-Here it is: The 4E FR Map
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But I'm too busy vomiting right now...
EDIT: LOL - that poster that gave the link at CK was responding to my request for a map, so you have me to indirectly thank for that. :P
It won't be pleasant, but I can work with this...
Bel
What's the problem with the map?
(putting it as neutral as possible)
-Have you ever really, really looked at MarkusTay63's maps. Go look at them. They are in his sig. Did you ever look at the Cormyr article in Dungeon Magazine? If not go check it out. You wont regret it. :D
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-In the Stonelands Map (I liked that thread to bad it got archived) Markus put some extra stuff in Northern Cormyr and Brian R. James made it Cannon in the Cormyr Article.
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wow, just wow!
hats off to a work of skill and aesthetics, you sir are well deserving of your reputation!
I know I'll regret this but..
What's the problem with the map?
First off, I feel the style of the map is extremely bland for a fantasy product (it looks like a satelite image), that is just a matter of taste, I suppose. Take a look at the Golarion Map for an example of how a Fantasy map should look. Or better yet, at the wonderful 3e map of Faerûn which is still available on this site. It should make you want to jump in and play the game, not fall asleep.
However, tastes aside, Colman is correct about the map having a large number of errors.
And its not just old locations in the wrong spot - I placed Al-Qahara on my Hordelands Map quite awhile ago, and used the novel to research the location - the one on that map was placed randomly and does not match the novel description.
Not to mention the over-all laziness of it - the Sea level supposedly dropped (which is NOT evident), so rather then pain-stakingly redrawing the coast, he just moved all the coastal locations inland!
And speaking of the Sea-drop, we are told that all the seas (even the Sea of Swords) empty out into that new ass-crack in the Shar (Wondergasm?) - I see NO water bodies even connecting to it!
I could go on and on, but really, it would be easier to list what's NOT wrong with the map.
wow, did you make the 3e maps? (directed at MT)
No, but he customizes them with additional information, both canon and custom (but I think canon, for the most part).
* There is a town marked "Harrowdale", but no dale so marked.
* Page 111 says "Harrowdale Town has grown into the rich merchantile port of New Velar", which is nowhere marked.
* High Dale isn't on the map, nor is the road through it.
* No "Abbey of the Sword", no Essembra, no Tarkeldale.
All are sites mentioned in the book.
EDIT: I took so long with my post, Colman Posted between us. After reading about more mistakes (thanks Colman ;)), I've decided I'm going to have to buy the book either way - there are too many mistakes on the map for me to even use it as a rough reference.
wow, did you make the 3e maps? (directed at MT)
kbReynolds is correct, for the most part.
I do actually re-draw each area, but I also do a lot of cutting & pasting from the original (mostly the mountains, which I can't do as well). I did not create any of the art and textures, but I love the map drawn by the original artist so much that mine are more of a homage to him. The entire map is also rotated 9° clockwise, so that locations are closer to the same North/South position they were before, and that also helped me line-up the 3e map with the Zakhara and Kara-Tur/Hordlands maps (Not to mention it fit the world map better, located on pg. 231 of the 3e FRCS). In some areas you can see a little bit of the rotation going on, but the changes I make are most evident in Erlkhazar and Shaareach - two locations missing from the 3e maps, and also my Utter East map, which was done completely from scratch.
And amusingly enough, I shrank-up the Sea of Fallen Stars almost two years ago (to facilitate Pirate/Seaborn style campaigns) - that means my personal world map matches up closer to the 4e map (in this regard) then the official one!
The Maps are about 95-99% canon - I do add some stuff here or there, but it is usually based on references in text. I will sometimes add a town or village in where I think one would logically go - like at major crossroads - or when specifically requested to for someone's campaign (for some bizzare reason players are more willing to except a DM's new locale if I place it on the map... weird).
I would have to say that the Chult Map is the worst offender - I went above-and-beyond the call of duty adding stuff (mostly names) to that map, because the official one from 2e was so sparse on information I thought I'd make it more interesting for people to use. Most of the names I used, however, were taken from references in-text.
My HUGE Silver Marches Map is 100% canon, and was the second map I ever completed (so it needs a fresh coat of paint). That one was pretty much what kbreynolds describes - I just placed locales on the official map, so I can't take much credit for it.
So, I do a wee bit more then adding locales to the map, and I research EVERY locale before placing it - you'll note the official 3e map has the Twin Towers of the Eternal Eclipse (Amn) in the wrong mountain range - stuff like that I catch.
Your link doesn't work 18Delta
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It work just fine for me. 18DELTA
Conservatives....
No, in this case it's some of the pro-4e crowd who are ****** off as well: the map is bad even just according to the FRCG, without any reference to any other lore.
Maybe the pro-3e crowd should be happy the map sucks? :D
But we're not... no fan of the Realms wants to see it look shabby, in ANY edition.
"Chris Perkins MUST be stopped"! :P -Overall the big map is ok. But the mappets blow chunks in the books. I do like the map of Returned Abeir, and the Underdark mappets ;)
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Or did he simply not care....
I picture him having a closet at home, with a secret shrine made out of Eberron stuff, and him rubbing his hands together in maniacal glee - "Soon my sweat... it will all be ours.. Bwa ha ha ha!"
"My preciousssssssss"
;) :D
Hopefully some day we can get a "map pouch" supplement with maps like the one they did for the Cormyr DDI article.
Hopefully some day we can get a "map pouch" supplement with maps like the one they did for the Cormyr DDI article.
Speaking of which, where is this article? I can't seem to find it.
In 3e, the smaller area maps that came in the regional books were based off the campaign map, but were done with much more detail and included way more stuff. In 4e, we aren't getting those regional books, and thus far, all the smaller map-inserts are just pics lifted right off of the Campaign Map.
The difference in quality between 3e and 4e is apparent across the board.
While that large map looks Okay from a distance, blowing it up just enhances it's flaws. You'll note my maps are basically blow-ups of the Setting map, but they still look great because the official 3e Map was just that awesome.
Don't know who did the Cormyr map, but they should definately get him for any FR articles they plan - Fans need to be pulled into the new setting, and great maps are just one of the simplest ways to do that.
Speaking of which, where is this article? I can't seem to find it.
-Check out the 4E FR Handy Links Thread in my sig or at the top of this Forum. :D
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Speaking of which, where is this article? I can't seem to find it.
It was in Dragon 365. This should do it for you:
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/drback/20080718
Thats what I am hoping for as well.
In 3e, the smaller area maps that came in the regional books were based off the campaign map, but were done with much more detail and included way more stuff. In 4e, we aren't getting those regional books, and thus far, all the smaller map-inserts are just pics lifted right off of the Campaign Map.
The difference in quality between 3e and 4e is apparent across the board.
While that large map looks Okay from a distance, blowing it up just enhances it's flaws. You'll note my maps are basically blow-ups of the Setting map, but they still look great because the official 3e Map was just that awesome.
Don't know who did the Cormyr map, but they should definately get him for any FR articles they plan - Fans need to be pulled into the new setting, and great maps are just one of the simplest ways to do that.
I think Rich hinted at the fact that they really liked his work and hope to use him in the future. I believe he said that the "found" this guy after the maps for the book had been done.
It was in Dragon 365. This should do it for you:
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/drback/20080718
Wow. That's an attractive map. I still personally prefer the 3e FR style, if only because I can duplicate it respectably in Illustrator, but its quite pretty.
They were out of Toilet paper at the WotC offices one day, and Chris Perkins had to go REAL bad....
Does anyone know how far the water supposedly receded when the cave-in happened?
Is it different on the Sea of Swords then it is on the Outer Seas?
I hadn't heard anything about the sea of swords draining.
The funny thing is, the text for Candlekeep now says it is out to sea on its on promintory/island - that would indicate a Sea-rise, rather then a fall.
There is a bright side to all this, and the one good thing about 4e FR that I've harped on a couple of times - all this 'confusion' allows me to be very creative.
While the waters did recede, massive changes to both climate and geography had the continent undergo a series of Tsunamis - this would allow that in some place the water is indeed lower, but in others landlocked locales wound up on the coast do to the waters rushing in and back out, creating a whole new coastline.
Yeah... I can work with this...
Also, where is Tymanther?
-It's where Unther used to be.
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The map has Neverwinter and Luskan on it. Both were supposedly destroyed, so why are they there? Also, where is Tymanther?
LOL!!!
With all their Tymanther love, they go and forget to put it on the map!
Did ANYONE look at this and approve it before it was put in the book?
Anyhow, I've been playing with some textures - creating things from scratch really isn't my forte' (I'm an epic-level modifyer, though :P ), and I wanted the Plaguelands to have a more... Abeirational.. feel to them (I'm thinking steaming postules and whatnot).
What does everyone think of this -
This is Not anything like a finished map, or even a WIP - I just wanted people's opinion of this look for Plaguewrought lands.
I like most of the FRCG and am thankful I spent so much money on previous FR products that I can reference those with relative ease. I feel bad for the new people that dont' have access to the same published items and want to know more about what was, which I think will be a fairly significant number just due to human nature to wonder what was. Certainly we can all devise for ourselves what was but most people like to know what exactly did this ruin look like in its heyday, what were the people like and what happened to them?
Anyway the maps are for the most part just atrocious and this is not the first time a WoTC product has had issues with maps in the recent products. Return to Undermountain's map of the Yawning Portal is just one example. Find the well.
-So...Tymanther isn't even on the map?
-Yes it is on the map silly. :P
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I like it, will make it easier to locate and identify as well. Someone really needs to fix the map issues in the FRCG. The town map of Loudwater and the tactical map for when the goblins break through don't match up in regards to building sizes or in distances.
I like most of the FRCG and am thankful I spent so much money on previous FR products that I can reference those with relative ease. I feel bad for the new people that dont' have access to the same published items and want to know more about what was, which I think will be a fairly significant number just due to human nature to wonder what was. Certainly we can all devise for ourselves what was but most people like to know what exactly did this ruin look like in its heyday, what were the people like and what happened to them?
Anyway the maps are for the most part just atrocious and this is not the first time a WoTC product has had issues with maps in the recent products. Return to Undermountain's map of the Yawning Portal is just one example. Find the well.
-Just think Chris Perkins (He MUST be stopped!) was all feeling smug about one of the cities names being spelled properly!
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-Is it, or isn't it? Some people just said it isn't, and now you're saying it is...
-Yes it is on the map(Tymanther). Markus is being silly again. I think he needs his manic meds again! :embarrass
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Damned weird Sea of Fallen Water Levels confused the hell out me.
EDIT: High Imaskar... now thats creative.
Double Edit: Bride Keep?!
Is that where she went after Rose Keep? 
-Yes it is on the map(Tymanther). Markus is being silly again. I think he needs his manic meds again! :embarrass
-It's like pulling teeth getting straight answers out of you people!
EDIT: High Imaskar... now thats creative.
-We've been waiting for it since two years ago. You read Darkvision, right? Looks who's the empress of High Imaskar.
Anyhow, I've been playing with some textures - creating things from scratch really isn't my forte' (I'm an epic-level modifyer, though :P ), and I wanted the Plaguelands to have a more... Abeirational.. feel to them (I'm thinking steaming postules and whatnot).
What does everyone think of this -
This is Not anything like a finished map, or even a WIP - I just wanted people's opinion of this look for Plaguewrought lands.
It looks a bit too, umm, 'detailed' compared to the surrounding map design. I mean, the design is too complex, too high a resolution, in comparison. There's probably a proper graphical design term for it.
The 3rd edition maps look very good, but with relatively simple map elements. They do a lot with a little. (The 4e map on the other does very little with even less.) To replicate these Plaguelands (spit!), you might just take a forest and shade it purple, or something.
By the way, I've begun using your Old Empires map for my Chessenta campaign (I can think of a few more locations to add to it :p). Are these maps easy to make? I'd like to see an updated version of the Vast myself, and I was wondering if I should take a crack at it.