Map for Art of Wuxia

The map is done! I’m thrilled to show off the map for Art of Wuxia! It turned out quite lovely. The map scale is similar to the Keranak Kingdoms, the default setting for BareBones Fantasy RPG by DWD Studios.

My original map for Art of Wuxia looked nice and I used it for many of my playtest campaign adventures but it had one HUGE flaw that took me much too long to notice. It didn’t contain discrete continents giving GMs the option of plunking them down in their own world, or that of the Keranak Kingdoms. So back to the drawing board, er…, computer I went.

My design goals were to create interesting landscapes that were pleasing to the eye, provide enough space for GMs to make the setting their own and have it inspire adventure wherever you look. I spent an hour and half last night just looking at the laminated poster I had printed out at OfficeMax and I can’t stop thinking of adventures and more setting ideas.

Another design choice, and a hard one, was that I decided to use English place names for the vast majority of locations. Some places are named after great heroes so retain a Chinese flavor. Older places of importance are still referred to in the Old Tongue (Chinese) within the text of the book. I also wanted players to understand that there is a North Dragon and a South Dragon fortress. Their names in the Old Tongue are Beilong and Nanlong.

My play testers got to see the map earlier this week and they want their characters to go “there” and “there” and “over there” etc. And you know, that sounds pretty awesome to me too! I hope this map inspires many hours of wuxia adventures, wherever they take you.

My next goal is to have the final chapter of the book wrapped up by the end of July.