So I like the idea of dungeon starters. I haven’t seen one that was just a map. I did this afternoon with a bit of free time. I used generic names but tried to put enough there to spark the imagination.
From here looking at the map you could use for a first session. What questions naturally come up when you see this map? Then you can make it less generic and start filling in some details during character creation.
You can put some themes that you may want in the game by your initial questions. I may come up with three different sets of questions to go with this map for different kind of campaigns. Example: if the first question you have to a player is “which one of the vassal baronies have you come from, why are you loyal to the rebellious Baron. Name him.” is a very different question from “why has the High King summoned you to his court from the vassal baronies. Which loyal Baron are you representing, and why is the call so urgent?” .
I am not saying this is a very good map, there are plenty out there on the internet but I made this one specifically for dungeon world, and I give permission for any and all to use for any use they want (just keep the signature on it). I did it pencil with calligraphy pen. It is obviously a throwback to medieval europe with some Alberta Badlands thrown in.
Neat! I’ve thought about doing something similar. I think I would put specific names on the map, mostly because I think they spur a lot of creativity at the table. Plus, it lets you set a cultural tone.
(Also: I suck at making up good names on the fly.)
I would put more than place names, I would put “impressions” and neat phrases on the map.
Harden’s Reach
– Only the bold survive
– The High Path
Inglor Swamp
– Like the smell of a dying beast
– Those below grasp for more
Yeah I thought about that. But at the same time I wanted this to be reusable or useable for many. Usually for me I have lots of ideas but take a long time to get a good map, so I wanted this to be generic. I do like the idea of putting names and impressions on them. I might do that now that I have the map scanned. I invite others to take the map and make names and impressions on like Aaron suggested.