Posted this over on G+, thought I’d share them here too, in case anyone (other than my few select viewers) reads this blog :)
The two smaller maps are going to be mini-adventures, on blank cards, that I intend to post to some people. If anyone wants one, let me know. The larger map I intend to use as the basis for the One-Page Dungeon competition.
I quite like these. My mapping skills are improving me thinks.
The map below is my entry into Gus L’s (of Dungeon of Signs fame) Tombs of the Rocket Men contest– although I just realised I wrote ‘Sighs’ instead or ‘Signs’; oh well. Hope I don’t lose points for that ;)
The dancing soldiers twisted and pranced along the dark, narrow confines of the crumbling ruins. All around them music played; the percussion of drums, the plucking of strings, the shrill whistle of flutes.
Flashes of light pierced the shadows as the faint light glinted off the polished armour and shields of the soldiers. Their swords rang in time with the music, matching the rhythm of the dance, striking their oval shields and slicing through the air.
Beyond the boundary of the ruins, still and silent in the cover of the trees, the enemy watched with cold, hard eyes as the dancing soldiers made their way through the ancient remains of the city.
As the soldiers drew nearer it began to rain. Large fast drops of warm water fell from the sky in a torrent, the sound somehow matching the beat of the drums and the splash-stamp of the soldier’s dancing feet. Soon the world was blurred and hidden by the heavy rain and the most it produced. The enemy watched on, still impassive, mindless of the rain. The dancers flowed along the ancient pathways, their movements bending to the rain, becoming more fluid, swifter, advancing quickly now.
A peal of thunder momentarily blocked out the music, a second of silence following before the music surged back in. A flash of lightning followed almost immediately, brightening the ruins for a stark instant
Lightning followed more thunder, then again and again, the strobing illumination making the dance of the soldiers jerky and discordant, caught in seeming silence as they jumped across the ruins, closer and closer to the woodland beyond. Another flash and they were there, dancing free of the ruins, on to the wooden grass, closing upon the enemy.
Battle was joined with a crescendo of noise as music flared and clashed with the roar of thunder, just as the two armies clashed in a ring and clank of sword and spear, shield and armour.
The music changed its beat as the battle erupted, becoming more frantic, more aggressive. Blood began to spill, droplets then sprays, flesh cut and skin grazed; bones breaking and muscles ripping. Fighting in time with their dancing, the soldiers were a sharp contrast to the enemy. They fought stiffly, mechanically, but no less viscous or aggressive.
But the dancers fluidity gave them an advantage, allowing the soldiers to dodge blows and dance around their foes, flanking the stiff forms of the enemy.
That’s all that is in my notes. Just a random scribble really, but it makes me want to use the ideas in a game one day.
Maps, especially hand-drawn ones, seem to be making the rounds on G+ at the moment. Thought I’d join in a bit with some of my more recent maps, taken from my– currently on-hold, perhaps permanently– City of Bones campaign.
Here is a collection of hand-drawn maps, from my notebook of maps and adventure notes (some of which you can see on the pages):
And here is a map of the city itself that I put together using Inkscape, which is how I do most of my maps, simply because my main gaming is on-line via Map Tools, and it is easier to create a suitable map on the computer than draw one, tidy it up, and make sure it fits with the software.
City of Bones
And, to finish off this somewhat lazy post, here are some other maps from the past couple of years:
It has taken me most of the year to finish this, but it is now done. Below are two free-to-download PDFs of the Lottery Dungeon adventure and the Maps that go with it. Feel free to use.
I ran this a while back (where the party got killed by ghouls, again), and back then it was designed for Crypts & Things, but I’ve adapted it for the Adventurer Conqueror King System (ACKS).
If you run it, play it, rip it apart, let me know.
Enjoy.
The Lottery Dungeon Adventure
The Lottery Dungeon Maps
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