Mapping a World
Source GM Core pg. 142
Many Game Masters like to have an overland map for their local region, nation, or even the whole world. This is far less important if you're planning a multi-planetary campaign with no set home world, but it can help add to a campaign's verisimilitude to include some of these details if your campaign uses a consistent port of call, whether it's a space station or an entire planet. The primary goal of this scale of map is to designate sites of import to the campaign; you don't need to detail every nature preserve or strip mine, but having a sense of the major features can help you and the other players visualize the world in which you're playing.
Step 1. Coastlines: The easiest first step is to separate land from sea (whether those seas are frozen, molten, or even sand). Regional maps might only have a single shoreline, if any. At larger map scales, consider the placement of major islands, archipelago chains, atolls, and islets. A world map should consider the size and placement of continents.
Step 2. Topography: Pencil in a rough ridgeline for each mountain range in the region. Mountain ranges are common along coastlines where continental plates push together. If extended into the sea, mountain ranges typically result in a chain of offshore islands. Indicate hills in the regions adjacent to the mountains and elsewhere as necessary to demonstrate elevation. Unmarked terrain on an overland map is usually lowland plains. Even in worlds with efficient mass transit, these important geographic elements determine defensible positions, population centers, and ports of call.
Step 3. Watercourses: It's important to keep in mind that rivers flow downstream, from high elevation toward the sea, always taking the path of least resistance. Powerful watercourses might carve canyons or gorges over millennia, but they should never cross through mountain ranges. On a similar note, watercourses don't branch—tributaries join into rivers as they flow downstream. Even high-tech societies will naturally benefit from developing alongside natural sources of fresh water, both for conventional uses like drinking and sanitation and for industrial uses like shipping and hydroelectricity.
Step 4. Terrain and Environment: Sketch in interesting terrain features such as forests, deserts, or tundras. You might want to differentiate these by climate, separating coniferous and deciduous forests from tropical jungles or arctic taigas. Terrain not specifically called out on an overland map is typically presumed to be some variety of farmland in developed worlds and grassland in less developed worlds.
Step 5. Civilization: Now you're ready to place the elements of civilization. Major cities are typically located near water, and those with spaceports are usually near the equator to save on the energy required during space launches. Major freeways or rails connect larger settlements, circumventing difficult terrain and connecting centers of culture and industry, but they can wind through mountain passes or even beneath the ocean when lucrative commerce demands it. Add smaller settlements along your roads, like resorts to appreciate nature, less tech-inclined rural communities, or businesses requiring large tracts of land like farms. Finally, draw political boundaries and mark other sites of interest. Are these borders purely physical, or are there separated infospheres on these worlds that further divide these rival nations?
Step 1. Coastlines: The easiest first step is to separate land from sea (whether those seas are frozen, molten, or even sand). Regional maps might only have a single shoreline, if any. At larger map scales, consider the placement of major islands, archipelago chains, atolls, and islets. A world map should consider the size and placement of continents.
Step 2. Topography: Pencil in a rough ridgeline for each mountain range in the region. Mountain ranges are common along coastlines where continental plates push together. If extended into the sea, mountain ranges typically result in a chain of offshore islands. Indicate hills in the regions adjacent to the mountains and elsewhere as necessary to demonstrate elevation. Unmarked terrain on an overland map is usually lowland plains. Even in worlds with efficient mass transit, these important geographic elements determine defensible positions, population centers, and ports of call.
Step 3. Watercourses: It's important to keep in mind that rivers flow downstream, from high elevation toward the sea, always taking the path of least resistance. Powerful watercourses might carve canyons or gorges over millennia, but they should never cross through mountain ranges. On a similar note, watercourses don't branch—tributaries join into rivers as they flow downstream. Even high-tech societies will naturally benefit from developing alongside natural sources of fresh water, both for conventional uses like drinking and sanitation and for industrial uses like shipping and hydroelectricity.
Step 4. Terrain and Environment: Sketch in interesting terrain features such as forests, deserts, or tundras. You might want to differentiate these by climate, separating coniferous and deciduous forests from tropical jungles or arctic taigas. Terrain not specifically called out on an overland map is typically presumed to be some variety of farmland in developed worlds and grassland in less developed worlds.
Step 5. Civilization: Now you're ready to place the elements of civilization. Major cities are typically located near water, and those with spaceports are usually near the equator to save on the energy required during space launches. Major freeways or rails connect larger settlements, circumventing difficult terrain and connecting centers of culture and industry, but they can wind through mountain passes or even beneath the ocean when lucrative commerce demands it. Add smaller settlements along your roads, like resorts to appreciate nature, less tech-inclined rural communities, or businesses requiring large tracts of land like farms. Finally, draw political boundaries and mark other sites of interest. Are these borders purely physical, or are there separated infospheres on these worlds that further divide these rival nations?