Wiki, February 7, 2011

Well, we get down to the dregs of the maps now.  Most of those I'm posting are empty, blocked out areas for the day when I'm ready to fill in the details.  And since those empty maps represent areas of the Sahara desert, we are talking really empty.

The principal reason why these maps are even sketched out is so that I could be certain that the map numbers would start with the first map, 01, falling on the 0 degree meridian.  At any rate, if you consider each map is about 324,000 square miles, or the areas of Texas and Oklahoma combined, the size of the Sahara quickly becomes evident.

The maps have names associated with those parts of the Sahara they cover:  Adrar, Azbine, Tibesti, the Libyan Desert, the Nile Bend and the Nubian Desert.  On the other side of the Red Sea, there is this map of western Arabia, titled Mecca.  Note with the last that the borders simply stop where the desert begins - there is no real authority further on ... which draws my attention, at least, to those scattered hexes deep in the desert, representing oases.  Interesting adventuring there.

I am adding one more map, which would fit at the tail end of last week's post ... the unmade area around Bhutan.  The map has made its 90-degree turn here - the orange line would represent the 90th meridian.  This map should start to flesh out in the next three or four months, along with the unmade F 14.  I discovered that Assam stretches even further east than what's been graphed out here.

A last contribution would be a couple of cities pages, one for the Duchy of Savoy (Italian provinces only, I haven't remotely started France yet), and one for a number small states scattered throughout the maps, from A to E.

I'm sorry I haven't got more.  I am pushing the other project for all that I'm worth.  I hope to begin game testing in less than three weeks.  I have my own group lined up, and hopefully another with players who are less sympathetic to my playing style.  I hope they will be merciless.  Another group in Seattle will also be testing the cards.  If anyone is in the Calgary area, and wants to get a glimpse, I suggest they email me at alexiss1@telus.net.

I've had some bites for putting more content on the wiki, but nothing has yet materialized.  I continue to encourage world designers to get their feet wet.  There's no need to produce the sort of material I'm producing ... monsters, spells, dungeons, floorplans, artwork and other materials will be appreciated.  Contact me at the email above if you are interested.