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Loremaster maps for Southern Middle earth

Posted: Sat Aug 17, 2013 9:23 am
by Robin Smallburrow
Well, these are my first attempts as trying to provide Loremaster maps for southern Middle earth with Photoshop.

I know they aren't great but they at least fulfil my purpose of being able to write the next stage of my campaign. Any ideas how to change the symbols to TOR ones for the regions?? (the symbols were old ones for the MECCG game). I have taken Valarian's Loremaster map for NW Middle-earth and tried to join it to the one for Southern Middle-earth as well. I am happy enough with it in regards to distances and hexes.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/656 ... %20No1.jpg

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/656 ... %20No1.png

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/656 ... -earth.png

Last link is the original map I had from MECCG of the Southern regions.
Robin S.

Re: Loremaster maps for Southern Middle earth

Posted: Sat Aug 17, 2013 2:39 pm
by Otaku-sempai
The late Karen Wynn Fonstad produced some nice maps of Arda based on Tolkien's drawings. It seems to me that we should favor Tolkien's version of Arda over one that was imagined for MERP before the release of HOME IV, The Shaping of Middle-earth.

- Circles of the World (First and Third Ages): http://www.tolkienforums.com/Maps/Map%2 ... Change.jpg

- Map of Arda in the First Age: http://www.elvenesse.net/maps/Arda_FirstAge.gif

- Map of Arda in the Second Age: http://www.tolkiensite.narod.ru/maps/se ... f_arda.gif

I don't know of any good, canonical maps that depict Far Harad and the Far East of Middle-earth other than the first one above.

Re: Loremaster maps for Southern Middle earth

Posted: Mon Aug 19, 2013 10:29 pm
by Paige712
Otaku-sempai wrote:The late Karen Wynn Fonstad produced some nice maps of Arda based on Tolkien's drawings. It seems to me that we should favor Tolkien's version of Arda over one that was imagined for MERP before the release of HOME IV, The Shaping of Middle-earth.

- Circles of the World (First and Third Ages): http://www.tolkienforums.com/Maps/Map%2 ... Change.jpg

- Map of Arda in the First Age: http://www.elvenesse.net/maps/Arda_FirstAge.gif

- Map of Arda in the Second Age: http://www.tolkiensite.narod.ru/maps/se ... f_arda.gif

I don't know of any good, canonical maps that depict Far Harad and the Far East of Middle-earth other than the first one above.
Wow thank you for these Otaku-sempai. Looking at these makes me sad that Tolkien never got around to detailing these outer lands. They will forever remain a mystery.

Re: Loremaster maps for Southern Middle earth

Posted: Tue Aug 20, 2013 5:19 pm
by timb
The book those images is from is still available and is worth getting for all the maps it covers -

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Atlas-Middle-Ea ... ddle+earth

Re: Loremaster maps for Southern Middle earth

Posted: Tue Aug 20, 2013 9:39 pm
by Otaku-sempai
timb wrote:The book those images is from is still available and is worth getting for all the maps it covers -

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Atlas-Middle-Ea ... ddle+earth
Note: The book is The Atlas of Middle-earth (Revised Edition) by Karen Wynn Fonstad. The material from The Shaping of Middle-earth was not available when the first edition was published.

Re: Loremaster maps for Southern Middle earth

Posted: Tue Aug 20, 2013 10:20 pm
by timb
The link to Amazon is for the revised edition as far as I can see, check the product details :)

Re: Loremaster maps for Southern Middle earth

Posted: Wed Aug 21, 2013 11:49 am
by Otaku-sempai
timb wrote:The link to Amazon is for the revised edition as far as I can see, check the product details :)
Yes. It is the revised edition. I just wanted to emphasize that the original printing did not include much of the material that is relevant to this topic.

Re: Loremaster maps for Southern Middle earth

Posted: Fri Aug 23, 2013 1:16 am
by Rapscallion
I think the ICE maps are still an excellent resource, especially for the Lore Master with finite time on their hands. Short of Christopher Tolkien drawing up something new, they're as good as you'll get right now beyond the atlas. The MERP maps are good at filling in minutiae, and to help spur your creativity for encounters.

Re: Loremaster maps for Southern Middle earth

Posted: Fri Aug 23, 2013 8:07 am
by timb
The MERP maps were quite gorgeous, definitely stood out at the time amongst the other games around.

Re: Loremaster maps for Southern Middle earth

Posted: Fri Aug 23, 2013 2:01 pm
by Otaku-sempai
timb wrote:The MERP maps were quite gorgeous, definitely stood out at the time amongst the other games around.
Oh, I quite agree that the MERP maps look great. I was only pointing out that the original bits are highly inaccurate compared to Tolkien's own depictions of the outlying areas of Middle-earth that were published later. A Loremaster who wants to use them but stay closer to Tolkien would have to borrow freely and apply what is on them to Fonstad's more up-to-date maps. And, yes, that would be a lot of additonal work--almost as much as adding new content completely from one's imagination.