Canonfire!

Tue Feb 22, 2011 7:07 am Map of Oerth (Complete)

I was wondering if anyone could point me in the right direction WRT which map is considered "CANON" of OERTH. (576CY) Not just the Flanaess but the complete world map.

I have a multitude of different maps, but I am uncertain which map to work from for my project of maping Oerth.

I purchased HEXOGRAPHER, which allows you to do Greyhawk styled maps. I planned on mapping the entire OERTH, to scale. The map should cover roughly 8 poster size sheets of paper.

I want to get this right from the start as I wish to try and keep my work as "CANON" as possible. I plan to map out Greyspace as well as the rest of the crystal spheres in relation to Greyspace.

So any links, suggestions, maps or other sources of information will be welcome.

I hope to have this project finished by 1 July 2011, with a little luck.

Tue Feb 22, 2011 8:14 am Got this one

Hi again,

Oerth had no complete map until 1997 and Dragon Annual #1, wherein Skip Williams claimed to be revealing a lost map of Oerth. Many have doubted its authenticity, including Gary Gygax himself.

The outline from that map is the same as the one found in this article:
http://www.canonfire.com/cf//modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=364

~Scott "-enkainen" Casper

But who doubts the authenticity of the Yak-Men menace...?

Tue Feb 22, 2011 8:27 am

Thanks for your response I am aware of that article.

I am not in favour of that map at all the west portion of Oerik looks like a skinned mammal. Lets not speak about the continent to the SE that looks like a space ship.

So what I really looking for is what people would like to see as the "proper" Oerth.

This is a project I would really like to get right from the start.

Tue Feb 22, 2011 9:03 am Living Greyhawk Map

The bottom-left corner of the Living Greyhawk map shows a later TSR version of Oerth.

http://www.dancingshaman.net/blood/bigflan1.jpg

Tue Feb 22, 2011 7:03 pm

There is the map collection project at GreyhawkOnline.com at GreyhawkOnline.com/maps.
Several folders with tons of maps. You might find one to your liking that allows you to edit it to what you really want. Of course if you do that, all we ask is that you send it to us so that we can preserve and have it for others to utilize.
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Theocrat Issak

Wed Feb 23, 2011 7:14 am

Thanks man! Great help!

I managed to find a couple of maps thats going to help me with my project.

I also had a look at the Chainmail 3rd edition book, (4th printing) it contains a map of Western Oerik, which looks a lot better than others I have seen.

PS. On a side note ..... one more post and I will be in my teens

Razz

Wed Feb 23, 2011 7:41 am

Okay, this is messed up. In all the years I've been looking at the Dragon Annual map I never noticed the eastern half of the small continent (Anakeri? Where does that name come btw?) just opposite the Tharquish Empire. I had noticed the western part on the right hand side of the map, and seen the entire continent on other people's versions of this map but assumed they had just made it up the whole thing from that eastern half. I'm gonna plead being struck temporarily semi-blind by seeing the words "Orcreich" every time I looked at it.
Someone did a nice smaller map on a parchment background with some latitude and longitude lines. the coastlines are very clear and there are no locations noted. I think it might have been Gary Holian? Anybody got a link or copy of it? I searched and couldn't find it.

Wed Feb 23, 2011 8:37 am

Wed Feb 23, 2011 10:29 am

The name AnaKeri comes from Steve Wilson and Len Lakofka's Suel timeline in Oerth Journal #1. It's the name of the dark-skinned people who colonized the region to the south of the Suel Imperium, arriving on outriggers from elsewhere.

Wed Feb 23, 2011 12:06 pm

That's the one. Thanks for the link. And thanks, rasgon for the AnaKeri explanation.

Thu Feb 24, 2011 10:37 am

I have always found the DA1 map of Oerth deeply unsatisfying. The best whole Oerth map I've seen is Chatdemon's Mystoerth map available here on Canonfire - http://www.canonfire.com/cf/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=658

It has no claim to "canon" status like the DA1 map but it is IMO WAYYY cooler. Happy

GVD
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GVD

Thu Feb 24, 2011 5:30 pm

I used to have one that joined Forgotten Realms, Greyhawk, Kara-Tur, AND Dragonlance on one globe. It was kind of cool. I wish I could find it again.

For me, Golarion (Paizo's world for their Pathfinder game) is the eastern half of the continent of Oerik.

Thu Feb 24, 2011 9:52 pm

As noted on the map itself, Mystoerth's concept was created by James Mischler, but I (aka chatdemon) produced that finished version of it.

I did consider expanding it and adding other settings, but eventually you have to ask why? How much world will you ever really need in a campaign.

As for bits from FR, DL, BR, Eberron, Kalamar, etc that are cool and I want to include, I can either place small ideas into the existing Mystara or Greyhawk locales, or move bigger ones on to that vast 'empty' continent in the south. Mystara has some vague notes on what is there, but nothing coming anywhere near filling it.

And there's also the whole hollow earth subsetting from Mystoerth to consider, not to mention attached demiplanes, including Thunder Rift, the 'Alice in Wonderland' realm, Ravenloft (with multiple semicanon ties to GH), and so on.

So even left as is, Mysoerth offers pretty much limitless campaign options. Even so though, I do plan an eventual revision to expand things to include Frank Mentzer's Aquaria setting in the sea far south of Hepmonaland and Fireland.

Thu Feb 24, 2011 10:29 pm

It is more of a project to have a complete map and a "eastern" area for my oriental campaign one day.

For now I just want to get a general map done, as I expand my area of play within my campaign then I will map it in more detail.

Fri Feb 25, 2011 11:20 am

I am unsure of the status and any cartography that might be going along with the project, but there is an Oerth Journal special in the works.
BubbaGump has been writing some of the Eastern Area in a canon-ical (I mean this by using Greyhawk product research) Glossography aspect.
It's been several years in the making and about 8 or so since I last saw a preview of it. But if you PM him or get him to pipe up (or one of the others that are working on the project) you might be able to find out more.
The map that has Greyhawk and the other WotC (and maybe Kalamar) worlds is on the old WotC forums. There might even be a copy in that GreyhawkOnline.com/maps collection.
Kalamar is a really cool world - I have the 1990ish boxset. They describe how they even hired geologists (not Maldin) to determine where mountains and deserts and what type of geography would be located where. If it had just become popular enough.
But for me too, Golarion is WoG 2.0, and it really rocks.
Long live the Las Vegas Lodge of the Pathfinder Society.

Venture-Captain Theocrat Issak
I wish I had a longer title.
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Theocrat Issak

Fri Feb 25, 2011 2:12 pm

The beyond the flanaess project is still active; the project uses a continental map though rick has updated it to incorporate the new material and stimulate interest. I have the latest map and as a contributor to the project have used paint to add geological features and settlements.

I do not know if I should post it on an open forum but I am looking for a dedicated and talented cartography to help with the eastern regions. Sadly, real life tends to get in the way and people have dropped out. If you are serious, send me an email or pm. You would be most welcome and receive full credit when these areas are made available for public consumption.

Progress - IKO
Celestial Imperium: Alpha PDF
Darak Urtag: Word Manuscript
Domain of the Giant King: Word Manuscript
Gulf of Ghayar: Word Manuscript
Holy Kingdom of Erypt: Word Manuscript

Bubbagump and I are hard at work unfortunately both of us are "perfectionists" and want to release the best work possible is the GH tradition. So we have decided to attempt to produce a rich historical context. However such an endeavor with its painstaking attention to timeline details takes time, frankly a lot more then even we thought.

Also we have chosen to create historical events that produce effects that have reproccussions throughout the central eastern region which provides adventure tendrils to encourage exploration of the various areas.

Call us mad but we are still plugging away
Crag

Fri Feb 25, 2011 5:25 pm

Crag, Bubba. Keep up the good work. I am highly intrigued to see these historical events you hint at someday. Surprised

Tue Mar 01, 2011 12:50 pm

I personally have been having a similar issue, as to whether or not to use an "official" map which in my opinion looks like crap, or just have the nerve to map my own western portion. It seems like the map is something without consistent shape or "canon". So because in Gary's rendition of GH which in my opinion is the best, and there is no written documentation by him as to what is there in that particular boxed set, I shall create my own.

Personally from what I have gathered of Mr. Gygax's take on things he likely left it originally to individual DMs to deal with. Fact is, Gary left TSR (was pushed out) in 1985. Anything after '85 is in question. So really it's up to us. I finally have the gumption and nerve to just map it out my self. I do have to say though that the most interesting configuration I have seen is the Mystoerth combo. Cool stuff. So my suggestion (not advice) is to go with your heart and your own style and map it out yourself. I think the late Gary Gygax himself would have suggested it. Don't be a slave to the corporation! LOL Laughing

Fri Mar 04, 2011 6:19 pm Newer Chainmail

Does anyone here know if the later version of Chainmail had maps for Oerth?

http://tsr.bothgunsblazing.com/cm/cm.htm

Sat Mar 19, 2011 12:37 am The World of Greyhawk Map vs. the Dragon Map

I eye-balled the lines from the World of Greyhawk boxed set map of the Flaness and marked a copy of the map from "Dragon." I stretched the "Dragon" map until it was 2:1 ratio. Someone put it in Google Earth somehow and that was neat to see some stills of it that way. This was a while ago.

Just the other day I downloaded Google Earth again and noticed how easy it was to import files and overlay them in the program. Google must have made changes since I was trying to figure this out before. Anyway, I can now see that my marks and cropping allow the equator to line up and the 50 degree latitude to line up. What's kind of weird is that the latitudes at 10 and 30 degrees don't line up well.

What I also find interesting is that the tiny Oerth map from the Living Greyhawk Flaness map doesn't show any Polaria landmass and what the http://www.greyhawkonline.com/duicarthan/oerth.jpg[url] map calls the continent of Antaria (Terra Anakens Incognita) is almost a full 10 degrees in latitude different. Maybe the LG map is too short at the bottom and has cut off Polaria...or Polaria as a landmass is a myth...it could be frozen water. Hepmonaland's southern tip hits about S15 latitude while in the LG map it gets to almost S10 latitude. Things in the northern hemisphere are a little more twisted in comparison and off only about 15 degrees around the Sea of Hyperboria and only about 5 degrees around the Baklunish area. Antaria also has moved east about 70 degrees from the "Dragon" map to the LG map.

To try it yourself, on the button bar, click Add Overlay Image. Click Browse to select your file. On the "Location" tab, in the North box, I typed 90° 0'0.00"N. In the East box, I typed 180° 0'0.00"E. In the South box, I typed 90° 0'0.00"S. In the West box, I typed 180° 0'0.00"W.

http://a3.l3-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/133/24b2dbc892e148968387aa41efb27086/l.gif

Mon Mar 21, 2011 9:43 am Later Chainmail Reference

By later, I mean Sundered Empire stuff. I did another search and found:

http://www.nggnet.com/games/ttgs/ArticlesReviews/Back/chainmail.htm

I thought I read that this setting was placed on Oerth, but from reading this it looks like it's somewhere else. Does anyone know if it's set on Oerth?

Mon Mar 21, 2011 9:52 am

The western portion of Oerth was features in the 3.x Chainmail book.

Here is an article from GHO: http://www.greyhawkonline.com/maps/misc/Oerth%20Summary%20&%20Overview%20by%20various%20CF%20Authors.doc

The lands of the Sundered Empire are in Western Oerik on the world of Oerth.

Mon Mar 21, 2011 4:12 pm Great Summary

I had read most of that but it seemed like there was some new stuff or stuff that didn't click before that does now if I have. Thanks for the document.

Mon Mar 21, 2011 4:24 pm Old Map

I had forgotten that the "Dragon" map was supposed to be an old one. I never understood that that the Chainmail setting used the "Dragon" map for its placement.

Now I wonder what Gonduria looks like.
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Is this an attempt to make a Gonduria? It's been too long since I read the Gord novels. I don't remember if the names on this map match.

http://media.photobucket.com/image/Gonduria/ripvanwormer/miles4.jpg

Thu Mar 24, 2011 3:46 pm Oerth Map I've Never Seen Before

Thu Mar 24, 2011 3:46 pm Link...

http://media.photobucket.com/image/oerth/Leturnmaster/Oerth.jpg

Thu Mar 24, 2011 9:10 pm

What is that from?

Fri Mar 25, 2011 4:12 pm Two Oceans Divided

http://a1.l3-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/129/a9330333fe4e4e55a0a58e6e37aae469/l.jpg

http://a2.l3-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/144/4de7deba77914bee852ee5581396fcb8/l.jpg

It makes sense to me that the two oceans would be divided by a continent. I believe my placement of part of Aquaria makes sense. I wish I had an outline of the rest of the continent.
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I did find:
http://www.wargamevault.com/images/2438/57133.jpg

Fri Mar 25, 2011 4:21 pm Re: Old Map

Wed Apr 13, 2011 8:34 am

anybody know who runs the GreyhawkOnline.com site? I'm trying to hit the maps folder and I'm getting a 403 error.

Wed Apr 13, 2011 12:19 pm