Aslov - Campaign City

[ReverendRover]

Hello all

This is a city I've begun work on for a game I run. The city itself is based loosely on a description from the game's books but I've altered it to fit what I need it for. Essentially the city will have three main districts when done, the rich High Town to the north of the river, the poorer Low Town to the south of it (which includes most of the markets, workshops, storehouses and military facilities) and finally Tent Town outside of the city walls to the south which is home to a great flood of refugees.

As you can see in this first WIP image, I've started with the poorer Low Town, drawing the wall first to make sure I didn't get carried away and leave no room for the refugee camp and also to force a cramped sort of vibe as I built it up. I put in the major roads first and have been going steadily along making small blocks, adding small streets and whatnot as I go, leaving space for markets, temples or other larger structures that I need. The poorer housing, mostly to the west, I've tried to make look disorganized and very cramped together. Buildings that will make up areas of commerce that are not markets such as craftsman's workshops or stores I have made a little more regular in size and placement with a bit more space between each one.

Richer shopping districts will go on the river front on the northern side, slowly giving way to greener spaces, estates and mansions as the city moves north. I have fewer must-haves in the north apart from a keep complex that houses the central council and government of the city. There's no monarchy as such so there won't be a grand palace or castle but some of the wealthier noble estates will almost take the place of that.

So here's the first WIP, I'll try to remember to get updates on it as I go along though I do tend to binge on mapping at weekends!

If anyone has any critique, ideas for things or especially suggestions on laying out the richer side of the river I'd love to hear them.

[mearrin69]

It's looking pretty good so far. I like the layout.

What software are you using? Is this by hand or using a mapping app like Campaign Cartographer? If by hand or your software allows, I'd suggest adding a bit of texture in there. The grass, roads, etc. mostly just look grainy on zoom in. If you could work in some layered, varying textures for the various features I think it'd make it really pop. Some implied height variation through shading would give the map a little more 'tooth' as well.

Love to watch how it turns out!
M

[ReverendRover]

I'm making it in Campaign Cartographer with the City Designer add on. I plan on trying to make the upper town seem more elevated and that sort of thing, adding texture I might have to do in another program, not sure. Sheet effects will give it a bit more glamour by adding some shadows and blurring and whatnot. I'll definitely look into what else I can do with them though!

So I've completed Low Town, for the most part. Might move odd bits around but it has all the major districts of it and has the featured buildings like the military baracks in the center and prison to the east. I've begun work on High Town now, I've done the council complex and started on the waterfront "Silk Quarter" where the higher-end shops are. I think I'm going to alter the buildings there though, not entirely happy with the look of them. Even though it is a higher class area, there's a bit too much space and too few buildings for a busy shopping district. I think the buildings won't be that much bigger than those in the low town, just slightly more organized. I'll try and get a few blocks in there and see how I feel, I think the character of an area doesn't really show itself until I've got a few streets and clumps of buildings done.

[ReverendRover]

Aaaand a little bit more done. I've sort of worked out my theme for the north side of town now. Other than certain buildings that notably stand out there is a kind of color coding to the rooftops which will help me and my players easily identify an area at a very quick glance. I've forgone that in the cheaper side of the river as it is supposed to be more of a cramped, confusing mess were they might actually get lost. But north of the river, red roofs are high-end commercial buildings (fine tailors, jewelry merchants etc), blue rooftops are the "new money" housing, living ever in the shadow of the looming estates.

There is a martial square for parades etc up near the government fortress and I've rendered this one with some of the sheet effects on. The shadows and ever so slight blur/bevel to the buildings really cramps up the low town streets in a way that I quite like.

Still need a few more large estates, a green area like a public garden and a large temple/library, the rest I will fill in with my coded little buildings of blue and red, but mostly blue at this point.

[ReverendRover]

Inner city done, beginning work on the main highways and the refugee camp to the south. I'll slowly fill in the woodland and other terrain as I do these because they will determine the shape of the woods.

[ReverendRover]

So, the outer settlements are done, possibly to be expanded a little if I feel it needs it after a day or two of staring at this thing. The refugee camp is maybe done. I'm not sure. I'm not entirely happy with it but other than just making it a big, solid mass with no order to it at all (which doesn't exactly fit with what's supposed to be happening) I've done what I can for now.

I took advice and added a different grass background, cheers mearrin, it's really brought out the map for me. I like the simpler texture of the roads etc so I probably will keep all of that as is.

[lorelei]

Great job on this!! I liked seeing your progression....