This is my first attempt at mapping the Steamlands, the kingdom in which I am now running WFRP 3 adventures. The map was created in Hexographer (the free version) because I’m a terrible artist, designer or drawer. The geography of this kingdom is based loosely on Kyushu, Southern Japan, taking the names and some of the features of parts of Japan for inspiration. I’ve also chucked in a bit of Germany for good measure (the World Forest on the west coast, and the river system lined with towers, is essentially a geographical feature copied from the Black Forest and the Rhine).
At the moment I have no ideas for this world except the names of towns (translated from the Japanese) and a couple of general features. Although the geography is modeled loosely on Kyushu and the city names a translation of Kyushu names, the vegetation and weather is roughly similar to south east Australia – so the World Forest, for example, is a vast wilderness of eucalyptus forest, and the flat areas can be imagined to be rolling pasture dotted with cows. I haven’t decided if it has marsupials (probably not) but it will have a bird that resembles a kookaburra, and the forest will preserve Australian features – quiet, pleasantly fragrant, dry and kind of spooky. Some particular features of the landscape (and the names they’re translated from) are given below.
- The Spear Capes (Nagasaki): a land of inlets and bays, rich swamps and wild rivers, I imagine this is dotted with independent cities of pirates and traders, and is quite primitive and barbaric in many ways. I imagine the swamps will be mangroves, and crocodiles will be common. I also imagine that the inland areas will have plantain and sugar farms, and possibly large plantations owned by strongmen from the other kingdoms (particularly from Twinluck)
- Twinluck (Fukuoka): Twinluck is the largest city in the Steamlands, and is connected by a railway line to the city of Store. I imagine Twinluck as a chaotic melting pot, with an ancient history and lots of steampunk technology. I also think that the current ruler has styled himself “The Emperor of Infinity” and is attempting to build a great empire, the Empire of the Manifold Path, which is slowly expanding East and Southwest (through the land that in real life is called Saga but in this map is simply farmland and forest that is open to exploitation by the most aggressive settlers). I also imagine that the people of the Manifold Empire (as it is often referred to) are of a different race to those in the Spear Capes, and there is much conflict on the edges of the Empire
- Store (Kitakyushu/Kokura): I know nothing about Store except that it is at the other end of the railway line from Twinluck, and it constitutes the Easternmost boundary of the Manifold Empire. It is so-called because the coastline is riddled with old caves that connect into a deep dungeon, in which can be found lost artifacts and ancient technology – as well as ancient evils
- Heavenbalm (Usa): Heavenbalm is the temple-fortress at the centre of a religious kingdom, about which I know nothing. I guess there is human sacrifice and witch burning, and possibly magic is forbidden.
- Steamline Spa (Yufuin): This town is the centre of a network of hot springs and spas, scattered through the mountains in this area. This is the area where the campaign began
- Separation City (Beppu): The adventurers are heading here as I make the map. I’m not sure why it’s called “Separation City” or what’s there, but I think it will be a smallish town with a large entertainment industry, and a large port for Eastward travel to the Four Kingdoms and the Summerlands (two other continents not shown on this map)
- Greathalf (Oita): A large industrial and agricultural city, the last significant town before one heads down the wild east coast
- The Beastlands (Kumamoto): Kumamoto means “origin of bears,” so for this area I figured it must be full of beastmen. These beastmen regularly spread to the east coast or northeast towards the civilized lands of Greathalf, and the line of towers has something to do with them. The southernmost island of the Beastlands is the Isle of Pan, and it may be the home of some kind of god of the beastmen, though no one has returned to tell the tale of its contents. This island corresponds with the province of Kagoshima (Island of Fauns), and the islands which inspired the mythical forest of Princess Mononoke, which seems apt
- The World Forest: the home of the elves, especially away from the coast, and continually being contested between elves, beastmen and humans
Besides these rough outlines, I have no other ideas for the world. I know there is another kingdom on the east coast, not yet described, which corresponds with Miyazaki, but I can’t think of a good translation of Miyazaki (“Palace” plus “Promontory” or “Peninsular”). Maybe the “Bay of Palaces”? Sounds rich and powerful! Or maybe it once was, and now is crumbling under the beastman threat.
Because there is a dwarf in the party I need to find a place to fit dwarves in all of this – they might, however, come from over the sea, in the Four Kingdoms.
The PCs are heading to Separation City to get a lawyer to sign a deed transferring property to them, so that they can take ownership of an onsen in the mountains. After that they have adventure options in Twinluck, and they can return and explore the land around their property, or they can head elsewhere to explore the Steamlands. At this stage it’s all pretty open, basically a sandbox to enable me to see how far I can push the WFRP 3 rules before I get bored of them and/or they break. Shall I have a beastman empire? What is buried beneath Store? And does the Emperor of Infinity know something we don’t? Only time will tell…
October 9, 2012 at 9:28 am
Is there going to be zepplin based travel? Possibly run by dwarves from the other continent and a mysterious unknown in the local lands?
For Miyazaki, how about something that focuses on what a peninsular does to the locale rather than the physical structure itself? For example, the Palace of the One Path (ruled by monks), or the Lonely Palace (a palace without any supporting town/city, who lives there?).
Heavensbalm may also be the only place to get certain types of healing (doesn’t Warhammer have types of criticals that are hard to get rid of?). Or it could be a centre of mutation and chaos waiting to explode across the land. You do seem to have a distinct lack of places that are worshipping chaos gods.
October 10, 2012 at 12:19 am
I think dwarves on zeppelins is an idea whose time has come. We’ll have more to say about that in future. I think the dwarves have a secret magical technique for harvesting the helium that oozes out of the deep places of the earth – but we all know that’s not the only thing that seeps out of the stony depths …
Typically chaos cults don’t get reported on the internet, but Heavenbalm could be a good place for that … I’ll think about that. Your suggestion re: the cape makes me think of a couple of weird ideas for Miyazaki:
1. a single palace on the cape, and extensive fields being farmed by some kind of magical automaton – the palace being occupied by only a small number of people who are getting increasingly desperate as the beastmen encroach. In place of automatons, could we consider undead?
2. the word “palace” is ironic, and the cape is covered in oil wells, which are referred to as “palaces”. This area provides the oil that keeps zeppelins flying and trains running, but the magic of refining is inefficient and huge amounts of oil are needed to power just one train and a small fleet of zeppelins – hence Miyazaki is rich despite the lack of extensive train networks. But should the beastmen overrun this kingdom …
October 10, 2012 at 7:48 am
“In place of automatons, could we consider undead? “
Generally speaking, I’d favour a necromancer king dressed as Baron Samedi, but that would seem to undermine the steampunk elements that you’ve got happening in the setting. Maybe a compromise is the best option? The king claims to be a necromancer and the servants look like the undead, but a closer inspection finds its an elaborate ruse to camoflage advanced steam robots?
October 10, 2012 at 10:26 am
Actually I think Baron Samedi could be an excellent addition to a steampunk campaign, but more as a minor character – a petty lordling or a bandit king. I will definitely be looking into that! I’ve got some ideas for the Palace Cape that I will write up soon …
October 10, 2012 at 11:20 am
Baron Samedi works, but having him as just a necromancer is too bland. Fidning some way to spice it up either through steampunk or voodoo should make the character more than just a necromancer in a top hat. I wouldn’t see him as really evil, just objectionable based on some of his actions but proably an ally that is needed. He should always be unfailingly polite (because that’s how men in top hats act 🙂 )
Another element I’d suggest using is a having some meetings happening in burlesque halls. The faux-Victorian feel of a burlesque show should mesh well with the retro-alt-Victorian feel that steampunk uses.
October 10, 2012 at 11:54 am
I could combine a couple of interests at once with those kinds of adventure settings – for example, the local sex workers have set up a union, and hire the PCs to protect their leaders from the local criminal gangs they’re trying to unionize against. Enter Baron Samedi, who is either an independent negotiator, head of a rival gang with a slightly more gentlemanly approach to women, or a potential aspirant to the head crime boss’s position, happy to use the sex worker union to his own ends … that would lead to shuriken-weilding sex worker assassins in battles with undead gangsters in burlesque dance halls …
October 11, 2012 at 5:23 am
And now we’re getting somewhere 🙂
Let’s hear it for kitchen sink gaming settings 🙂