Hello reader
I am starting a series called "Artists", where I will highlight a few of the numerous artists that I support. Some might be creating art, magazines, resources, interesting RPG sessions or ... maps.
Cartography
We start with the 'Deity of Cartography' who is very respected among the Greyhawk community. I am of course talking about, the Swedish born, Anna Meyer, who has made all our Greyhawk games that much better with her amazing maps.
Anna has changed my view about a map on the gaming table and, in fact, changed my appreciation for cartography altogether. A journey across the Flanaess would not be the same for my players if they did not have her map to look at. Her work helps the wheels of imagination of all the players at my table and for that I am eternally grateful.
I was a player in a Greyhawk setting for at least a decade before I myself started running a Greyhawk campaign. It was only then that I discovered her work, giving me the power to dive into the world and live the stories I was going to tell my players. Because my players do not have the time to look up things on the internet, I am able to show the map hex by hex. How? I use her map in a VTT (maptool) and, with a 'fog of war' tool, players reveal the map slowly, keeping unexplored areas in darkness. Reminds me of a computer game where you know the world is big but you only discovered a small part. Their eyes light up when they see a new area and they lean over to look at the details of what is revealed. Isn't that amazing?
Now comes the crazy part! She is making the world in 3D!!
Yes, you can read that again if you think you misread. It is quite and undertaking and I would even say a legacy that would outlive us all. It would be the first setting that allows players to witness an island in their game world as if they were a bird, or gaze up at the Crystalmist Mountains and finally realise that no man can cut across them. I can not praise her enough and she deserves all our support. Only this year did I have the opportunity to meet her digitally on the show Legend and Lore, allowing me to express my gratitude for her contribution to our beloved game setting.
Anna is not only talented, but she is also generous beyond belief by distributing her work for free. She has a Patreon running and a PayPall donation box but people donate just to support and thank her. Head over to her corner of the web and learn more about her work. You may even get inspired to become a cartographer yourself.
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