On the Cartographer’s Desk: Quo Vadis Monthly Symbols?

Monthly Symbols Example Part 1

Our freely available small monthly symbol sets, created by Mike Schley have been very popular (no surprise there!), and we are now nearing the completion of the first full year. The big example map that I use to try out and show all the symbols has become a wonderful, sprawling mess depicting lots of weird places and happenings.

So far all the symbols have been for overland maps and we are considering a variation in theme once we reach June and the second year of the program. There are still lots of ideas for overland maps, but we would also like mappers to profit from the free symbols, who are not doing so many overland maps.

Monthly Symbols Example Part 2

It will still be Mike doing them, and currently we are thinking of doing dungeon symbols for a while, complementing his Dungeons of Schley style. But of course we’d like to hear from you, what you would like to see in the free monhtly symbols.

Should we stick with overland symbols for a while? Is the idea of Dungeon symbosl fine? Or would you like to see something else entirely. You can also submit more specific ideas for what should be in the sets, like what you would need in an overland map or dungeon floorplan.

Send us an email, post in the comments here, or head over to the Profantasy community forum and reply there.

6 Responses to “On the Cartographer’s Desk: Quo Vadis Monthly Symbols?”

  1. You have no idea how often I need tents, pavilions, and other temporary structures for my dungeon/city level maps. Everything from camping tents to circus tents, to military tents, to royal pavilions… Canvas me up!

  2. I would love to see more symbols for city and battle maps. Harbor scenes, temples, statues, mansions, parts, grimy and dirty streets, and more building types.

    Top of my wishlist would support massive cities, like be Serpentine City expanded for more types of cities, but I suppose that is a topic for another day.

  3. YES!! Please do some dungeon symbols!

    Also, get Mike to do Cosmographer style!

  4. I love the growing symbol set, and have a suggestion: the elves and dwarves all have their own cities (and ruins), but what about other cultures? The best example so far is the desert themed “Parched Land.”
    But perhaps some cities, towers, walls and ruins for ancient China, or Japan, or the Ottoman empire?

  5. I love the monthly content for overland style and would love to see more of it. The dungeons would be amazing as well. As far as suggesting, I’d have to maybe some hobbit town/ villages, maybe monsters in in various settings such as swamps, in trees, mountains, oceans or something like that. I definitely would love to see anything really, the more you put out the better my maps look. Love everything y’all are doing for the map making community and appreciate all your hard work y’all put into it.

  6. First off, thank you so much for releasing regular updates!!! What you have been doing so far is great!

    “Should we stick with overland symbols for a while? Is the idea of Dungeon symbosl fine? Or would you like to see something else entirely?”

    The symbols have been great, but I feel there are some things I would like to see that might help cartographers make even more interesting maps.

    I would like to see both a drawing tool that helps show elevation of land on Isometric overland maps. Pine Snow, Tree Decid Snow forest fills to accompany the snowy trees already in place thanks to the update. Mixed tree line symbol. A Cliff N, as the Cliff NS symbol would allow you to see over the ledge. Finally, variants of currently existing bitmap fills and more bitmap fills would be awesome.