Pre-campaign map of the Stolen Lands

[Ambrus]

I understand that the notion of the Kingmaker AP is to have the PCs explore and chart the Stolen Lands themselves, but it seems odd to me that the Swordlords of Restov don't at least have a rough map of the area to offer the PCs from the outset.

All important geographical features in the area—rivers, lakes, forests, swamps, etc already have names after all; somebody has to have been there before. The Hooktongue Slough, the Narlmarches, the Kamelands and the Nomen Heights; they've all abutted Brevoy's southern border for hundreds of years. It seems likely that some Brevoy cartographer though it worth the effort to sketch out a rough layout of the kingdom's border, even if large swaths of it have nothing more than a cryptic 'here be monsters' inscription.

Seeing as how this is the land they hope to tame, wouldn't the Swordlords of Restov collect what maps they could find of the Stolen Lands so as to formulate their plans? I'm curious if anyone has thought along the same lines and bothered to sketch out such a map for their campaign; something to serve as a starting point for the adventuring group.

[Grendel Todd]

I had a similar view going in, especially taking into account that there's active trade going through the region coming to Brevoy through the River Kingdoms. The argument is not so much that there aren't maps but that there aren't GOOD maps, much less current ones, which is where the PCs come in. For my game I just hand-drew a map and threw on the most prominent land-marks (like the Old Sycamore) that I would expect Trappers and Traders would use, as well as river names and notable bridges (party had quite the surprise when they went to visit old man Davik Nettles, thanks to this). I had one character who's background was build around being a Trapper who had worked the region some years before, so I even allowed her the occasional Knowledge (local) check to get the occasional clue. The trick with a precursor map is that it shouldn't be exact (even better, it could be WRONG), thus not negating the mapping the PCs are doing. The map I made had no data on distances, so they were dependent on landmarks, rivers and survival checks to roughly keep track of where they were. And given all the info was old, it contained only hints on landmarks that had been there for decades, or red-herrings relating things no longer even there (old Taldoran colonies, trade-stops that no longer exist, etc). Anyone who has ever looked at old renaissance or medieval maps knows just how inaccurate or misleading such maps can be.

[Ambrus]

Grendel Todd wrote:

The map I made had no data on distances, so they were dependent on landmarks, rivers and survival checks to roughly keep track of where they were. And given all the info was old, it contained only hints on landmarks that had been there for decades, or red-herrings relating things no longer even there (old Taldoran colonies, trade-stops that no longer exist, etc). Anyone who has ever looked at old renaissance or medieval maps knows just how inaccurate or misleading such maps can be.

A vague out-of-date map with plenty of inaccuracies is exactly what I was thinking; a prop to help the party get rolling but that also highlights why a new map is needed. Any chance that we could get a look at the map you drew? =D

[Grendel Todd]

It's hand-drawn and "weathered" (via tea-bag technique), so I'm unsure how it will come out on a scanner. Also not sure wither such would impinge on Paiso's copyright policies and such (anyone official out there able to give a nod one way or another?)

[9jack9]

I did sort of the same thing.

I removed the names and icons that didn't impact the kingdom building from the maps then blew them them up so that the hexes would be 1". Then I put the maps together (used the hexless map from KM1 for the Uplands) and mounted them on foamcore.

After that I cut out 1" hexes from white Post-It tape, and stuck them on the map, drawing a rough aproximation of the map that grows more inaccurate the further away you get from Restov.

When the party had explored a hex, the sticker comes off. When there's something of note on the map, I use color coded pins with flags.

[Gonturan]

Grendel and/or 9jack9: please share??? :)

[tonyz]

I'm planning to have the local Pathfinder chapter-leader contact whichever of the PCs comes up with the best background story. (He'll get a wayfinder and be named proto-venture-leader.) Apparently when the swordlords contacted him for maps of the Stolen Lands, he discovered that a leak in the roof had let in the rainwater and they'd lost most of their maps and journal entries from people travelling through the area. (This happens on a regular basis. Nyrissa's powerful enough to arrange it.) The chapter-leader will be a way to feed some quests and background to the PCs later on, plus a contact in Restov if necessary.

For some reason basically all of my PCs chose to be from elsewhere than Brevoy. (I'm thinking that all the Brevoy adventurers went with one of the other groups.)

(Oh, and the dead guy in the tatzylwyrms' lair will be a Pathfinder exploring the place. Another tie-in, and a second wayfinder.)

[9jack9]

Gonturan wrote:

Grendel and/or 9jack9: please share??? :)

Here's a blurry camera-phone shot of the Restov-Oleg's corridor. Posting the whole thing would likely be a violation of forum policy, this small section *might* also be, mods can kill the link if they deem it to be so.

I had the party buy a local map for 50 gp. The uncovered area are the Brevoy hexes, which I consider already "explored"

I left all the map icons that influence kingdom building. When they build a town, I'll print at town sticker and put it on the map.

Purple pins represent towns, blue pins represent structures/ruins/forts. The red notes on the stickers are hex codes "A23", "B35", etc. I printed and cut out the separate sections from the adventure and placed them in coded file folders. Enter a hex, I pull the appropriate folder, or I pull the "dummy" folder that has no keyed encounter in it so I don't telegraph that there's nothing in the hex.

Eventually there will be more colors:
Aqua = Bridges
Pink = Cave/Lair
Green = Landmark
Yellow = Resource

I also have some shorter pins that will not be flagged, but will represent:
White = Mine/Camp
Black = Farm
Red = Claimed Hex (a pin on the apexes of the hexes to represent a "border")