Glad you decided to join us properly! I hope the Community Leaders don't mind me typing this out; I'm not really a part of the forum staff, but I've been here a few years already and feel like I know the place well enough to give you a little tour. (CL folk, no toe-stepping intended!)
All in all, this is a pretty relaxed community, and as far as I know we don't really have that strict rules other than the ones of basic human decency. Be polite, treat others well, and you'll be treated well in kind. Everyone here is super friendly and welcoming, and this is honestly one of the warmest communities online.
If you are looking for tips and tutorials to get you started, we do have a "Quickstart Guide" for mapping related matters, that might be worth checking out.
Now, you mentioned the Mapping Challenges! These are some of the forum's finest features.
We have two kinds of monthly challenges: a Lite Challenge, that usually starts around mid-month, and a Regular Challenge (or just 'Challenge'), that usually starts at the beginning of each month.
You can find the current Lite Challenge here, and the current Regular Challenge here, or by just scrolling down the forum main page.
As you can see, each of those areas has a sticky with the Challenge rules, that everyone should read, but the short and sweet version is basically this: the CL's give a brief for the map one must create for the Challenge, and a deadline for when the map must be finished. In order to take part, one must create a new thread with the challenge info in the title, and post their work in that thread. The maps must be started for this challenge only, so previous unfinished work is not accepted. When the deadline comes around, the threads get locked. Winner (or in some case winners, we have had a few ties every now and then) will be determined by a vote that every Guild member can partake in. Regular Challenge winners get a Golden Compass icon that you can see under their user name, and Lite winners a Silver Compass (like the one you can see under my user name there).
Regular Challenges are open to every member of the Guild.
Lite Challenges are open to all members, but excluding those that have already won either 3 Silver Compasses or one Gold.
In addition to this, we also have the annual Atlas Awards, sometimes referred to as the Annual Challenge, where Guild members get to nominate and vote on maps completed over the year. The Atlas winners have Golden Globe icons under their username to indicate their success. More info on the Atlas Awards here.
Some other basic things: we have the Finished Maps section, where (as you might guess) people can showcase their finished mapping works. If you have something to share, please don't hesitate to open a new thread!
Then there is the WIP area, which is generally the best place to get feedback on maps you are currently working on. Separate sections for Regional/World, Cities, Dungeons and so on, so please post your works accordingly. General & Miscellaneous is always a good bet if you are not quite sure where your work fits, or if you are working on multiple pieces at the same time.
Then you have the Mapping Resources area, that has a whole lot of good stuff hidden away.
The Tutorials section is a gold mine for any beginner or more seasoned map-maker. There are some fantastic tutorials available here. Don't overlook any simply because they are old, most of them are still extremely useful to this day. I can safely say that everything I myself know about mapping and digital artwork, I have learned here.
There's also the How Do I??? area, where you can post any mapping questions you might have. Being as specific as you can usually yields the best advice!
Mapping elements and Reference material both also have a lot of great things that can be extremely helpful, so be sure to check them out as well.
One final thing: You'll most likely sooner or later notice people talking about rep. Rep basically stands for your reputation in this community, and it's something that every member can give and receive. You can give rep to another user by clicking the little star icon underneath their post (right next to the "Blog this Post" text). Usually people tend to Rep posts with maps they like, but sometimes you can get repped for helpful or otherwise worthy comments too. So basically, whatever you feel like deserves it, rep it. You'll get notified on your profile when someone has repped you. This thread has more info on the subject, if my explanation is not clear enough (it's probably worth mentioning that I'm not a native English speaker...
I think that's all I can think about for now! Sorry for the wall of text - I hope this was at least a little bit helpful. Just take a good look around, and you'll get the hang of it in no time. If you ever need a helping hand with anything specific, just holler.
Welcome to the Guild!
Cheers,
Kell
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