dimanche 27 août 2023

Developement driven map drawing - Real case study

 Following this link you can see plans of the normand city Rouen through ages. From the roman empire to the mid XXth century.

Follow this link to check it out.

There would be so much to study and say about it. Yet, in several ways, it validates my previous work.

samedi 26 août 2023

Development driven map drawing : Inking

 I've finally put an end to this experiment and inked the project.

Carrying out this project was so interesting. Yet several improvements should be brought to the process next time as real city development is to be thoroughly studied.

Here is a brief recap of the successive phases :








lundi 21 août 2023

Development Driven Map Drawing (part 6 : Expansion)

 This will most probably be the final expansion of this first project. I will ink it next and it will be done.


 

 

It was so interesting and inspiring to do. I would recommend to do the same. I know there is so much I can still improve in my technique. Any advice or example will be more than welcome before starting a new project.

samedi 19 août 2023

Development driven map drawing (part 5: Fortifications)

 As the town densifies on, riches and population are attracting bandits and looters. Firstly watch towers are built then a stockade to protect the perimeter. At least, the southern bank for now.

As the population grows, the number of deceased people increases as well. What once was considered as an holy place in the wood is now turned into a cemetery.

Northwest of the town, a stone-pit is dug in the cliffs to provide it with stone.



jeudi 17 août 2023

Development driven map drawing (part 4 : Densifying)

 Thanks to several feedback I got from the previous work, I kept on developing the town.

One clever remark mentioned that building a bridge costs a lot. So the city should first grow on one bank only. As a consequence, I have densified the buildings on the first bank. As the population keep growing, the city house are now almost stacking up on each other. The fields are now pushed a bit further clearing some more woods.



mercredi 16 août 2023

Development driven map drawing (part 3 : First Buildings)

 With the fording being a mandatory waypoint in the area, people will soon set up nearby : first an inn, then shops, workshops and houses. As the people live around, natural shortcuts are drawn.

The increasing demand for food makes the people clear more land for agriculture and fields grow around. A water-powered mill is built on the river bank to grind the wheat.

Of course the fording is soon not enough so more wood is chopped down to build a bridge.

Some may prefer isolating, or they may have found a richer soil elsewhere. As a consequence, remote farms flourish in the area.


Stay tuned by subscribing to my Blog and watch the city grow further...

What would you build ? What would be your next step ? Please answer in the comment section.

 

 

 

 

 

Development driven map drawing (part 2 : transportation paths)

 Before setting up, people are moving. Thus have I materialized a couple of paths across the forest. Arbitrary coming from the four main directions, I considered a mandatory crossing point of the river at the fording.



mardi 15 août 2023

Development driven map drawing (part 1 : landscape)

 Considering that cities do not pop out of nowhere, I am carrying out an experiment with my map drawings. I will try to build the map as the city would be built from the very beginning.

Let's consider at first this standard landscape :


 Only rivers flowing from the mountains through a vast forest...

Stay tuned to see how people will settle this area. Meanwhile, feel free to give your idea on what it should look like. You can even download the map and work directly on it.

[Fr] De retour sur les règles de gestion : tableau des revenus issus de l'élevage

 Le projet continue d'avancer. Cette fois c'est la question des revenus issus de l'élevage qui est traitée. Le tableau ci-dessous permet d'évaluer ces revenus : 

La prochaine étape va consister à intégrer la notion de marchandage. Ensuite nous pourrons passer à la vente des produits agricoles...



mercredi 2 août 2023

Alea Jacta Est - Pourquoi AD&D 2e édition ?

Alea Jacta Est, le sort en est jeté. Au-delà de son aspect historique, cette citation renvoie au symbole même du jeu de rôle : les dés. Ces dés aux formes étranges ne sont-ils pas l'incarnation dans le réel des objets magiques ? Par leurs formes ésotériques et leur pouvoir de décider du destin des personnages ils symbolisent à eux seuls l'infini des possibilités offertes par le jeu de rôle à l'imaginaire de ses joueurs. Et quel autre jeu sinon AD&D permet de manipuler l'ensemble des différents dés ?


Mais Alea Jacta Est fût aussi le nom du club dans lequel, gamin, je découvris le jeu de rôle. Et le premier jeu fût justement Dongeon et Dragons 2e édition. Sûrement être est-ce là le biais qui me fait placer ce jeu sur un tel piédestal. Pourtant aucun autre système de jeu n'incarne mieux l'essence du jeu de rôle. Avec ses nombreux ouvrages renfermant de mystérieux secrets, ses tableaux cabalistiques de modificateurs. Mais surtout, les livres de TSR se sont ces magnifiques illustrations tellement juste dans la représentation de mon imaginaire.

Enfin, AD&D a ceci de particulier que les règles ne sont liées à un monde en particulier. Greyhawk, Forgotten Realms, Ravenloft et bien d'autres. Et même pourquoi pas un monde totalement issu de l'imaginaire du maître de jeu ou, au contraire, d'un passé magique du monde réel.

Pour toutes ces raisons, AD&D 2e édition est et restera ma référence en terme de jeu de rôle.