Mapping / Drawing A Settlement

Post/Author/DateTimePost
#1

Overlord_Kain

Apr 11, 2015 11:33:05

Hello, Community,

 

Today I am reaching out to other GMs to find out how you map your settlements (if you do at all) when world-building. Currently I use the Medieval Demographics to figure out sizes, population and what is available, but once I figure out how big a settlement is spatially I always get stuck on how to map the settlement. I only know two things:  the village (in this case) takes up about 9 acres, and that I want to draw the village on a square grid with each square representing 10 feet (dungeon scale).
 

As soon as I set up my page (I use roll20) I get stuck. How big is a villager's home? How big is the temple in a small village? How much room is in the Inn? How large is the gathering area (center of village with well etc.)? I can't seem to make a decision on these topics and I can't seem to find answers online. So what do you do? How much room does a person need to live in your village (and other settlements)? How do you go about drawing homes and businesses? What shapes make the buildings?

 

Let me know all of this and more, or anything useful you use when mapping a settlement.

 

Kain

#2

EmpactWB

Apr 11, 2015 12:21:25

I look up reconstructions and layouts online. My most recent one is literally a roman-era fort map I found and added the grid to.

(Reply to #2)

Overlord_Kain

EmpactWB wrote:
#4

Barky

Apr 11, 2015 14:29:40

Check out maps of historic sites like Colonial Williamsburg for building sizes. Modify the architecture for the time period & your own setting, but that's a good size estimation. Those sites tend to have homes, churches, schoolhouses, workshops, etc. Just remember a lot of preserved homes belonged to the upper class, so modify downward for the peasantry.

#5

BoldItalic

Apr 11, 2015 15:12:47

Try www.old-maps.co.uk

Pick a place haphazardly from the gazetter and look at the oldest maps (perhaps 1892).

Scroll around the countryside until you find a village you like the look of, and there's your map.

(Reply to #3)

EmpactWB

Overlord_Kain wrote:
#7

edwin_su

Apr 11, 2015 23:16:55

Overlord_Kain wrote:
#8

abs1nth

Apr 12, 2015 11:00:57

edwin_su wrote: