and Lone Wolf volumes which tricked us into mostly the local Basic Roleplaying variant, 1st edition Mutant Chronicles, WEG Star Wars - touching on Call of Cthulhu and MERP and some other local specialities also. Primary GM had a thing for creating systems of their own so we did quite alot of that also. Then school was out, youth spent, and we went our seperate ways.

Got back into the hobby proper a few years into the 2000's by way of D&D and the then-local gaming club - also adding 3e Shadowrun, WH40K roleplaying game variants and some Twilight 2000. They tried to get me hooked on ASL but...you know*. D&D shifted to Pathfinder at the club and that pretty much - along with CoC - became the primary outlet over the next decade.

Reconnected with my adolescence pals over VTT for some more Pathfinder. Shifted to virtual platform entirely because of the logistics of family - but also chronic calendar issues with the club crew. Managed to squeeze in some 5e D&D as well before more family logistics.

I have managed to limit my system hoarding to a select few - just enough to facilitate my late stage just-in-case syndrome. I reckon there will be a handful more games to be played before the end - I just haven't settled on which systems yet. So until the stars are right again, I am prepping. And surveying. And prepping. And prepping.

And is it turns out, this state of perpetual prepping goes rather well with mapping, which I got into around the time of transitioning to VTT.

*It's all just punched paper and bureaucracy, isn't it.

But the above is probably as coherent as my thought patterns are ever going to be! 😂 Working on some intro level video scripts also. Will consider!

Hey. That's not fair: it actually looks like a tree.

Thank you so much @Monsen! This feels like a perfect moment to procrastinate. Or create those multi-sheet symbols.

I mean it's 33% of the map you don't have to put too much effort into right off the bat. The Substantial Body of Water of non-marine maps.

Left, right?

Exectution could be better but alltogether an improvement I should think, @Loopysue . All that fuzz for a softer edge! :D

Contours are - probably - a bit too thick for encounter map zoom level. But that' allright.

Considering greening up the area between city wall and mansions - toning down the dirt feel.