Let's Play : 5 Leagues - Map & Region Creation
Last time in the series, we introduced the recently released 3rd Edition of 5 Leagues from the Borderlands and started on the process of creating a campaign that we can play through and document within this blog. We created a warband, with 4 heroes and 2 followers, and now we need to define and explore the Region that we are here to save!
Selkirk’s Settlements
To create the region, we first had to roll up the number of settlements in the region, then the size of those settlements between Hamlet (Tiny), Village (Medium) and Town (Large). We managed to get 2 Hamlets, 2 Villages and a Town, so a fairly well populated region when we could have only had 2 tiny settlements depending on the roll. You then go on to find out what type of settlement that is, from bustling trading hubs to forts, manor houses and military outposts, before placing them somewhere in your region. On that note we decided to name the region Selkirk after a few clicks around a random name generator online, which was a very useful way to generate a lot of these names quickly and easily (and in-keeping with the random and story discovery theme).
Now we had those initial settlement descriptions, we needed to establish what those settlements were called, so back to the random generator and we came away with the following.
OXRYN - A small Military Outpost classified as a Hamlet
MOONEVE - A Nomadic Camp that moves from year to year classified as a Hamlet
WESTHALL - A Manor House within the region classed as a Village
MAIDEN'S EYE - A Market Town classed as a Village
WOLFSBURG - The largest settlement in the region, also a Market Town and considered a fully fledged Town
The Threats in the Area
As part of the region set up, you then need to establish the threats within the area that you are going to clear out. Whilst there are many victory conditions where you can choose to end the campaign, clearing the map of all threats is one of the overarching themes and goals of the whole system. You select 2 threats that are already establishing within the region, along with a third that is trying to encroach into the local area. We rolled randomly for these, and then I attempted to fit that to the models I have now / have access to print in the future.
Another thing to note about the enemy selection is that once you have your enemy type for the battle, there are 2 ways you can select what you are going to fight. You can either roll a d100 and consult a table of around 12 different war bands to fight against, or you can fight through them sequentially going down the table which in theory gets progressively harder with each fight. We will be giong for this sequential method, one because it allows us to ramp the difficulty in a more sensible way as we learn the system and gaming in general, and secondly because it allows me to print and paint the models ahead of them coming up in a logical way over the coming weeks and months!
The Gnawling Hordes - Threat Level 5
A threat already in the region, the Gnawling hordes are creatures that used to live in the region under the name “The Morning People'' but were driven underground by an ancient unknown force that cursed them, eating away at their sanity and form. We will be representing these with various demons from our collection, with battles against enemies with names like Curse-Bound, Seething Infiltrators and ultimately The Ascended. The first pack of enemies we will fight here will be a “Skirmisher Pack”, lightly equipped Gnawlings that range ahead of the horde that often function as scouts and spies.
Ice Heart Court - Threat Level 6
The second threat of the region are the Ice Heart Court, fey touched creatures that it is believed in ancient times held the power of the sun and the wind in their hands. They now seek back that power, through their own force or utilizing that of the forest folk around them. Expect to be fighting Spiders, Dryads, Trees and ultimately the Queens Guard.The first fight against these will be the Goblin raiders, former fey that have said to succumb to their cruel impulses.
The Curse Of War - Threat Level 5
Warfare scorching a region is not a new phenomenon, but when it has gone on long enough the spirit of the war can become sentient and a self fulfilling force, which is a rare and destructive entity. Empty eyed people that stagger through the region seeking the thrill of war itself whilst those still alive just try to exist in the torment. Based on the map and models, we are going to put a small nautical spin on this and say the Curse comes largely from an ancient shipwreck off the coast, causing the spirits to rise from the water and wash over the land like a wave, fighting such creatures as Gibbering Corpse Crawlers, Kelp Stained Fiends, Torn Flag Ferocities and finishing the Forsaken Elite themselves. The first fight against these will be the Craven Deserters, wayward soldiers who abandoned ship first and have been forced to live at the bottom of the ocean before making it back to land.
Other Threats
As a side note, there are also 2 types of enemies that can come up through various encounters and dice rolls. They are Roadside Encounters, enemies you may face as you travel throughout the world, and Lurking foes, those you find within the ruins, encampments, swamps and forests that you aim for on the promise of reward and riches. These enemies are going to be Dusk Hounds and Giant Rats, depending on what we encounter first!
Creating the Map
Once we had all of the above decided and rolled up, I went away and generated a random map using an online tool to give me the rough layout. I then took that into Inkscape, an online tool that has free and paid versions to help you create fantasy maps using their assets and stamps, and drew it up into a parchment map style, adding in the settlements, some forests and rivers and mountains, and then placing down the mechanical elements needed to complete the map such as a Delve, an Unexplored Location, 3 Wilderness Camps and the Settlements we created.
I tried to keep consistent colors and images to make the map easier to read whilst still being in theme with the old parchment aesthetic, with pink being known friendly settlements, the redder orange being the enemy encampments and the lighter yellows being areas to explore. Lastly, adding in the forests, mountains, rivers and roads pulling the map together.
All that's left to do is show off the map, select an edge we wish to come in from, and then start exploring and hopefully saving the region! Let me know what you think about the below, and we look forward to seeing you when we embark on turn 1 of the campaign!
