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| Mapped with Hexographer |
I revisited Kastelios to bring it up to the standards of Alphatian provinces I posted more recently. I expanded its borders further to meet with Garganin's to the north and those of other city states south and east. This gave a much broader population base. I also extended deforested/settled areas. The coast changed a bit from the earlier map. I used the map from the AC1010 Almanac as the overlay to draft this one. Here is the data:
That is a comprehensive breakdown. And I always enjoy other people's ramblings :)
ReplyDeleteVery interesting Bruce! I like to see more attention given to Northern Davania. The idea of identifying the different aspects of Rulership Performance is interesting. It gives a really good impression of what the region is like. Im not sure I would make my players define their own dominions in such detailed terms though.For players I like to keep it as simple as possible :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the article! :)
You're welcome. Naturally, I would never do this sort of accounting without a spreadsheet! (Shudder...) I was wondering about what to target as a "test subject," and I agree with you, Davania was indeed the best candidate. The various Alphatian provinces (AC1000) came in close second. I'd like to have a look at the Meghala Kimata region, but it's bare. There's very little detail there (ditto Alphatia). I'd like to spruce up the maps before running numbers on them.
DeleteExcellent stuff. Your dominion spreadsheet has always been one of the Mystara community's best legacies, and it's great to see it back in action again. I'm really interested in anything you come up with on these lines.
ReplyDeleteSure. I need to find a way to generate maps (other than my paper & pencil vintages). :-)
DeletePart of the reason I looked into this stuff lies among discrepancies in the World's Armies listed in the Almanacs. Many of these armies look either way too big or incredibly puny. The Excel worksheet might not be absolutely realistic, but at least if used throughout would provide much needed consistency.
Check the next blog post (the stats for the Thyatian Hinterlands). I stumbled on a later development of the Excel worksheet that you know, which I had vastly improved. At least this one bases all calculations upon the price of bread (and makes comparisons with historical costs in real world France and England). It's a notch closer toward realism. As far as population goes, the general rule is that 90% of the population is rural in order to support urban centers. This is modified depending on agricultural advances and the possible use of magic. At this point, that part's no too far from reality either. I feel sorry for campaign settings that don't have hex-based maps! (...nah. I honestly don't!)
DeleteI'm working on a revised map of the area for you. It's based on Geoff's map, but with topography derived from (and compatible with) my replica Serpent's Peninsula map, so it will have things moved around a bit. If there's anything else you'd like to add, please let me know. It should be done in a few days' time if I can find the time to finish it.
ReplyDeleteOh, that's great, Thorf! I'm struggling with Hexographer. I had to give up messing with it last night. For Kastelios, it would be nice if farmland surrounding the city expanded at least 8 more miles radius. A fort controlling the estuary's choke point is almost indispensable. Trails are missing, so a few would be good too. Kydonos needs to be sitting on a farmland hex (it's colored as jungle right now.) Thanks Thorf!
DeleteI wonder if Geoff Gander is following this. He should have some ideas to contribute here.
Is there anywhere we can download the new spreadsheet?
ReplyDeleteI had difficulties with Hexographer as well, especially with roads & rivers. Tracing is a problem too.
I think Adobe Illustrator is the way to go.
No, I'm sorry. I don't think I ever uploaded that new worksheet anywhere. There are parts that are unfinished and "internal mechanical" sections haven't been secured (put out of reach of the user) as of yet. I'll upload it after I have a chance to double check everything and clean it up.
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