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Yes, as an artist

2 (14.3%)

Yes, as a writer

2 (14.3%)

Yes, as both

3 (21.4%)

Yes, as a follower

6 (42.9%)

this is stupid/needs improvement, and I will include a post why

1 (7.1%)

Total Members Voted: 14

[blackmagechill]

Let me explain the whole idea behind this. I was thinking about sea maps and stuff, being a pretty big fan of sea-faring stories (which are mostly about scenery and locale creation, but are still very interesting to read none the less), and then my mind sort of drifted to the forums, because I kinda stopped posting after I started playing soccer, and all the artists, writers, and generally talented people. I thought, "hey, if everybody got together to make a nice map with islands and stuff, it'd look pretty cool, and make a nice resource for DMs in DnD, or other Tabletop RPGS."

So, I thought I should check interest for it. The way it would work would be someone would enter as a writer, or an artist, or both for you super talented guys, and then someone (me) would pair you up randomly. The writer would write an overveiw/detail/short story of /about the island, and, based on what was written, the artist could draw a map of the island, or, just a scene or landscape of it. The islands wouldn't really have to be nations or anything, and, I'd prefer if it was very focused, sort of like in LoZ: Windwaker, where each island was sort of defined by it's name. Granted, not all island would have to be like that, but I think it'd be pretty cool for each island to sort of focus on 1 idea.

After all the scenes or whatever were drawn up, I guess I'd try and stick together a map or something. Anyone interested?

Signups

Spoiler: Sign up sheet for Artists (click to show/hide)

Username:
Preferred tools:
(optional) link to a previous piece of art:

Spoiler: Sign up sheet for Writer (click to show/hide)

Username:
Island Name:
Population:
Features:(general description)
Preferred piece of map:(a direction will suffice)
(optional) link to a previous writing piece:

Spoiler: Signed up -Writer (click to show/hide)

Formal Entry for Writer
Formal Entry for Writer
Username: mendonca
Island Name: Geometra Isles
Population: 250 - 1000
Features: Small collection of islands characterised by relatively tall central mountains, steep cliffs and in parts a strangely regular geometric coastline (now dulled with erosion). Limited population concentrated around recent fishing encampments. Obvious signs of previous, more consistent occupation, perhaps a few hundred years ago (stone footings, metal artifacts etc.).
Preferred piece of map: North East (?)
(optional) link to a previous writing piece: Style evident HERE but has limited relevance to theme.

Formal Entry for Writer
Username: micelus
Island Name: Isa De Jolla
Population: 500-6000? (the explorers weren't very sure. Can't be when all but three died.)
Features: A large, once-volcanic island with several small isles on the northern and north-eastern sides. The main island is heavy jungle with hills in the centre and west. The western part of the island is low lying and for the most part, a smooth beach broken every now and then by a short drop. A short distance out of the sea is the actual volcano. Most of the island is inhabited my small tribes and clans...There are dark things happening here...
Preferred piece of map: Far South
(optional) link to a previous writing piece:This and This and This (refer to Ryten). Not anything doing with theme, nor a connecting theme, but I write. Not  great at in-character writing, good at description.

Spoiler:  Signed up-Artist (click to show/hide)

Formal Entry for Artist
Username: mendonca
Preferred tools: GIMP and Tablet
(optional) link to a previous piece of art: LOOK HERE Probably about the most appropriate link, technique wise, but not too relevant cartographically speaking.

The descriptions will be listed here with artwork:our google document

[Biag]

I'd be in as a writer. This sounds like a neat project.

Question: would someone be putting all the islands together in one big map?

[Virex]

Sounds too disconnected to me. Everyone's going to be doing his or her own thing without much connection to each other. If you want to make a project like this work, you yourself are going to have to tie things together and to do that, you, or the community at large, needs to set up a bare-bones description of the world so that things mesh together. As it stands it's not even clear what kind of world you're thinking about.


If you want to attract people to this project, the easiest way would be to take the first steps: Set up a rough description of the world, it's flora/fauna and sentient inhabitants, as well as some geographic and historic information. Based on that, division of the world into interconnected chunks for the mappers and writers can start.

[blackmagechill]

I'd be in as a writer. This sounds like a neat project.

Question: would someone be putting all the islands together in one big map?

Yes, probably so. Virex, you have a very valid point. I'm thinking about going for more steampunk, weird south sea islands feel, with say a certain direction ending up more civilized than the others. I think that there should probably be a horror element as well, like cursed islands and cannibals, something of that nature. I'd also think some colony islands would fit, along with pirate bases, and, maybe this seems stupid, but moving islands would also be pretty cool. What I'm really looking for is something that's going to be really fun to write, and, for the artists, fun to draw.

[chuckthegr8]

In as a writer probably. I always liked making up stuff.

How about make it semi-sequential, with each group having a week to finish both the write up and the picture, and the next group can start working after the first group's writeup is completed and their deadline is a week after the last group finishes the picture. If so, we need a map to connect the stuff together, and someone to make sure canon is followed.

[Virex]

Heh, just pointing that out because projects like this need a good sense of direction especially early on, or else it'll just fracture before it has even started. I'd suggest writing up a (preferably well-structured) list of guidelines and ideas to start with. Don't worry about making it too much your own project, the community will chime in to discuss what ideas are good and bad, but it needs something to discuss.

[blackmagechill]

I'm liking the week to work on it idea, and, if someone doesn't meet the deadline, we can probably just move them down a place or two on the list. The map seems like I'd probably set up a crappy sort or grid thing, and then everyone could pick a square or two and a general island shape, and, I'd edit in the general shape. It wouldn't look to good, but it'd give a good feel as to what the islands would look like, and I could probably clean it up in GIMP or Elements later, and make it look like an old map or something. I'll probably decide the canon or not, or, just have writers ask eachother if using this or that idea is okay. If you're creating a new idea, and it creates general dislike, I'd probably respectfully request that it's changed. If you guys have any ideas about how to run this, I'm open to them. This whole thing came from wanting to create a nice community setting to write from because a large part of writing is world building, so this would allow you to focus on characters and events more than anything else. Any ideas on how to streamline it or do it are going to be looked at.

[nenjin]

I suggest you start creating some fairly strict guidelines so people have a format.

I.e.

Dimensions (Image size vs. "Game Size")
Type (Uninhabited, Natural, populated, city, nation, ect....)
Populations (Animal, Humanoid, Other....)
Features (Terrain, Ruins, Mystical, Dimensional, ect....)

Obviously this is right up my alley, but I don't just want to throw stuff at you without some guidelines. Or I'll end up making some stupid huge image in GIMP because I always bite off more than I can chew.

[blackmagechill]

Actually, if somebody would like to sign up to stick the map together, that'd be great too. I'm really just organizing the thing and entering as a writer.

[nenjin]

Yeah, no. It's your idea and I think if you want it to go anywhere you have to lead the charge.

[blackmagechill]

Yeah, no. It's your idea and I think if you want it to go anywhere you have to lead the charge.

Yeah, you're right. I guess I'll put myself in the writer pool and put the map together. My art isn't exactly pretty (read: shitty), but I think with enough time I could probably put together a half-way decent map and maybe even a main story-line.

[Virex]

You can only get better through practice. Besides, you just have to get the ball rolling and most of it will unfold itself (hopefully).

[blackmagechill]

So I wrote up most of the rules. I haven't written a section for artists because for them it's fairly lax, because artists are a lot rarer than writers.

Spoiler: rules (click to show/hide)

Rules for Map of the Ages
You have been selected/recruited/talked into working on the map of the ages. Congratulations. You will be mapping the southern sea of (name to be decided). These waters are stranger than those of the north or the east, and not much can be said of the largely unexplored west. Now, the world is fairly locked in a steam punk setting, using oil and coal as fuel for big, unwieldy creations, while some turn to the baser instincts of magic, and others to darker, lower powers. Most of the sea is still being discovered, although there are a few sparsely populated islands and even some cities. Not all that lives in the Southern Sea is human, however....

General Rules-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
•   You, as a writer/artist/dual talent person are going to be randomly assigned to someone of the opposite skill, via assigned numbers and Random.org .
•   After being assigned someone to work with, the writer will have a week to write their short story about the island, an overview of its history, or even a general geographical and ecological description of the island. After which, you will send one copy of your write up to your artist, along with a request of what you would like them to draw (it can be anything from a map to a creature to just a landscape of the island), and you will send the other to me, along with a general location of where you would like your island on the map.
•   For the artists: you have a vague deadline of about a week to draw something after you receive the request. If a drawing requires more polish, please notify both the writer and myself.
•   I know this should go without saying, but don't say anything completely negative (i.e. baseless criticism) about something someone else did. If you don't like it, keep it out of the thread and PM them with what you thought was wrong.
•   Stick to your designation. If you picked mystical for your theme, it should remain, well, mystical. This one is sorta self explainatory.



Island Types-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
•   Uninhabited- Exactly what it says. This means by any living thing, except for plants and maaaaybe spirits.
•   Non-Sentient- Nothing with enough brains to build something. Could be used for wild islands, full of horrible, Australian creatures.
•   Tribal- No real civilization, just a handful of sentient tribes. Perfect for non human and cannibal locales.
•    Colonial- Suited for sparsely or median populated islands. Usually includes a few main resources or a reason to live there. Again, doesn't have to be human, but it seems a little weird unless others expand on it.
•   Citadel- A big, greatly populated city. Probably needs to be human, and part of a nation or religion.




Island Features---------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is sort of a broad topic, because I want this project to follow a kind of dark, south sea island theme, as well as an intertwining steampunk theme. Features are pretty open ended Provided that they fit the rest of the theme. Don't include something that doesn't fit. I know I'm rambling about what fits in and what doesn't, and a lot of your ideas will mesh, but, a general rule is if it has anything to do with lasers, aliens, or an excessive amount of then-rare resources (i.e. Aluminum), don't do it. If it's a pirate island, sure. If it's experimental iron boats, sure. Hell, even golden noble islands. But nothing like stranded star travelers or evidence of a modern civilization before time. Another thing I'd like to mention: stick away from Renaissance ideas. I'd like to think we're aiming at the start of or a world trapped in the middle of the Industrial Revolution.








Guidelines for Writers------------------------------------------------------------------
•   Don't do anything that's been done already. I know this eliminates options for the guys in the back, but if there's already two or three big citadel islands, and you had a nice idea for one, consider scaling it back to a colonial town with a nice cache of resources or the like. We're going for variation here.
•   Ask before you do something that meshes with somebody else's idea! This is the number one cause of problems in collab projects; someone touching somebody else's creative content. If you have an open door policy about this kind of stuff, include it in your write up of you island.
•   Make sure your idea flows with the whole feel. I'd like to think we're trying to create a specific atmosphere here, and if there's suddenly mention of something that doesn't flow with the theme, like aliens or something, don't do it. I'm not trying to censor your ideas, but I need this to fit together well.
•   Don't be too demanding of your artist!!! That's a really big one. You guys have one week to work on this, and, as far as I know, your artist is probably either full time employee or part time employee and full time student. Don't ask for a huge detailed scene. Your artist will probably tell you what they can and can't do.
•   Enjoy yourself! This is supposed to be a fun project for writers as well as readers, and it goes without saying that shouldn't turn it into a chore. The more you enjoy your writing, the more readers will too.

[nenjin]

So do you want these maps to look artistic, or be functional? Because there's a huge difference in the two and one person's artistic interpretation can make a map hard to use for game play (or be really out there compared to simpler designs.)

I mean it's the difference between this:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

And this:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Some working dimensions would also be nice.

Also, are 'dual talent' people going to be paired off?

And lastly, the phrase ".....because of its extreme isolation" probably doesn't need to appear pretty much anywhere unless there's a really good reason for it. Being that these are islands, the implication is they're already isolated, especially in an age of exploration.

[blackmagechill]

Yes, dual talent people will be paired off, probably for the sake of the collaborative part of the project. I'm going to say the map will be more functional than anything. With dimensions, I'm kind of thinking of having each square be between say, 25 and 50 KM. Not really sure which would fit better.