So, I looked at the impromptu routes post and thought "what if I used a dice map instead?"Here's a tentative result.
Print the image so that it's an 8 inch by 8 inch square. The center represents the starting settlement. For heavy population density areas, roll 5d6 on the sheet; everywhere a die lands represents one settlement in that direction relative to the starting point. The ring it lands in tells you what size settlement; if there is a multiplier, multiply the die result by the given number to get the total leagues to the settlement.
If a die lands in the center, feel free to define underground settlements.
For lower population densities, use 5d12 (light density) or 5d20 (sparse density.) To map out nearby kingdoms, the dice results are in weeks of travel instead of leagues.
pretty neat. for custom environments, print a pie charts at the center with the culture or environment in that direction.
ReplyDelete@Zak: I think you're suggesting that, instead of NSEW, let each direction specify different cultures or terrain? So that the chart doesn't just create settlements, but general geography as well? Simple example: Replace "NSEW" with "glacier, desert, plains, coast", maybe with thin slivers of pie for stuff like mountains, and a roll on the chart tells you whether the next settlement is a coastal city or a hamlet at a desert oasis.
ReplyDeleteIf I understand that correctly, I sort of had something like that going on in the planet generator, where the pie section a die lands on tells you what's unusual about the planet (exotic life, frozen ice planet.) I could see modifying the hub, like you say, so that the population map could pull double duty, depending on whether you know the geography around your start-point or not.
just did a post on it--i was thinking cultures,but your terrain idea is good, too.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking "random culture", as opposed to defined cultures... and the way I think of creating random cultures is to roll for the terrain they live in, or significant export, or something. Which is one of the things I originally created the Quickie tables for: coming up with crazy cultures, like "the people who live in the metal valley".
ReplyDeleteHave to say that this rocks pretty hard. Love these dice maps.
ReplyDelete