Maps/Holdings

I see that holdings and directions for MCs at the beginning are forthcoming. I also know that maps and mapping have many discussions all across the RPG spectrum, but I was curious if there would be more detailed directions on maps, specifically in ways of sketching it out and connecting everything.

If not, that's cool, too.

I think this is something that should definitely be addressed. I am definitely no artist, and it would be nice to get some guidance on how best to handle this part of it all.

What part of the MC advice needs clarification for you? What steps do you need help with?

The map is yours as MC to make. After everybody’s made and introduced their characters, have them go through their holdings and introduce them to you. Sketch a first map.

Land & Vassals
Include everyone’s holdings, with population numbers. Distort the map’s scale and level of detail as you need.
Brainstorm with the players the relationships between the characters’ various holdings.
Interests & Ventures
Include all the ventures that fit on the map. List the rest in their appropriate margins.
Coherent Contrasts
Incorporate the players’ material and build it up with your own additions to be full of coherent contrasts and tenuous, untenable situations.

What part of the MC advice needs clarification for you? What steps do you need help with?

Quote

The map is yours as MC to make. After everybody’s made and introduced their characters, have them go through their holdings and introduce them to you. Sketch a first map.

Land & Vassals
Include everyone’s holdings, with population numbers. Distort the map’s scale and level of detail as you need.
Brainstorm with the players the relationships between the characters’ various holdings.
Interests & Ventures
Include all the ventures that fit on the map. List the rest in their appropriate margins.
Coherent Contrasts
Incorporate the players’ material and build it up with your own additions to be full of coherent contrasts and tenuous, untenable situations.

I would badly need advice on the part where the MC is going to add to player's holdings. The build it up with your own additions part.

How many and which of my own additions are we talking about? Can I get guidelines, a list to choose or inspire me further?

How do I (the MC) tally the Approximate Total Population vs. the Holding & Interest Population.

I expect the later to be easy, I have no clue about the former. As such, any guidelines that can be provided before-hand will be helpful.

I intend to play-test the 1st look rules this weekend, just because I have a chance to play and I'm eager to try it before the end of the month.

I sadly know Vincent isn't requiring more feedback on these soon to be old iteration of rules, just lets see what happens.

Anyway, any directions you can give before the weekend will be well appreciated.

Personally, in absence of rules I would turn it over to the table. Like, "what other clans are out there? What about this big empty chunk of the map, who dwells there? So, <I>nobody</I> owns the mountains at all? Do you think there are any weird freemen up there?"

And based on their answers, kinda eyeball population from there.

Yeah, Scrape is full of good advice as always. Also Tim's group does a great job of showing this process on their playthrough video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eOo6Y4qyeE

Your additions are just what you find exciting about the situation / setting. They are your chance to make a claim in the unfolding fiction. What have you been daydreaming about?

I added stuff that came up as I asked questions. Like a city that the estate of a character was in. And then as we played and stuff came up, I drew that too. And I doodled land details for terrain that I wanted, like hills and a volcano for a dragon rumor to lead to the chance for the dragon-herald to wake the dragon. And roads, just to make sense.

I plan on adding some water next time so I can do some viking raiding. :)

Personally, in absence of rules I would turn it over to the table. Like, "what other clans are out there? What about this big empty chunk of the map, who dwells there? So, <I>nobody</I> owns the mountains at all? Do you think there are any weird freemen up there?"

And based on their answers, kinda eyeball population from there.

That's the kind of thing I was getting at. I'm cool with open-ended discussion. I was just curious, since there's some seemingly painstaking detail put into playbooks and all, if there'd be similar guidance for setting things up distance-wise, etc. But like I said, none of that is necessary.

Some guidelines would be helpful for "eyeballing" the population. Like, are we talking realistic medieval populations or bigger fantasy style numbers? It's better decided at the table, maybe, but it's be cool to have some guidleines. Like, "a Hamlet has 30-100 people in it. A Village might have 100-250..." and so on. Some ideas on the how big the map should be and what effect thar might have on your game, too.

I suspect that this is stuff that will come out during playtesting.

Some guidelines would be helpful for "eyeballing" the population. Like, are we talking realistic medieval populations or bigger fantasy style numbers? It's better decided at the table, maybe, but it's be cool to have some guidleines. Like, "a Hamlet has 30-100 people in it. A Village might have 100-250..." and so on. Some ideas on the how big the map should be and what effect thar might have on your game, too.

I suspect that this is stuff that will come out during playtesting.

I'd love some guidelines as well. I still haven't penciled in the population of the main city on our map. There's some logic behind the numbers on the sheets and I'd like to fit in with that, but eyeballing them is weird. A simple example would be cool.

I'm also wondering how populations change over time. Like the dragon-herald starts with 30 followers. Some guidelines for expected deaths and additions would be cool, but I can also wing that I guess. Like you know, picking up a slave army of 5000 or so.... :) I'd even kind of like a sub-system for building your army/empire. Or building back up your town after a plague. That could be fun play, but I don't know if it's intended.

I imagine there'll be something eventually.

-Vincent