Naming the Regions

So it's tomorrow but I won't be posting the map today. I was running late this morning and forgot to grab my satchel and the map is not with me today.

The second step is to name and label on the map the major regions. This was also done on the map and as soon as I get it scanned and posted you'll be able refer to it. In the meantime I am going to list the major regions. My next series of posts will be a brief description of each region.

Regions

• The Sea of Strife
• Polities of the Sea Kings
• Cyrene Kingdoms
• Jotun Tribelands
• Illyrian Empire
• Skythian Wastes
• Holdfasts of the Aelfar
• The Beastlands

The names were chosen to evoke certain associations with parts of the ancient period of earth. I'll be interested in any comments from readers about what their reactions/associations to any of the names. I'd like to see how well my naming did in creating an expectation of the flavor of each region.

Getting Started

Inspired by this excellent post by +Rob Conley on his Bat in the Attic blog (that's more links in one sentence then I usually put in a whole post), I'm going to create a series of posts that follow the methodology, with some variation, in Rob's guide.

Step 1 is creating a world or continent map. I'm already going to stray from the path here a bit. I really like the blank hex maps that +Chris Hagerty (greengoat on The Mule Abides blog) created for the Adventurer Conqueror King System, (ACKS), available here. The largest of these hex sheets creates a sub-continental size map about 768 mi. by 1152 mi. This is a bit smaller than Rob recommends but I'm pretty comfortable with the area that gives me to work with and it helps me avoid one of my persistent design problems, over ambition.

I am woefully incompetent with Photoshop or any of its assorted brethren so I freehand all of my maps. I'll scan the map and post it tomorrow.