Map-Making Software for RPG Campaigns?

mandrake*rpgdx writes "I'm looking into downloading/purchasing some map making software for my Table Top RPG group. I've heard about the free (GPL'd) AutoRealms and wondered if anyone with experience can compare it to commercial products like Campaign Cartographer, and if there is any Linux based map-maker I can grab?" The one I've been most impressed with, and might pick up at Gen Con this year, is Dundjinni. Anyone else have any software favorites?

Yeah but Dundjinni can't zoom into maps

[mandrake*rpgdx]

or zoom out, or let you just print sections of maps. Nor does it let you build electronic atlas's for your games. And the extention packs are pitiful.

Game Table

[biryokumaru]

Casey and Andy [galactanet.com] author Andy Weir has put together "gametable"

http://www.galactanet.com/gametable.html [galactanet.com]

"Gametable is a remote RPG host/client app that allows use of a D&D style battle map, die rollers, etc online."

Not exactly what you're looking for, but in the ballpark of nifty RPG related software.

FractalMapper

[SirBruce]

I was given a version of Fractal Mapper [nbos.com] a couple of years ago, but I found it difficult to use. It seems to be very powerful, though. The new versions might be more user-friendly.

Bruce

Other problem with Fractal Mapper-

[mandrake*rpgdx]

You can't redistrubute the maps you make with it. It's as non-free as could be, including the fact that they LEGALLY own any maps you make, and expect royalties on them even though you paid for them.

Campaign Cartographer

[Anonymous Coward]

Bite the bullet and learn CC. It's an incredibly powerful mapping program.

CC if you want REAL maps.

[pythorlh]

Campaign Cartographer is great if you want real maps. It's a CAD program, which means 2 things. 1, It's hell to learn if you don't already know CAD. 2. It's every bit as useful as you want it to be. You can map a continent, zoom in and map a county, zoom in and map a barony. Everything fits across multiple levels.

The majority of the other "map" making software out there is really drawing software. Dunjinni fits into that category. You can draw pictures, but they are just that, and not functional as real maps. They may be prettier, and easier to use if you have more experience with drawing programs.

Re:Game Table

[damiangerous]

You didn't follow his link. Gametable is a Java app. Works fine for me on Mandrake 10.1, so I see no reason it won't work on a Mac.

Re:Other problem with Fractal Mapper-

[damiangerous]

Perhaps you should read the Fractal Mapper FAQ [nbos.com]. You can publish any maps you created under whatever terms you like, so long as they don't contain any Fractal Mapper map symbols (because the map symbols are art that they have created and own). They do not "legally own" any maps you create under any circumstances, even if you include their map symbols, copyright law doesn't work like that. If you create maps with Fractal Mapper distributed map symbols you have created a derivative work based on their work. You cannot distribute it, but they certainly can't distribute it either (nor do they own it). If you use Fractal Mapper as a tool, and do not include any of their pre-made art then they have no more claim on your maps than Adobe would have claim to an image you created in Photoshop.

Dundjinni and Canvas

[DaRat]

Dundjinni produces some pretty maps, but I hope that you save money for ink cartridges because the maps are full color and will probably make your printer go through ink cartridges very quickly.

I personally use Canvas from ACD Systems [deneba.com]formerly Deneba, since I mostly do deckplans for Traveller. Canvas is wonderfully well suited for doing deckplans, easy to use, and very powerful. But, it's too expensive ($250-$400) for casual use and only practical if you need it professionally (like I do).

Campaign Cartographer is probably safest choice

[okoskimi]

Like someone already said, most of the other programs are bitmap-based, wherease CC is a real CAD program and thus vector-based. The difference is that there is very little you cannot do with CC (aside from the primary RPG use, I have used it e.g. to draw floorplans for selling an apartment, and plan to use it for garden design). Also, CC is professionally produced software - the UI might not be completely "Windows Standard", but it does work logically and provides all the functionality you need (I have had some bad experiences in this regard with other software where UI design has been less competent).

The tradeoff is the steeper learning curve, though the manuals are quite OK. The available extensions cover most if not all RPG illustration needs, so you can expand the software as your needs grow. A host of free content (maps and symbols) is available from the Profantasy website.

I guess it mainly depends on the quality you want to get and the time and money you are willing to invest. If all you want is to sit down and quickly create some relatively simple maps, then you are better off with a simpler and cheaper program (or pen and paper...). If, on the other hand, you want to have the ability to create beautiful and detailed maps and are willing to spend some time on it, then it is worthwhile to invest your money and time in CC. It is worth repeating that both investments are required - frequently people who have the money don't have the time, and vice versa :-(. If you e.g. wanted to create maps for illustrating a fantasy novel, CC would really be your only sensible alternative.

By the way, if money and time is no object (I wish...), look into the Vue Esprit [e-onsoftware.com] + Poser [curiouslabs.com] combination for creating illustrations. You can get some pretty decent results without any drawing ability, but buying both the software and the content will cost you an arm and a leg, not to mention a significant chunk of your time.

Disclaimer: I own CC and most of its extensions. I have not tried all possible pieces of mapping software that exist so there might be something better out there but I seriously doubt it. I am not in any way affiliated with Profantasy, e-on software or Curious Labs.

Dungeon tile maker for mini gaming

[azhrarn33]

I run Warhammer Quest and D&D games where we rely on minis very heavily. I like to have a realistic looking dungeon and go so far a to put 3-D props and such onto the map as I lay it out. I'm looking for a good (preferrably free but not required) tile generator that will let me make dungeon maps with scenery and then print them out at a scale suitable for use with minis, not just as a DM reference. Anyone have any suggestions? Thanks!

Re:Completely Off Topic

[sbszine]

Does anyone know of similar tile based mappers for Linux?

Try these:

• GmBaAp [sourceforge.net] (a GTK-based editor for Linux).
• GBA Map Editor [sourceforge.net] (another GTK-based editor).
• Tile Max [seanreid.ca] (Java-based, works under Linux).
• Mappy [geocities.com] (Windows only, but works under WINE).

some pointers (Linux, Windows)

[Ankh]

Every now and then a map I drew about 15 years ago of a fragment of a quasi-mediaeval European town shows up. I was fed up of American maps of "mediaeval cities" in which there were perfectly square city blocks with a FedEx drop-off box on every corner.

Pro Fantasy [profantasy.com] used some of my pictures and plans of castles [holoweb.net] from my pictures and texts from old books [fromoldbooks.org] Web site, so I link back to them, but as far as I can tell their products or for Microsoft Windows. They gave me a free Castles program, but I didn't try it under WINE.

On Linux today I'd probably look at using either Grass (a fairly complex GIS program for the hard-core enthusiast) or a vector-based drawing program such as Inkscape.

It's useful to have a drawing program that handles layers (Inkscape does these days), and a vector-based rather than bitmap program is good because (1) the maps print OK, (2) when you ditch that old 640x480 screen and go for 24,000 x 9,000 pixels :-) you can still find the map, and (3) you can zoom without it getting blocky, and (4) you can edit it later.

If you insist on using a raster/bitmap program like GIMP, use a separate layer for everything and keep text layers as text for as ong as possible, so you can edit them. Maps with spelling errors look really stupid. Plus it's neat to be able to go back and add detail during the campaign.

If you give the players a copy of the map file, export it to a bitmap first, with the layers containing your own notes well hidden! Or first save the file, then carefully delete the layers you don't want them to see, and then save a copy under a different name and send that. But that process is error-prone especially if you're tired.

I sometimes gave players incorrect maps, e.g. badly remembered or done with "poor cartography", and they'd end up piecing the truth up from the obvious contradictions. E.g. one had an entire country whose existence was censored :-)

There are a number of clip-art fonts around with map symbols. Some are commercial (I'm sure you respect commercial licences, since you want the GPL to be respected, right?) such as Adobe's Carta, but there are some free ones too. There are also some low-cost fonts especially for making RPG maps by David Nalle at Fontcraft's Scriptorium [fontcraft.com]. I think they have some non-Free non-free software for Microsoft Windows too.

An alternative to clip art fonts is to make your own symbol library, e.g. by drawing pointy muontains and so forth with a pencil, colouring them with crayons, and scanning the result before and after adding colour. You could then trace these in a program like Inkscape, too.

Liam