RPG Mapping Tools Part 1 - Battle Maps

My old friend +James Graham plussed me the other day (is this actually a verb, I can't decide) with the question "Do you know any good RPG Mapping Tools" and I'm sorry to say that I couldn't give him a straight answer.  Although Jim wasn't very specific in his request, the underlying quandry with mapping is that there's so much choice in terms of the types of map you want to make.  At the macro level you have Starmaps but at the micro level there are Battlemaps, with all manner of world maps, region maps and dungeon maps inbetween.  First lets look at... 

Sample Inn Schematic

Battlemaps

This type of map is mostly for use during play (with or without miniatures) and often uses the 1" to 5' scale convention.  To test the output of each of the maps I used Inkwell Ideas Random Inn Generator to build a simple one storey building which I would then build in each of the mapping tools trying to stay as close to the original as possible and include as many items of decor as possible. 

I restricted myself to free tools available to either download or use in a web app interface and limited myself to around 1½ hours time in order to learn the interface and build the map.

Dungeon Maker

Dungeon Maker (http://www.stonesword.com/dungeonmaker.php)

A free web app tile based editor which appears to be either a hobby project or a technical exercise.  Limited functionality with only 4 layers per grid square (Floor, Walls, Objects, Special.  Limited default tiles reduce its usefulness, but if you are in need of a quick map it has no learning curve at all and a reasonable output.  One word of warning though, make sure that you keep your plan entirely inside the editor frame otherwise you will have difficulty exporting the result as there are no save or export functions - 5/10 " Simple, perhaps too simple"

Dungeon Painter (http://pyromancers.com/dungeon-painter-online/)

Dungeon Painter

A free web app tile based editor, this one has a much better interface and more tiles are available in the default set.  The learning curve is a little steeper but the results are exponentially better.  Still has the feel of an unfinished project about it as some tile sets don't appear to be populated (wooden floors and roofs).  The export to jpg/png and export to pdf functions don't appear to work, but it is possible to upload to a server (which generates a png) and then use URL to access the png for saving to a local drive.  There are other tilesets which can be used depending on the genre of game you're mapping for and your artistic tastes.  All in all a great little tool which sets the bar for me.  8/10 "Very useable"

Dunjinni (http://www.dunjinni.com)

Dundjinni

Although it is not possible to buy Dunjinni (the online store remains closed until further notice) it is possible to use the free demo version to knock out a quick map.  This can then be further embellished by adding in any items in a bitmap editing tool which you can find in either the Dundjinni forums or in the CSUAC (User Art Collection) available from www.halegaming.com.  Unfortunately the demo app has the Save and Export functions disabled so you may have to resort to screen capture (as I did).  7/10 "Still worth trying"

Other Noteable Offerings

Tiamat (http://www.rpgobjects.com/tiamat/index.php)

TIAMAT

Fans of Ed Bourelle's Skeleton Key Games map tiles can use TIAMAT which is a tile layout web application.  Obviously I was unable to test the software with the sample tavern map I used with the other apps because there are no editing functions.  The map I made took literally 5 minutes to put together, but with 3,216 different tiles to choose from, you could easily spend hours pouring over the gorgeous tiles.  Although the app is free to use, exporting them is done through the RPG Objects storefront, you will need to set up an account and each map export costs $2.00 (RPG Objects are giving away 1 free export a month as an incentive).  8/10 "So many tile options..."

BattleMAPR

BattleMAPR (http://battlemapr.com/)

This free web application is limited to an 8x10 grid and has a very limited tile set and you can only only uses 3 layers per square.  Once you've set up an account you can add your own tiles, but there is a submission and approval process so it's not instantaneous.  Development seems to have stalled at the moment and I hope that the coders pick up work again soon as this is a veery noble effort and I really like the clean no nonsense interface.  4/10 "I will follow your progress closely young Jedi"

Pymapper (http://www.pymapper.com)

Pymapper

This is a free Windows application (and alledgedly Mac OSX and Linux using a Python interpreter) and is like a cross between TIAMAT and Dungeon Painter/Dunjinni.  It's predominantly a tile layout system for use with the WotC D&D tiles, the idea being that you can build a library of the tiles you have and then design using only those tiles.  The tiles are double sided and therefore you sometimes have to choose between one side or the other.  Fortunately there is an "unlimited" mode which allows you to use multiple copies of the same tile.  The interface is slow and a little clumsy as the tiles often don't snap to where you've dragged them, but it's better than nothing.  The tiles themselves are quite low res scans of the original and I'm not sure how good they'd look when printed out.  One big issue is that the tiles do not include any transparent "objects" like tables or chairs so if you want to dress your battlemap beyond the WotC offerings you are still going to have to hunt down the images in the CSUAC or in the Dunjinni forums.  6/10 "Almost a real contender"

Apologies if I've missed out any other tools, or if you know of any you want me to try out, just drop me a comment below.

Other Posts in this Series:

• Part 1 - Battle Maps
• Part 2 - Dungeon Maps
• Part 3 - Region Maps
• Part 4 - Planet and Star Maps

Citymorphs #025 to #029

My apologies for the unplanned hiatus in citymorphing, unfortunately my proto career as a blogger does not yet pay the bills.  Here's four more tiles to satisfy.

 #025 - Canal 002

Another canal tile with a bendy bit in it.  Hopefully this will line up properly this time.  I will get round to fixing #006 Very Little Venice at some point in the near future.

 #026 - Slum 001

Not everyone in Morphia lives above the poverty line as demonstrated by this slum district.

#027 - Arena 001

Since the Colliseum was built this smaller arena has had to suffice with smaller scale entertainments such as public executions and beast fighting.

#028 - Arena 002

The owners of the Arena found that there are a few notable advantages to a smaller venue... It can be flooded and mock naval battles can be staged!!

Citymorphs #021 to #024

Another 4 Citymorphs this week, and the secret theme is revealed...

#021 - Hospital District

A tightly packed complex of hospitals clinics and spa nestled in some parkland make Morphia the envy of most of her neighbours.  Morphians benefit from the wide variety of treatments for most common ailments and not just battlefield injuries. 

#022 - Beverley's Hills

Some of the richest Morphian residents have chosen to set up their homes in this lush but stepped landscape which overlooks the town.  Thought to have been created by an enraged mage many hundreds of years ago is the real secret that it keeps the residents looking young beyond their years... 

#023 - Citywall Breach

Many years ago in the last great siege this section of wall was breached in a powerful explosion, fusing the remaining stones together.  Over the years the residents using this new shortcut have worn a path over the earthmound and through the breach establishing a thoroughfare. 

#024 - Market

I thought it was about time that I provided a marketplace for the inhabitants to buy and sell all of life's little essentials.  A wide variety of stalls occupy the dirt square with a fountain at it's centre.  Animal pens are to be found in the southeast corner of this tile and the borders are filled with an assortment of cannopied shops and restaurants.









And the secret theme?

If you arrange tiles #013 to #022 in order they spell out CITYMORPHS, see:

which I've also added to my T-Shirt Store.

Enjoy

UPDATE 2: RPG Google Mapping with MAPLib

I recently blogged my experiences with MAPLib 6 months on, wherein I postulated that if the map had placenames next to it's markers it might reach KILLER APP status.  Well, it looks like the guys at MAPLib were listening as lo and behold placenames now feature on my map and I didn't have to lift a finger to add them, awesome work guys.

I've been Dave'd...

For all of you out there following the Citymorph articles I've been posting, Dave Millar has kindly included my morphs in his Dave's Mapper Tool.  Admittedly citymorph's need a bit more fineagling than most but the results are very rewarding.  5 minutes spent rotating and swapping the odd tile here and there and hey presto!

A medieval urban sprawl is born...

Citymorphs #017 to #020

4 more Citymorphs for you this week, have you spotted the secret theme yet...

#017 - The Docks

The Bigger vessels need somewhere sheltered to do their running repairs out of mainstream river traffic.
A recent addition to the docks are the three large cranes which are singularly responsible for halving the stevedore labour force which would have been loading and loading the ships that berth here.  Needless to say the Stevedores Guild is mobilizing as we speak and there is likely to be an all out strike. 

#018 - The Keep

If the city walls should be breached the Morphian Lord has somewhere heavily fortified to retreat to.  However, in times of peace it has become little more than a museum in which to house many of the cities archives and is popular among the scholars of the university district.  Several enterprising market traders have therefore set up their stalls within its shadow to catch the passing students who are alway in need of parchment, writing instruments and ink. 

#019 - The Bath House District

Morphians like to keep clean so the municipal council invested heabily in it's public waterworks schemes.  The Great Bath House in the centre is fed continually with clean water and it disgorges it's waste into the river.  Only the richest can afford the luxuries of private bathing in these sumptuous surroundings.  Downstream are the ever popular public bathing steps where even the common man can bathe in full view of his peers.    

#020 - The Bastille

Morphians who fall foul of the law are incarcerated in this prison which rests on a pillar of bassalt giving its inmates commanding views over the city.  The Barracks block at the foot of the hill ensures that there is a ready supply of soldiers to keep any unrest among the prison population to an absolute minimum.

Citymorphs #013 to #016

Four more citymorphs to keep your appetite's whetted...

#013 - Parkland - 002

A small urban park surrounded by small buildings and some sort of barrack type building possibly a stables.  I leave the rest up to you. 

#014 - A River Runs Through It

More open spaces to keep the population healthy and happy.  A river runs through this one with a sort of tunnel affair.  On Sundays you just can't move for Anglers trying to land the big black pike that is rumoured to live in the river... 

#015 - Crematorium

Despite all the green spaces when you shuffle of the mortal coil your relatives won't wont you cluttering up the house so they bring your corpse here.  If you're rich enough they might bury you in one of the few grave plots that they've still got free, otherwise it's up the chimney like the rest of us. 

#016 - Temple District

The Gods like their worshippers to build big ostentatious Temples in their honour and big wide avenues along which to process.

UPDATE: RPG Google mapping with MAPLib

In an earlier article I wrote about How to make your own Fantasy Googlemap with MapLib without needing to be a code monkey, which has consistently proved to be the most popular article on my blog despite the lack of comments.  I always intended to replace the rather uninspiring "test images" I used to centre the maps with a demo map of my own creation.  Well, life has a nasty habit of getting in he way and I've been too busy with my current C&C campaign and other projects like Citymorphs.

So here at last is my demo map which I am actively using in my campaign.



Observations after 6 Months Use

1. ZOOM - As you can see the map zoom isn't perfect, the placemarker images don't scale with the zoom which means when you're zoomed out fully (as above) they don't "geolocate" anymore.  This is annoying but not a total disaster.

2. PLACE MARKERS - I've used the bog standard icons for everything but the Capital Cities (which is a shared marker) for fear that if an owner left the shared marker would disappear from the library.

3. PLACE NAMES - When you hover over a marker it displays the name associated with it, which is nice.  However it would be really useful to be able to set a display variable for each marker which would display the name alongside the marker.

4. REGIONS - Although you can draw regions, turning them into hotspots in a client side image map fashion, there are no options for just adding text to the map.

5. LINKING - I've managed to link some of the pop-up descriptions back to my campaign blog for "Read more" links (Try clicking on the Capital icon for Sankahar City), but this requires a bit of HTML knowledge to ensur that your link target is set correctly.  The editing interface is a little clunky for my tastes, for example if you don't submit an edit whilst still in HTML view it interprets and displays your HTML.

6. UPDATING YOUR IMAGE - The most annoying feature is that once you've done all the work and added your place markers, if you ever need to update your map image, you can't.  This does seem like a massive oversight on the part of the developers and could ultimately limit its usability as a tool, not just for RPG mapping but any mapping.  Maps have a tendency to be revised, in the real world political boundaries are redrawn on a regular basis and with regime change comes country name changing.

7. COLLABORATIVE MAPPING - I've not really explored the collaborative mapping functions but from some of the other collaborative mapping projects which feature in the MapLib gallery it seems that other users are getting on fine with them. 

8. SHARING YOUR MAP - The sharing options are standard fare but irritatingly if you choose to grab the link to a static image it doesn't show any of the place markers at all!!.  Again this seems like an oversight on the developers side (unless there's some overarching Intellectual Property Rights issue I'm not aware of) and this is where in RPG terms the text display of names next to markers feature would make this a KILLER APP.

Aside from the two big issues I've listed above it's still worth checking it out and I hope that any of you who've read this will drop me a comment and a link to your own maps.

Happy MAPLibing y'all

Citymorphs #009 to #012

A big thanks to Risus for the plugging Citymorphs in the Geomorph Roundup.  Here's four more:

#009 - Parkland

Too many orderly streets makes the morphians walk in straight lines, they need to feel the wind in their hair and wet grass under their toes.

#010 - Citywall Bastion

Every old city will have seen it's fair share of war and it's ruler may have built some sort of defensive wall for the people to hide behind.  Notice the groundworks to elevate this section and the set of stairs to get those archers up high.

#011 - Citywall Straight

A straight section of citywall this time.  When laying this tile make sure you've built the stairs and earthworks on the same side otherwise the siege will be over in minutes.

#012 - Citywall Gatehouse

The wall needed some way of keeping the riffraff out but allowing the townsfolk in, so here's a useful gatehouse.

Citymorphs #005 to #008

The first batch of Citymorphs taught me a few lessons (like making the jpgs 300 pixels square) and that if they are going to be used by a randomizer engine I'll have to incorporate some features like edge tunnels if I want another point of tesselation.  So here are four more...

#005 - Harbour and Canal

Another harbour tile, this time with a river or canal, adding a new middle edge feature, I'm still learning here... 

#006 - Very Little Venice

All towns and cities are going to have a river running throught them in some way, so here's a tile with a river bending through it's middle.  Of course to keep it tesselating I had to add in some bridges and edge tunnels which needed a bit of thought.

#007 - Harbour and factory

Enthused with the transparency experiments on the bridges of #006 Very Little Venice I decided to give the factory in this tile a bit of smoke for it's furnaces and of course some coal barges to keep those fires burning.  I have no idea what the factory makes but its location close to the harbour is ideal for exporting its products and importing its raw materials..

#008 - The Chasm

A few years ago a great chasm opened up in the ground and swallowed some buildings.  The river has greated a lake at the chasm's bottom but it must have found a tunnel to flow out of as it always seems to stay at a constant level.  The locals have recently built a bridge to keep some traffic moving through this area but some of the ruined buildings still rest precariously over the chasm edge.

Citymorphs #001 to #004

Inspired by Risus and Dyson, I've started geomorphing, but as I mostly enjoy DMing urban environments I thought I'd try something a bit different.  So here are the first in a series of Citymorphs:

#001 Palace District

Every city has to have a big cheese and they need a nice place to crash, of course the hangers on and other courtly types need somewhere to live close which makes for a similar architecture and style.

#002 Colliseum

The people have bread, so give them a circus.  Print off 2 of this tile and you have a whole colliseum for them to while away the hours watching chariot races.

#003 Harbour

Maybe your city is also a port, if so it'll need somewhere to land those ships and some warehouses to store goods and cargo.  It'll also need some sort of harbour master's buildings to control what comes in and what goes out.

#004 Municipal Buildings

With all this commerce going on there's got to be some sort of tax collection and administration going on.  Civil servants like nice buildings to make them feel important so grand architecture and domes are the order of the day.

How to make your own Fantasy Googlemap with MapLib without needing to be a code monkey

NB: I've since written an update to this article which details my thoughts about MapLib 6 Months into a mapping project of my own.

I've seen a couple of campaign world maps which use the googlemaps api and wondered how easy is it to make your own.  The answer very hard if you're not a bonafide javascript code monkey.  I then came across www.MapLib.net, a free service which allows you to build your own maps with custom overlays.  This is far too useful to keep to myself so here goes:

You'll Need:

• A JPG, PNG or GIF of your campaign world.
• A MapLib account (they're free)
• Plenty of patience

Add your map to MapLib.net

Once you're logged in, go to the "My Pictures" section and upload an image. If you want a 4:3 ratio map use the settings below.  Place a map pin to define a location and type in it's name in the pop-up box.  You can add descriptions (see the example below) to the pins and include hyperlinks.  If you have them upload your own custom icons (or use the ones that other users have uploaded) and attach them instead of the bog standard pin.  If you've got lots of pins to manage you can create categories for Capitals, Cities, Towns or what ever takes your fancy. If you need to mark out an area or a line use the polygon or line tool.

Embedding Tips

Make your iframe at least 500px wide so your users can close any map pin pop-ups you create.

After much trial and error I came up with these settings for my 4:3 ratio (2046 x 1536 pixels) map:

Zoom Level 7

IFRAME SETTINGS:

WIDTH: 512px, HEIGHT: 409px, LAT: -53.750, LNG: 36.558, Z: 7

Zoom Level 8

IFRAME SETTINGS:

WIDTH: 512px, HEIGHT: 409px, LAT: -53.750, LNG: 36.558, Z: 8

Zoom Level 8

IFRAME SETTINGS:

WIDTH: 512px, HEIGHT: 409px, LAT: -53.750, LNG: 36.558, Z: 9

Hex Mapping Made Easy

Hexographer is a fantastic free application which helps those of us who are cartographically challenged create our own hex maps.  It's cross platform and runs in the browser, there's also an installable Pro version which adds more map styles and symbols.  Good enough for two Honourable Mentions at the 2010 Ennie Awards.