TLDR: The map is updated. The controls are in a menu on the bottom right of the page. Zoom way in on the three countries that currently exist on it to see the magic. Here's the link. https://www.realmsnet.net/maps. Also what should we do about historic groups and the areas of the map that they take up? Discussion question below.
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Hello, everyone. Welcome back to my verbose pontificating about the Realms Map. I do have some progress to show off today, some explanation I'd like to give, and a pretty big discussion question I'd like to pose. Let's go in that order.
So first, here again, is a link to the latest version of the Map. Reminder, this is still all a work in progress, and things are still subject to change. One big thing you should be aware of is that accessing the menu requires clicking on the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the browser window. https://www.realmsnet.net/maps
As you can see, Rhiassa, Ashenmark, and Chimeron are currently on the map. I decided to start close to home as I experiment with what can be done and how to do it. Initially you can't see much detail, just the outer border of each nation and the name. But zooming will reveal a lot more!
There are basically three 'levels' of zoom detail built into the map. The first, as you can see, is just as I described above. Borders and Labels.
The second level of zoom triggers at 800%. Once there the thick borders shift into thinner borders and you can see in Rhiassa and Chimeron how that is also used to denote specific sub-nations or provinces in the overall nation. Also at the middle zoom levels population centers the size of cities become visible as do roads that are considered 'major roads'. Labels for countries and cities appear as well.
At the third and final level of zoom all detail becomes available. Population centers of any size as large as a village, other landmarks, minor roads, labels on lakes and rivers. This is the ultimate version of what I want to accomplish with this map, giving every group the ability to really lay out a detailed schematic for what is where in their country.
Like before, in the menu, there are check-boxes to turn different layers on and off. If the roads or the forests are getting in the way of the viewing experience you want, you can just turn them off. It's programmed so that even as you switch zoom levels a layer won't reveal itself if you have already turned it off. Thank you again to Ian Pushee for all of the work on the programming end to make these functions possible.
Okay now on to some explanation. Those of you who have worked with me to make some of the detailed maps in Inkarnate are familiar with some of this, but I feel like this is important information to get through.
Borders in a medieval setting are inherently unlike those made in modern times. I won't go so far as to say that it would never happen, but generally it's not the case that you'd go into the very middle of an open field, plunk down a wall, and say thats where your border is. Instead, borders were usually dictated by the landscape. Lakes and rivers served as markers, even things like the edges of forests, mountain ranges, or valleys. This is not a universal law or anything, but in my previous map making projects that I worked on for the View's "O'er the Lands of the Realms" series I usually tried to add in some sort of landscape-driven justification for the borders that all of our nations already have.
To make things even more complicated than that, there are some "rules" about rivers from just a geological point of view. Obviously they usually start at a high elevation, always run downhill, cardinal direction does not matter to them, and the great, great majority of the time a single river does not split and rejoin itself later down in it's path. You'll see as you look around the rivers and lakes that I have already added that they follow these rules to the best of my ability.
So designing a nation on the map is a slow process that involves a lot of steps and revision. The original borders from the historic version of the map need to be honored, landmarks need to be added or manipulated in order to make these borders 'realistic', and then as cities, roads, and landmarks get added these need to further change the complexion of how everything is arranged.
It probably took me about 20 hours to do the three nations that are already on the map. Some nations will come together faster and some slower, but overall it's going to take a lot of time to build this all out. So I'm going to ask for your patience as I get to everyone. When I know I'm ready to do your nation I plan on reaching out to the leader of the group so we can design it together.
Finally, the question that I want to put out for discussion this week. It is something that Janna eluded to in a discord discussion on the #cartography channel and I think is a very important thing for us to decide going forward, and that's what to do about historic nations, their presence on the map, and the borders for their countries.
As many of you know, on the previous versions of the map, when a group was no longer around and no new group specifically took up their mantle, that area of the map would be changed to a ruins icon that usually took the place of a main city of that group. If that group had a border it was removed. There was no set deadline on when a nation "expired", it was mostly up to the author of the map and a gut feeling.
So essentially there were three "states of being" for a group.
1. Active group with a border around their lands
2. Active group that was just a single population center (city) with no border
3. An inactive group that was represented by one or more ruins and had no border
(it's worth pointing out that some ruins on the previous map are not defunct groups but rather plot-driven points of interest represented as ruins).
While we do need a way to denote historic groups on this new map, we do not have to be locked in to the same process and only those three "states of being" from before. I think it is important to represent history on the map and I think there are multiple ways of doing it. I'm going to make some suggestions that come to mind for additional ways to honor history.
Case A. A group that isn't 'active' anymore but isn't completely removed from the current Realms. For example, Vinehaeven. No one really plays the game as Vinehaeven members anymore but there are still people 'in charge' of Vinehaeven that are around and play frequently. It is also important in that many players because it is the home of the Oaken Guard which many current players originated from.
In an example like Vinehaeven, even though the group is not active, I think what makes the most sense is to remove it's border and leave it on the map as a population center (and Fort Oakenbrook as well). So groups that are still culturally important to the game can remain on the map as cities, towns, etc, but they have lost their "influence" enough to actively control land inside their border.
Case B. A group that isn't 'active' anymore but might not be able to be properly represented by a single ruins icon. For example, The Southern Wastes. Again, some members of the Southern Wastes are still somewhat around but certainly not to the extent that the players 'control' a large area of the map.
In an example like The Southern Wastes, I think what makes sense is to have a label describing a region on the map. The 'Connecticut' area will always be The Southern Wastes to the Realms, it's such a big part of the history of the game, so I'd prefer to put a regional label over the area the way a modern map would label something like the Sahara Desert. It doesn't have a political boundary but it's clearly a big part of the makeup of the map of Africa.
Case C. Cleaning up plot areas. A lot of times there are important reasons for a plot-driven area to take up a section of the map. But when plots officially end or when they just fade out into history having never actually wrapped up, I'm not sure it makes sense to lock away those areas of the map forever. I also think that this is a very case-by-case consideration depending on how much that plot culturally influenced the Realms and how much of an effect it has on IC interactions today.
For example, New Illinar takes up a large portion of the map near Voraniss. That plot has been pretty much complete for over a decade. I think it makes sense to have Illinar still on the map, it had a dramatic impact on the Realms for an extended period of time and is a part of our shared history. I think it can represent that by being a fraction of the size that it already is, allowing it to exist, to continue to be used for plot elements that relate to it's history (there are still a few) but not take up so much room as to dominate the region.
Overall I would call upon plot runners of the past to take a look at the map and see if there is anything that could be or should be 'cleaned up'.
So those are my thoughts about some ways to deal with clearing up the map a bit, but these ideas are just suggestions as we come up with the best way to create this map together. I would love to hear any and all of your ideas as FB comments, discussion on the #cartography channel on discord, or via PM. Thank you, as always, for your support.
In service,
Jason "Aeston" Rosa
