Discover the definition of fantasy maps in creative writing and learn how you can use them to build believable worlds.

In 1665, a German Jesuit and polymath named Athanasius Kircher published an eclectic scientific treatise called Mundus Subterraneus. It included, along with a natural history of dragons and a diagr…

These maps are out of this world.

I’ve realised I have a particular workflow for drawing coastlines in my maps. Here’s a quick walkthrough. Each step is done on a new layer in photoshop, and I use a 5px hard round brush in each case with size set to pressure. However, all of these steps can be done in Gimp – or … Continue reading "How to Draw Coastlines on a Fantasy Map"

Harn Isle is in the world of Lythia. Lythia is on the plane of Kethira. Kethira is in the universe of Kelestia.

Rivers have to be the most common thing for new map makers to get wrong; and even seasoned cartographers may have some of these mistakes sneak up on them if they’re not careful. But, having an awareness of some of the most common issues that come up when it comes to river placement will go a long wa

Toward the end of last year/beginning of this year I had the pleasure of working with Nick Cole and Jason Anspach, of the Galaxy’s Edge series of books. https://www.galacticoutlaws.com/ Here they head into another direction with an old school style rpg, enlisting some old school names. They worked with Jim Ward and Erol Otis, among others. The combat mechanics are new and interesting. For the map, they wanted something between Tolkien and Conan, which I was happy to work on. You can follow…

Maps of Oz have been produced almost since the beginning of Oz literature. Along the way they have embodied one of the many inconsistencies that seem almost characteristic of Oz. Any map of the subject must be rooted in the description of the Land of Oz given by L. Frank Baum in the first Oz book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, which details the four separate countries of Oz in the four cardinal directions, with their names and characteristic colors. (The term "Gillikin" is not introduced until…

Ben Giles is raising funds for Vermilium on Kickstarter! A Weird Western, Dark Fantasy RPG Setting for Savage Worlds