Master Your Game: Do It Like Dyson

I'm sure I'm not alone in being frustrated with the look of my own hand-drawn maps for my adventures. Even though I'm often the only one that will see them, they drive me nuts because I hate sloppy work. Call me obsessive compulsive, but I feel that I run a better game when I'm satisfied with the quality of the work that I've put into it. A badly drawn map to me feels like I'm putting perfume on a pig and foisting it off on my players.

Just about everyone in the OSR circles knows about, or has at least seen examples of, Dyson Logo's map work. To be sure, there are many other talented cartographers in the community as well, but out of all of them I'm most familiar with his work. There isn't a week that goes by one his social media accounts where someone doesn't ask him about his tools, methods, and everything else that he does to create such excellent pieces. Fortunately, he's always been gracious enough to share his tips.

The following are links to Dyson Logo's blog, with details of how he makes his maps, and the different tools he uses.

Dyson gives a 3-step tutorial on drawing a map from start to finish here, A Dyson Mapping 1-2-3 “Tutorial”.

Here is Dyson Logo's Tips & Tutorials,  the full collection of his infographic images on his work.

Here is his article, On the drawing of maps, concerning tools, paper, and scanning methods.

And here is a collection of his early pencil drawn maps in the Lost Maps Archive.

And finally, a time elapsed video of his process. Watch!

The Caravanserai, Not Just Another Roadside Inn

Image in the Public Domain - Lionel Lindsay - A Caravanserai Kairouan,Tunisia, c.1929

For the purposes of this article, a Caravanserai  (car·a·van·sa·ry), is a defensible roadside inn, surrounded by a protective enclosure, with an open courtyard. They may be constructed of wood, but more often brick or stone. They are built as much to be defensible outposts as they are a place of rest and business. Depending upon a particular location's importance. they may be a small affair that can accommodate a modest caravan for a few nights, or be as grand as a spacious palace meant to house several large trade caravans for extensive stays.

In the real world, such buildings were found in deserts, and along lucrative trade routes into Central Asia, North Africa, and Southeastern Europe. In a gaming campaign, there is no reason these types of establishments can't be located elsewhere.

Image in the Public Domain - Artist Unknown

These locations not only served as temporary housing for travelers, but where one could also learn the latest commercial and political news, meet with merchants from other cities and countries, and to conclude trade deals. Travelers could also purchase much need supplies and equipment, and mounts from local and traveling merchants. It was also not uncommon for tax agents and their armed retinue to frequent such places.

Not every location will have the following features available on site, but access may be possible in the local area at the GM's discretion.

Typical features:

• Defensive wall, either extending around courtyard, or entire compound
• Sturdy gate, may feature gatehouse with draw bridge, or guard towers
• Surrounded by cleared fields of vision/fire to reduce ability of attackers to conceal themselves
• Communal well in courtyard, with watering troughs for livestock and mounts
• Stalls and barns for livestock and mounts, access to a blacksmith and wagon repair
• Storage buildings for higher value goods - lower value goods may be piled in courtyard
• Accommodations for merchants and travelers - lower quality accommodations for guards and retainers
• Typical tavern or banquet hall, with common room, and private rooms for business
• Bathing facilities, area to worship
• Goods, equipment, services, and possibly hirelings
• Provisions for restocking food and water, and fodder for animals

Typical Encounters:

• Tax Collector and guard retinue! Caravans passing in and out of territories must keep current on their tariffs, duties, and any other payments (bribes)
• Local garrisoned troops
• Other merchants, both local and from afar (either legitimate or illicit)
• Important officials, nobles, maybe even traveling royalty
• Assortment of travelers, pilgrims, tradesmen
• Hirelings, skilled and unskilled, men-at-arms, and maybe a specialist (cleric, sage, etc)
• Con-men, thieves, and mountebanks
•  Local and distant news, rumors, and gossip (useful or not)
• Civilized non-humans
• Humanoid "monsters" (on non-aggressive business, of course)

Example Caravanserai:

The following is a caravanserai done by Dyson's Logos. You can download this free-to-use map, both with or without grid, HERE. 

Cartography by Dyson's Logos

Suggested Further Reading:

• Caravanserai on Wikipedia
• Crossroads and Culture Along the Silk Road
• Images and even floorplans of many beautiful Caravanserai, using the following Search Terms : caravanserai, caravansarai, caravansary and caravanserai layout

Adventure Seeds: The Sea Serpents of Egg Rock

By the gods! Sea serpents have been sighted off the shores of the island, known as Egg Rock*. The keeper of the lighthouse there has also reported strange howls in the night, and black creatures close to the shore. Several local fishermen have also disappeared, along with their boats, leaving no trace behind!

Whatever is going on, the locals are terrified, and merchant ships are stearing clear of the local port for fear of the creatures. Will the player's characters be able to uncover the cause of these sightings, and defeat what dangers they are certain to face?

Public Domain Image - A wood engraving from the early 1800's

This adventure seed can be played one of two ways, the sea serpents are real and have returned to Egg Rock to mate and spawn, or these are fake stories surrounding an elaborate hoax made up by smuggler/pirates in the area to chase away the curious from their operations.OR.. you can have it start out being smugglers using a hoax based on an old legend, only to have the real sea serpents show up during the adventure!

If you do use actual sea serpents in your adventure, depending on what version of your favorite rules you play, you can use giant gar, giant aquatic snakes, or any other creature you feel works best. I suggest giving the creatures a limited ability to walk on land/climb rocks to avoid having the players feel "safe" standing on shore attacking the creatures in the water.

If you use smugglers/pirates, I suggest adding a spell-caster that can create the illusion (or summon even) sea serpents. The smugglers are using large floating baskets (filled with booty), covered in oiled leather, to give the impression of smaller monsters approaching the shore to scare off any witnesses. They use shell horns to make the frightening "serpent" noises to enhance the ruse.

The missing fishermen were victims that strayed too close and were either captured or killed, and their small fishing boats scuttled (sunk). You may have some of the captured men, held in the smugglers' caves until they can be shipped off to the slave market.

For added depth to the adventure, the smugglers can be using underwater caves, with entrances that are only visible during the low tide, and even then only to nearby observers. If you desire a more robust smuggler plot, I suggest Dead Kraken Anchorage, a free map and adventure seed of its own, from Dyson's Logos.

Cartography by Dyson Logos

* - Based upon tales of sea serpent sightings near Egg Rock on Frenchman Bay, Maine.

d100 Creepy Rooms, Created by the FY DIY RPG! Group

Dysons Logos, created a DIY rpg group on Facebook in an effort to stimulate interest in community based creative brainstorming. One of the first efforts created by this group of rpg enthusiasts was, d100 Creep Rooms. This pdf is free to download, system/rules agnostic, and ready to use in your campaign tonight.

Get your free copy here.. d100 Creepy Rooms

The Elephant Tower of Hindrah

Hindrah the Magnificient, Hindrah the Everlasting, many were the titles of the ancient Valley of Hindrah, now all but lost to living memory. Once a prosperous city state, ruling over a mount-locked valley, ancient Hindrah was once a great military and economic force. The armies of Hindrah fielded thousands of elephants trained for war, fueled by the precious silver and opal mines of the city state. For hundreds of years, the rulers of the Opal Throne, governed unquestioned and undefeated in the Mountains of Hindara, until one day.. it simply ceased to exist.  Expeditions, sent by neighboring kingdoms, could find no trace of their cousins. The valley entrance, the magnificent bridge, everything, had simply vanished overnight. Adventurers, seeking after fabled riches, either returned empty handed, or not at all.

That was centuries ago...

The fabled Elephant Tower, rumored to stand guard over the bridge leading to the Valley of Hindrah.

The Valley of Hindrah, and the magnificent Opal Throne, are for you, the enterprising Game Master, to create. To get you started is the Elephant Tower, a quick little setup that should get players interested in exploring the legendary ruins of this mysterious vanished kingdom.

Cartography by Dyson Logos

Original map can be found at Dysons Logos