Road of Kings

[Quasar]

So, I got my very first Conan book today. From the brief skim I've had so far, VERY NICE. I definitely will be buying the regional sourcebooks.

Though I was disappointed that every region didn't get its own more detailed mini-map.

Was this just an issue of space considerations?

The main map by Clayton Bunce is simply gorgeous (no surprise there). Would be cool if Mongoose offered a poster version of that map I think.

 

[Tristan]

A poster version of the map comes with the GM Screen.

 

[sbarrie]

Really? I heard it was a poster of the main book's map.

 

[XcomSquaddie]

No, it's definitely the RoK map. That's a pretty screen. I'll probably end up buying one even though I'm not running the game.

 

[Ralph]

The main book's map is now the same as from RoK.
And the official 'Conan Inc'. map, I believe.

Ralph

 

[XcomSquaddie]

D'oh!

Forgot about the AE update.

 

[Old Bear]

So, I got my very first Conan book today. From the brief skim I've had so far, VERY NICE. I definitely will be buying the regional sourcebooks.

Though I was disappointed that every region didn't get its own more detailed mini-map.

Was this just an issue of space considerations?

The main map by Clayton Bunce is simply gorgeous (no surprise there). Would be cool if Mongoose offered a poster version of that map I think.

Maps like that don't come cheap. They also take a lot of time to produce. As such we had to balance how many maps we could put in against pricing the game out of the market or delaying it by months. Compromise is the nature of the beast.

 

[sbarrie]

The main book's map is now the same as from RoK.
And the official 'Conan Inc'. map, I believe.

That explains it. The GM screen may be worth picking up now...

 

[XcomSquaddie]

The differences in the early and revised maps brought up an interesting situation in our game last Saturday.

Our party had made landfall on the western coast of the Vilayet Sea, between Khorosun and the Nezvaya River. Our plan was to follow the river up to the Graaskal mountains and drop down into Brythunia from the northeast.

My character (hyrkanian nomad) made a point of purchasing a map of the continent while in Aghrapur. The map I used was the original downloadable map from the Mongoose website. The GM was using the newer map from the GM's screen.

The interesting point was that on the older map, the city of Yaralet is marked halfway up the Nezvaya River. It does not appear on the newer version. There is also a city (Sythia) at the extreme northern end of the Vilayet Sea tht appears on the newer map that does not appear on the older one.

We got a chuckle out of picturing our characters standing on the river bank looking for a non-existing city and swearing vengeance on those damned, incompetent Turanian cartographers...

 

[Faraer]

The placing of Yaralet in Turan is an eccentricity of Lin Carter's expansion of the second untitled Conan fragment into "The Hand of Nergal", one of a few hangovers from the pastiches in the CRPG book. The new map places Yaralet, more probably, in Corinthia, though The Road of Kings doesn't describe it in its Corinthia section!

Did we ever learn why the (generally great) new map ceded land from Nemedia to Aquilonia, and made 'Africa' and 'Asia' so small?

 

[Ralph]

That is how it should be!
Map making in the Hyborian Age is not a precise science, I would imagine.

I think I'm right in saying that the first maps in England were made in the 17th century, and really were little more that diagrams depicting the landmarks appearing along a certain route. They looked nothing like maps today, being more of a long strip following the road in question.

I don't think it's harsh to sell PCs inaccurate maps. I would suggest that merchants would have details of trade routes, but maybe only sorcerers would be able to make more 'realistic' maps, such as we know, by using various means of aerial observation.

Just a little food for thought.
Ralph

 

[The King]

The placing of Yaralet in Turan is an eccentricity of Lin Carter's expansion of the second untitled Conan fragment into "The Hand of Nergal", one of a few hangovers from the pastiches in the CRPG book. The new map places Yaralet, more probably, in Corinthia, though The Road of Kings doesn't describe it in its Corinthia section!

Did we ever learn why the (generally great) new map ceded land from Nemedia to Aquilonia, and made 'Africa' and 'Asia' so small?

As a matter of fact I dislike many pastiches but admit that the short stories by de Camp, Carter and Nyberg are far better compared to the many novels (including their own novels).

 

[Faraer]

Better than the worse pastiche novels, I'm sure. I like The Compleat Enchanter -- de Camp and Fletcher Pratt's Harold Shea stories, a lot more than de Camp and Carter's Conan work. I haven't read Conan the Avenger.

 

[The King]

Better than the worse pastiche novels, I'm sure. I like The Compleat Enchanter -- de Camp and Fletcher Pratt's Harold Shea stories, a lot more than de Camp and Carter's Conan work. I haven't read Conan the Avenger.

I read it and regretted it. It's probably easier to pastiche a short story because in novel they make too many mistakes and non senses. In fact I think they don't even know what to write to fill in their books. I'am severe but they shouldn't have put the name Conan above their works.

 

[SableWyvern]

I've got about four Hyborian continental maps I've downloaded from here and there, and am on the lookout for more.

I plan to use different maps at different times, retaining one as my "official and correct" GM version, while using the others to represent varying degrees of precision from Hyborian cartogrophers.

 

[The Warlord]

Sablewyvern, that's a great idea! Care to share where you've gotten some of these maps?

 

[Ralph]

I've got about four Hyborian continental maps I've downloaded from here and there, and am on the lookout for more.

I plan to use different maps at different times, retaining one as my "official and correct" GM version, while using the others to represent varying degrees of precision from Hyborian cartogrophers.

Very nice idea, SableWyvern!
One I may have to 'borrow'

Perhaps those nice fellas at Mongoose Hall may like to produce a book of maps?