Top 10 Mistakes of Fantasy Map Making

Hopefully we at Inkwell Ideas, after creating our map making programs Worldographer, Hexographer, and our HexLands web app know something about this topic.  We may not always apply it in our generators (plus, see #3) but we know it!

Without further ado…

1. Not Learning Simple Geography.

Rivers don’t run uphill. Deserts tend to be at 30-degrees north and south latitudes due to wind patterns. Mountains are usually in ranges, and based on plate tectonics. Vegetation isn’t common on the leeward sides of mountains. Things like that.  This could be a whole course, so until we make one, find one or grab an earth science book!

2. Not Thinking About Wind

A little more earth science here, but it has a big impact on your map… So speaking of leeward, be sure to take a moment to understand and plot out your planet’s wind patterns. This will help you place vegetation and deserts.

3. But Exceptions Do Exist–Even Without Saying “Magic!”

The caveat to points #1 & #2 is that exceptions exist to many common rules/understandings of geography.  As a real world example, rivers can split as they flow downstream. And of course, you can say “Magic!” if there is no plausible explanation–but personally I feel it is good to save the “Magic!” answer for when someone points something out that you genuinely missed.

4. Making Too Much of the World

For the start of a campaign, you don’t need to detail a lot. A starting town/village, the adjacent ones, a city (which can be off map) and several points of interest (caves, wizard’s tower, ruined fort, etc.–places where quests may happen). Basically a kingdom or half of one anyway.  Then have a rough idea about the adjacent areas/kingdoms.

That said, if you have a passion for building the world, go for it!  And don’t worry about needing to make changes–see #6 for why.

5. Not Roughing Out Enough

Some folks love the worldbuilding process so much that they’ll write up every nation/state and every city & town in the world. You don’t need to do that. And in fact point #6 might be needed if someone does fill in all the details early. But you do need to put a few paragraphs or several bullets for any adjacent kingdoms & cities.  Then a few points for key locations the next layer further out.  These can be places and events the character hear about, even at low levels.

6. Not Realizing Most Of The Map/Setting Can Be Revised

Many folks believe once the map is done and shared with players it is set in stone. Not So!  Think of early middle ages maps and how misshapen geography was.  Likewise whole cultures weren’t discovered until near modern times.

7. Not Understanding Scales & Projections

In your typical fantasy map that covers a decent area, keep in mind the scale can vary a lot!  If the map is of the whole world, and it is a flat map projection, then for earth one degree of longitude is roughly 69 miles at the equator while at 45 degrees north of south it is about 49 miles. But in a flat map projection, they look the same distance apart.

8. Not Considering Time/Ages

Want to make your world feel real and lived in? Build the setting area… then consider what each faction’s goal is as well as a conflict like a never-ending winter, terrible war, great monster moving in, etc. Then revise the world based on how the factions overcome (or not) the issue. Repeat this a few times.

This gives you a great way to determine locations of old battlefields and ruins.

9. Not Considering How How Settlements and Cultures Impact Each Other

A corollary to #8 is to recognize that nothing happens in a vacuum.  If the northern kingdom has to address a bandit incursion, then the middle kingdoms might take advantage of that–or join in to help, solidifying an alliance. And what does the southern kingdom do?

So again, to give the setting the feeling it has a history as you revise the map for each major conflict, consider how each faction might take advantage of the situation.

10. Writing a Story, Not A Campaign Setting

Finally while most of this pre-work is an exercise for the game master, keep in mind the players’ preferences.  If a player wants to be a noble elf, have elves in the area–or be ready with a reason one is traveling to the area and ensure this will fit the player’s idea of the character.

You may even want to create the setting (or at least the last step) as a group activity with your players.  They can help evolve the setting to match what is needed for their character concepts and know the setting better so they can better integrate their characters into the setting.