How to Draw Fantasy Maps: Political Borders 🌍

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  • čas přidán 6. 03. 2023
  • We’re back to nitpick about fantasy map design! While natural borders like rivers and mountains are a major part of how borders get drawn on a map, they’re not the only factor. Adam takes a look at how history has shaped a few of our borders, and how we might be able to use the lessons they teach us in our own fictional maps to make more interesting national borders.
    Check out Campfire, a customizable tool for writers to plan, organize, and share their writing:
    www.campfirewriting.com/
    This video is where we held our 10K subscriber contest! 🎉 The contest is over, and the reward claimed by the winner. Thank you to everyone who participated, we had a great time chatting with you about your maps in the comments!
    #fantasy #maps #cartography #writingcommunity
    //VIDEO CREDITS//
    Script and audio by Adam Bassett: / adamcbassett
    Editing and Thumbnail by Cole Field: / acolefield
    //ADDITIONAL RESOURCES//
    Not sure how to make a map? I was using Affinity Designer, but that’s a little complicated compared to some of the alternatives. We compared a few popular tools: www.campfirewriting.com/learn...
    More about map design: www.campfirewriting.com/learn...
    A brief history of Romania: localhistories.org/a-brief-hi...
    More about Enclaves and Exclaves: storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/...
    The India / Bangladesh Land Boundary Agreement: www.brookings.edu/blog/up-fro...
    More about how many of Africa’s borders were decided: africaupclose.wilsoncenter.or...
    //SOCIAL MEDIA//
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Komentáře • 567

  • @AroundTheCampfire
    @AroundTheCampfire  Před rokem +60

    THE 10K SUBSCRIBER CONTEST IS OVER. The winner has been selected and given lifetime access to all of Campfire's writing modules. Sincerely, thank you all for participating in this little event. We weren't really sure what would happen but you blew us away. I hope you also got something out of the video, whether you've just discovered the channel for the first time or you've been watching us for a few years now. We've got more exciting writing and worldbuilding videos coming soon, so stick around, and thanks for watching! 😄

    • @Onzo22
      @Onzo22 Před 8 měsíci

      Question, for the last part of the video what program did you use to draw maps, and is there others you might recommend that are free?

    • @Nostripe361
      @Nostripe361 Před 18 dny

      A good reason for straight border might be just too powerful nations that can’t claim the entire border region so they just draw a straight line between them to make things easier

  • @tarvoc746
    @tarvoc746 Před 7 měsíci +325

    Another thing to keep in mind is that premodern countries often don't even have clearly drawn borders. The further you go back, the less clearly and distinctly the lines are drawn.

    • @IDoBeSmarter
      @IDoBeSmarter Před 21 dnem +26

      Best comment, I just don't draw borders anymore. Instead I draw power centers, like cities, valleys or forts.

    • @nicoliedolpot7213
      @nicoliedolpot7213 Před 21 dnem +32

      imo definitive lines are generally a post-Crimean war concept, since the modern concepts of sovereignty and diplomacy started the practice of making conclusive settlements between parties, which includes creating clear lines of where territory ends and starts.

    • @HMN134
      @HMN134 Před 20 dny +9

      Yep, they were more like blurry blobs. Even more so with tribes.

    • @fyeahusa
      @fyeahusa Před 19 dny

      Yeah. Where populations were denser you might have more defined borders, or if a country established a series of defenses you might have a pretty clear distinction but in some cases where a country bumps up against a desert, they likely are exerting influence into it but don't really have any fixed boundary defining how far into the desert their country extends, and both these situations could exist at once. On one side a country might sign a treaty demarcating a border, or build a series of forts that de fact establish a border, and on the other side have a desert with no fixed boundary.

    • @fyeahusa
      @fyeahusa Před 19 dny

      @@nicoliedolpot7213 Eh, the concept of defined borders as well as soverignty and diplomacy existed before the Crimean War as well. The treaty that defined the border between the US and Canada was written and signed by the US and Britain before the Crimean War. And we have other treaties as well, dating as far back as the Bronze Age which seeked to establish peace and borders.

  • @kalistaewer3268
    @kalistaewer3268 Před rokem +646

    "Politics both help and ruin everything." Amen. This is massively helpful in thinking deeper about the how and why of borders.

    • @inzyniertv9305
      @inzyniertv9305 Před 8 měsíci +1

      Is it in universe politics?... or real life politics? One is great other ruins everything

    • @carkawalakhatulistiwa
      @carkawalakhatulistiwa Před 8 měsíci +10

      How about Western Europeans drew borders in Asia and Africa using rulers (straight line )and divided a nation into 2 different countries.😊

    • @inzyniertv9305
      @inzyniertv9305 Před 8 měsíci +5

      @@carkawalakhatulistiwa Yeah thats the problem real life politics

    • @SpartanChief2277
      @SpartanChief2277 Před 8 měsíci +1

      bro said amen

  • @ginger-ale7818
    @ginger-ale7818 Před 8 měsíci +160

    The main thing I’ve learned in making fantasy world building more realistic is: Start with a logically consistent world, then sprinkle on some bullsh-t. Draw your maps around logical borders, then straighten some, bend others, and do enough random stuff to make it feel just a little off.
    Make sure it makes sense, but also that you could to a “Top 5 Weirdest Borders” video in your world.

  • @The_Copper_Element_Itself
    @The_Copper_Element_Itself Před 8 měsíci +144

    2:11 learning about the history behind the borders and geopolitcs of a country helps a lot. Romania for example, is hard to see "ignoring the mountains" like you say because they actually seem to acknowledge in many ways, and is instead just expanding its limits WITH the mountains. There are a lot of subdivisions in the country that let geographical boundaries explicit; and populational differences in transylvania are really bold

    • @wladynoszhighlights5989
      @wladynoszhighlights5989 Před 8 měsíci +1

      Especially with "Trianon" lol

    • @alectinn
      @alectinn Před 11 dny

      ​@@wladynoszhighlights5989 trianon was generally successful

    • @wladynoszhighlights5989
      @wladynoszhighlights5989 Před 10 dny

      @@alectinn Caused a lot of peoples life quality to worsen since areas that were once Hungarian were completely neglected after Trianon, the people were surpressed, discriminated and hungered causing many to move to Budapest causing it to be overpopulated and Ghetto areas got more frequent. And the people who stayed had it even worse. Same with other nationalities who lived in those areas like Svabs or Bunjevac

    • @alectinn
      @alectinn Před 10 dny

      @@wladynoszhighlights5989 did the Hungarians not oppress the Romanians just as much, even more? Ever heard of the hungarian process of magyarization, abducting children from their families and brainwashing them into being hungarian? When trans6lvabia joined romania, a million people rejoiced and some ethnic overlap was inevitable yes, but keep in mind Hungary had lost the war, it wasn't meant to be fair either

  • @jacobbayless6173
    @jacobbayless6173 Před rokem +160

    World building and geography is my biggest struggle when it comes to writing. Campfire has helped me improve in other areas, however, so hats off to the team for all of the inspiration and hard work you put into the platform!

  • @oliverstianhugaas7493
    @oliverstianhugaas7493 Před 8 měsíci +50

    Rule #1: No USA state borders.

    • @CallsignYukiMizuki
      @CallsignYukiMizuki Před 17 dny +4

      S Q U A R E

    • @user-gg9zv4vd3l
      @user-gg9zv4vd3l Před 16 dny +2

      Africa exists and also you could add some lore to a country that it was at war with country B and they signed a peace treaty with their new border going through some parrarel or Smth.

    • @toyotatacoma1616
      @toyotatacoma1616 Před 12 dny

      Flat borders tell stories on their own, recent conflicts over territory, resolved by committee and treaty.

  • @eravas411
    @eravas411 Před rokem +28

    political borders are interesting because for some part they tend to follow natural features like mountains and rivers, but then sometimes you get absolutely stupid shapes for weird political reasons which just adds a whole layer of depth to a world.
    congrats on the subs, happy worldbuilding!

  • @QemeH
    @QemeH Před 12 dny +3

    When I built the world for my DnD campaign, I sat down and had a little game day just for myself. After making a geographical map without any political entity, I then seeded human population and a few attributes and then started to turn-based develop and fight between settlements, emerging kingdoms or nations and other political forces. Kinda like a game of risk paired with model UN, but all based on dice so it’s sufficiently random. (If you know the system Stars without number you‘ll know the sort of thing I did.) It led to an awesomely diverse political map with the benefit that every time a player would ask „why is this weird exclave a thing?“ I did not just have an answer, but could give three different answers depending on how deep into history the particular NPC went (think asking somebody „why is point roberts a thing?“ - you either give the quick answer of the line on a map or you can go full „let me explain colonization to you“ mode). It took quite some time, but because it was like a second little game for me, I really enjoyed it and it definitely enhanced the immersion of my players who always marvel at the depth of my knowledge about a fantasy world.

    • @papagaiofilmes6642
      @papagaiofilmes6642 Před 6 dny

      you should look up Mappa Imperium" then, its kinda like a worldbuilding game that only requires dice and the book to create a DnD world in a fun way just like what you made. it was created by the youtuber nookrium, and he made videos about it. i think you gonna like its idea.

  • @Twisol
    @Twisol Před rokem +49

    One of my friends and I have been building a world for several years now. He discovered Campfire only recently, and he just. can't. stop. telling me how blown away he is by what you've built. I've been too busy with grad school to dig in, but I'm sure I'll be singing Campfire's praises soon enough! Here's hoping for that lifetime subscription ;)

  • @AroundTheCampfire
    @AroundTheCampfire  Před rokem +61

    🔥10K SUBSCRIBER CONTEST DETAILS 🔥
    It’s wild to think how far this little channel has come. It’s thanks to all of you that we’ve hit this milestone, so we’re giving one lucky subscriber a lifetime subscription to every Campfire module. You’ll be able to create characters, interactive maps, plot the timeline of your story, and so much more without any limits. Plus, you’ll immediately unlock full access to the new Calendar Module as soon as it’s available. Which should be *very* soon.
    ✨HOW TO ENTER✨
    All you need to do to enter this contest is subscribe to the channel and comment down below (tell us about your own maps, talk about your world’s political borders, or just say hi). We’ll pick a subscriber at random and reply to your comment in a week (March 14th), so keep an eye out for that. **If the winner does not respond in a week, we’ll move along to somebody else.**
    If you leave a comment but do not want to enter the contest, just mention that in the comment.
    🥳WHAT IF YOU WIN?🥳
    CZcams doesn’t have a private messaging system, so we’re going to take a few extra steps to make this work.
    We’ll announce the winner in one week, on March 14th.
    If you win the contest, you’ll receive a notification from this channel saying you won, asking you to email us. Our contact form is here: www.campfirewriting.com/contact. In your email, just mention that you won this contest and what your YT username is. **DO NOT email anyone else claiming to be us, or use anything other than that email form to reach out to us.**
    We’ll respond with a short code and ask you to edit that into the comment we responded to on this video. That will help us make sure the right person is getting the prize.
    Once we confirm that you’ve edited the correct code into your comment, we’ll need to know your Campfire account username (the one that includes @ in the front). If you don’t have an account with Campfire, you can make one in just a few minutes for free here: www.campfirewriting.com/signup.
    Once we have your account username, we’ll get you set up with all the modules for life!

    • @BludMokxGaming
      @BludMokxGaming Před rokem +1

      Merci pour le concours ! 😁
      Hâte d'utiliser le nouveau module calendrier 😎

    • @_dember
      @_dember Před rokem +1

      This would be a fun opportunity for me, I wouldn't be able to afford it otherwise. Hope I get a shot :)

    • @RomanSnow
      @RomanSnow Před rokem +2

      Hello! So, I just received an email about the giveaway, so here I am. I've already been subscribed for quite some time, so here's that comment.
      The main setting I'm writing for right now is a bit genre-blendy. Well, it's kind of two settings. The one we start with is a relatively conventional fantasy setting. There's magic, humans, and goblins. There may be elves and such as well, but only the goblins are really relevant. A technological city-state called Epoch City has risen up over the past decade, and it's ruled by someone who was displaced from Earth. But it isn't Earth as we know it. It's a post-superhero Earth, taken over by supervillains.
      That's as much as I'd like to share about it. It's a world (or worlds?) better revealed over the course of the narrative than described all at once.
      I'll be keeping an eye out for this giveaway. Thanks for the opportunity!

    • @Nagytika
      @Nagytika Před rokem +1

      Kawai Desu, Innit? ^^

    • @Cordeeceps
      @Cordeeceps Před rokem

      Hello! Thanks for the opportunity. :)

  • @rosiefay7283
    @rosiefay7283 Před 19 dny +6

    I find it more fun to imagine two neighbouring nations fighting to determine where the border between them goes, and the accident of war leading to something inconvenient. For example the war for control of a peninsula ends up with the border running *along* it. Or one nation ending up with land on both sides of a long fjord, making communication within the country difficult except by crossing that body of water.

  • @DixiePixi
    @DixiePixi Před 7 měsíci +9

    Not only did The Inheritance Cycle introduce me to fantasy it revived my love for it when I lost interest.

  • @starhalv2427
    @starhalv2427 Před 8 měsíci +5

    When drawing a political map of my original fantasy world, I first focused on the central province of a worldspanning empire, and then worked my way forward in the timeline drawing different kingdoms and lands that were conquered or otherwise incorporated, until I arrived at the "modern time" of my story. Where it's a huge, continent-spanning empire with a ton of smaller nations surrounding it- kinda like the Roman empire.

  • @fastjacobeagle7792
    @fastjacobeagle7792 Před rokem +3

    I've been doing fiction writing for a while now but just got into worldbuilding for a fantasy world that I've been working on within the last year, and because of that I've been looking around for writing tips and have been watching this channel quite a bit for the last few weeks, (quite a lot of good stuff on here). Just got into map making recently and have been loving it. While it can be very difficult it can be super gratifying aswell.

  • @Sparksly_
    @Sparksly_ Před rokem +13

    I hadn't thought about borders like that before, but that's a really good thing to keep in mind, especially if national politics are a main focus in the story. Also, congrats on 10k!

  • @amelialoyselle2123
    @amelialoyselle2123 Před rokem +1

    Congrats on 10k! 🎊 When I started worldbuilding the nuances of climate, biodiversity, agriculture... etc. But borders have been one thing I've been stumped on the whole way through.

  • @SilentShayShores
    @SilentShayShores Před rokem +6

    I'm working on a passion project based around a sci-fi setting, and I recently made a map using Krita. I've been struggling with making borders, so I'm glad I stumbled across this video.💜

  • @minscus3003
    @minscus3003 Před rokem +1

    I always struggle a lot with drawing fantasy maps. I never thought about making borders like in the video, so this video was very helpful! And even tho my newest map has only borders along rivers (which is important to the story) I am sure it will make my future maps so much more interesting! And congratulations to the 10k!! Its sad that I only found out about campfire a month ago, but the Campfire moduls have already helped me a lot, so thanks for that ^^

  • @humortv439
    @humortv439 Před rokem +1

    Congratulations on reaching 10k, I am so very happy for you 💖 It truly feels like we’ve been on this journey together!!

  • @iWriteWithPride
    @iWriteWithPride Před rokem +2

    I'm still learning how to make maps but I'm absolutely LOVING it. Worldbuilding is my favorite part of writing and it's a joy to be able to see the world that I'm making.

  • @toshikudo
    @toshikudo Před rokem +15

    congrats on 10k!!!
    I wanted to keep the "about my own maps" bit short. but it's not everyday that i get an opportunity to drop lore about my project so enjoy pfft
    Since the post apocolyptic setting is a very important factor to the plot, i’m going for a setting that’s very inspired by the real world, but with the cultures more merged in. The basic historical divisions in the story’s world have slowly faded over time since some areas are more unsafe than others, so i’m aiming towards “districts” instead of nations. With the lack of communication options and well just lack of safety in travel so there’s no full map any charcters could refer to (at least not in the start).
    In the end, instead of using clear historically set borders, what’s left of the government and authorities use borders according to mutually benificial pacts between districts to protect each other, or they have natural borders due to geography or just inhabitable regions.
    Most of the map making is still a work in progress since the story is more character driven, but the relavance of divisions is pretty important. Areas surrounding ones usually work with no goverment or real division and are generally unsafe since the land there is free to take because no authorities see profit in managing them. At the same time there are regions with historical borders still implemented since they aren’t unsafe.
    That all said, There is a very major role of the development, expansion and erasure of certain districts, in fact a major conflict revolves around the violent expansion of a country into a district formed by mutual interests all because it was the safest. Unfortunately the area does become unsafe which slowly turns the entire country into ruins because all the resources and trade were concentrated in that one district to assure that no calamity leads to losses (never realised until now that i may have accidentally made karma a canon thing 😭). Anyways, aside from that mentioning politics and borders of the major districts is too big of a spoiler!
    This is my smaller project, my main project with proper extensive world building with several species and stuff, but that's a shared project and a life goal so i'd rather reveal that world's setting with the story itself :)
    tl;dr : i love lore dumping

  • @tylertonjum9944
    @tylertonjum9944 Před rokem +1

    I love campfire, I’ve been using it for quite some time now and you all work so hard to make it better and better. Keep up the good work!!

  • @ishelbe10
    @ishelbe10 Před rokem +1

    Maps have usually always been at the center of my stories, so it was pretty psyched to find campfire which has not only writing software but the ability to bring the maps that live in my head and the backs of notebooks to life

  • @defneecemeroglu9655
    @defneecemeroglu9655 Před rokem

    I'm always looking for more convenient ways to cook up maps for my campaigns and while campfire doesn't help me make the base map itself it does something equally helpful: Marking up the map *and* making it hold more information than first seen. It's a treat! Anyways, congratulations on the 10k, you guys deserve it.

  • @BEAUTIFULTHING12
    @BEAUTIFULTHING12 Před rokem

    I’ve been trying to write my book for over a decade now, I’m so happy I found this app. It’s helped me so much and I’ve gotten so much done, makes me think I might actually finish. Plus these helpful videos and everything that they make ❤️

  • @DarthKiptcha
    @DarthKiptcha Před rokem +2

    I never thought about the concepts of enclaves and borders that end up kinda fuzzy when you sit down to design, but it was a great watch.
    Keep up the good work on campfire ♥

  • @Kiwru
    @Kiwru Před rokem +1

    After this I feel there's alot more I can do with my worlds Worlds Map, especially since there's so much strife between the different countries in my world, yet the boards at pretty flat. Particularly the Bangladesh/India board example gave quite the flash of inspiration.
    You've given me alot to think about, and a Massive congratulations on reaching 10K subs!

  • @Ezekiels_creations
    @Ezekiels_creations Před rokem

    Congrats on 10k!!! Also, I'm not only excited about the giveaway but the fact that these map tips are super helpful for a world I've been working on. Thank y'all for all you guys do for the writing community!!!

  • @jeremymolina7852
    @jeremymolina7852 Před rokem

    World building and maps go hand in hand, as creating a detailed and immersive world requires a clear understanding of its geography and topography. When designing maps for my world, I always consider factors such as climate, terrain, and natural resources to ensure that the layout makes sense and feels realistic. With campfire, the process of designing realistic and detailed maps that reflect my world's geography, climate, and natural resources is such a blast! Thank you guys for creating such an amazing tool.

  • @thetravelinglens
    @thetravelinglens Před rokem

    Congrats on 10K! That was a great way to consider borders for nations. I haven’t worked on a map for my story yet, but I’ll keep these tips in mind.

  • @salfontana3880
    @salfontana3880 Před rokem

    I've been using Campfire since it was a desktop application, through the Blaze era, and to this day! You guys have come a long way. Congratulations on 10k!

  • @TamaraNikolic8892
    @TamaraNikolic8892 Před rokem +1

    Hii! Came to say hi and give a shoutout to what you guys are doing at Campfire! I am still pretty new to writing my ideas out and don't have any experience with worldbuilding but I am feeling pretty inspired looking at the updates you're cooking up! Love you guys

  • @DoomsdayDuck_
    @DoomsdayDuck_ Před rokem +2

    I’ve been playing D&D for years now, and have been coming up with stories since before then. Campfire has been a saving grace when it comes to writing and organising those stories into playable adventures. All of that to say: Campfire is awesome.

  • @LacunaMoona
    @LacunaMoona Před rokem

    I've always found channels like this very informative and helpful! Congrats 🎊

  • @victoriamendez5733
    @victoriamendez5733 Před rokem

    as a kid i really loved drawing fictional maps just for fun, and eventually they made their way into my barbie movie stories (lol). i've been toying with the idea of fully throwing myself into the story idea that's been living in my head rent free for the past few months, and honestly i'm so excited to create maps and begin world building for it!! i found campfire a few weeks ago and it was like a blessing !

  • @RandomPerson-qs5rb
    @RandomPerson-qs5rb Před rokem

    Gratz on the 10k! Looking forward to try this new module as soon as possible, I always had a thing for cool maps.

  • @brettpersson
    @brettpersson Před rokem +1

    I already have a lifetime to all of the Campfire modules. Just wanted to say thank you for making such a great tool for writers. I appreciate it.

  • @Aerofaux
    @Aerofaux Před rokem +2

    I get so into the weeds with cultural details of my characters, and I love it every time.

  • @nuggetsofwisdom88
    @nuggetsofwisdom88 Před rokem

    I am just finding out about this CZcams channel now, and it is amazing! I subscribed and will definitely be using this channel to help plot out the elements of my stories. Love this video on fantasy map plotting - as someone who is trying to figure out how to plot out my very first world, this is extremely helpful! 😊 Thanks for all you do!

  • @CheshireShmee
    @CheshireShmee Před rokem

    I've only dipped my toes in map making briefly, but i'm excited to get into it more with Campfire! Congrats on 10k 💜

  • @PeacefullSky90
    @PeacefullSky90 Před rokem

    I will definitely be incorporating some of this into my own boarders. Thanks! 🎉 Congrats on 10,000!

  • @carolynbrunsdon1564
    @carolynbrunsdon1564 Před rokem +1

    Hey there! Loving Campfire and all the excellent learning channels provided. Well done! As a new user I’m finding my way around and your guys make it easier. Thank you, Much success to you all.

  • @dBlace89
    @dBlace89 Před rokem

    Definitely some really interesting points made here. I have always just followed along natural features when designing borders, sometimes even adding features that didn't really have any explanation other than existing to be a border. I have gotten a couple of interesting ideas to rework a map from some of the points brought up in the video.

  • @MaryCronos
    @MaryCronos Před rokem

    Congrats to the 10k! I just found out about Campfire and fell in love immediately. Especially the maps-part is so impressiv! And I love the fact, that I can add my incarnate-maps so easily. :D Keep going the good work!

  • @asporkable
    @asporkable Před rokem

    Congrats on the 10k and thank you all for what you provide to the writing community!

  • @shayfortheday
    @shayfortheday Před rokem

    hi, i recently found campfire and i love it! i can’t function my story without it now. i hope to see it grow and develop well in the future!

  • @Kaza0kun
    @Kaza0kun Před rokem

    I've been using y'all for over a year now and I'm excited about the new changes and the new calendar module! I have several maps that I want to put up at some point. My most loved one is actually a side view of several caverns I designed for a probably forever work in progress novel around vampires that live underground like Drow, and how they unearthed some kind of evil god-like entity that nearly destroyed them.

  • @lindsaydilego-yh2ez
    @lindsaydilego-yh2ez Před rokem

    I had no idea there was a campfire CZcams channel, how exciting! I have a lot of catching up to do. Congrats on the 10k 🥳

  • @knkbigelow
    @knkbigelow Před rokem

    This was a great dive into map making and I didn't find it long at all. In fact, I wanted a little more. Great examples as well that helped make the point. And congrats on the subscriber count. I need to dust off my maps again and take another look.

  • @McNoogett
    @McNoogett Před rokem

    The contest to win a lifetime subscription drew me in, but this channel actually has a tonne of super useful worldbuilding tips so I'm really glad I checked it out!

  • @gracec6452
    @gracec6452 Před rokem

    Hi! Congratulations on 10k subscribers! That's amazing! You guys have been so helpful to me and my writing over the years

  • @alfacinha9609
    @alfacinha9609 Před měsícem +4

    By creating borders, you can follow the bright path of places like South America or Europe, or you can follow the dark path that Europe took by rebordering Africa at its pleasures. There is no middle ground

  • @MarcDonders
    @MarcDonders Před rokem

    maps are fun and a great addition to a fantasy world. It gives the reader another part your vision as a writer that words cannot convey. I'm still working on my own map, but the subjects talked about in this video are great. I would've probably picked only natural borders as political borders without thinking about geopolitics. A fun layer to add to the world. A big thank you for your work

  • @Luna-uy7ek
    @Luna-uy7ek Před rokem

    Congratulations, and here's to 20k!

  • @Unkillable365
    @Unkillable365 Před rokem +1

    Congrats on the 10k! Stoked for the giveaway, you guys are beyond generous. These map tips are perfect timing, too; my first attempt at a map for my series is so sad it hurts.

  • @gloria_amy
    @gloria_amy Před rokem

    Very refreshing to see a well-thought out world with a rich history showing itself in even the shapes of the regions and nations/peoples.

  • @runic6724
    @runic6724 Před rokem

    Campfire has been an absolute blessing when it comes to writing. Been using it for a couple years now. Happy 10k! 🎉

  • @Dragon74-25
    @Dragon74-25 Před rokem

    I always found the different ways fantasy maps are drawn fascinating.

  • @ChrischenL
    @ChrischenL Před rokem

    Congrats to your first, well deserved 10k subscribers.

  • @kidawin
    @kidawin Před rokem

    This is really helpful, I was just beginning to plan out the map of my novel’s world and how it changes through time, this video helps a lot!

  • @wildlinks2558
    @wildlinks2558 Před rokem

    I've always struggled with making realistic maps, so this video is a huge help! I'm excited to draw up some maps for the worlds I've made :)

  • @macer941
    @macer941 Před rokem

    Congratz on 10k, best of luck everyone! As for maps, I tend to make a decent number of fantasy maps, though it takes me a while as I like to start from the ground up (pun intended) with plate tectonics, figure out my land masses/mountains, etc and let that inform my climate.

  • @oliviamorrow-payne9758

    I’m in the process of building my imaginary world knowing I want coastal lines and different boarder types. This is very helpful in taking consideration of what I should think of! Love this!

  • @DamenPeterson
    @DamenPeterson Před rokem

    I love historical maps and enjoy seeing what causes borders to exist. Thank you!

  • @katrsmeow
    @katrsmeow Před rokem +1

    I’m excited to start building maps in Campfire. Right now, the whiteboard has been a good visual tool but it gets complex when needing maps in two different centuries. Thanks for creating such an incredible tool for writers! 🎉

  • @Kosr4m
    @Kosr4m Před rokem

    Congrats on the 10k, it's only the beginning ;)

  • @psyche8017
    @psyche8017 Před rokem +1

    I drew my first map recently using rice to make the geographical borders organic. It's just a small town, but maybe I'll be able to use this advice for a bigger project someday.

  • @GalaxieMadchen
    @GalaxieMadchen Před rokem

    Hey! Congrats on this new milestone dude, never realized I wasn't subscribed until I checked today. Cant wait to see more from you in the future!

  • @arammurpg192
    @arammurpg192 Před rokem

    I have been a subscriber and fan of Campfire for quite some time now so it's great to see someone out there will get access to all their wonderful modules. Personally I find the relationships and systems modules are the most useful. The other features are great but organizing the dynamics between a multitude of different assets in a story has really helped make campfire worthwhile for me. It doesn't just have "good bones"; it actually has many extra features that make it easy for me to keep thing in one place.
    Although in my case I didn't use it for just a story; I made a board game and I'm using it to script various events of a computer game I am working on now.
    Thank you for the wonderful program; especially for making a desktop version I can use on the go since I tend to be on the move quite often for work.

  • @hilloo56
    @hilloo56 Před rokem

    I've loved this software since I discovered it a few years back, hope to win and hope this channel grows even more

  • @cutie_gahyeon2290
    @cutie_gahyeon2290 Před rokem

    I've discovered your app last month and I'm very excited about the news to come

  • @mocaxe
    @mocaxe Před rokem

    I've been just keeping nebulous ideas of areas in my brain for a long time now and would love to get into drawing my own little maps, both for campaigns I run and just to invent fun little worlds and consider how much of us goes into the way our world is shaped :)

  • @thenewbygamers
    @thenewbygamers Před rokem

    Been working on a map for the better part of 5 years now, and this has simultaneously made it much easier, and much more difficult to be satisfied. Thanks!

  • @ashleyRR
    @ashleyRR Před rokem

    My map has so many types of terrain, and though different species to congregate in the natural habitat they harness energy from (like rock, ocean, forest, etc.), there is also a way that some of these geographical features can separate political or even cultural subsets of the world/Map! Thanks for always considering the ways we can tell richer stories through deeper understanding of our worlds, characters, and maps!

  • @lukewarmyeti4248
    @lukewarmyeti4248 Před rokem

    Been using Campfire's PC app since late 2018 and it's been indispensable for countless projects! Congrats on 10K, and hoping I get that total access ;D

  • @maddiem4779
    @maddiem4779 Před rokem

    I’ve always loved maps at the beginning of books and coming up with how everything should lay in the world I’m building (as well as keeping all of the world building aspects in mind when writing) is always such a hard part of the process

  • @gonzalocs6757
    @gonzalocs6757 Před 3 měsíci

    I am making a DnD setting, currently my map area is one part of a continent, and a smidge or another (think Europe and Morocco), with more continent (ie: Asia) off-map. This is exactly the kind of thing I needed to try and build my borders in the area. This was great, thank you!

  • @haydntimms905
    @haydntimms905 Před rokem

    I find building the world to be the hardest part of any story but also the most rewarding when you have an idea where it is going.

  • @michellexrose
    @michellexrose Před rokem

    This is really helpful! I've been trying to build a map for my story and I've been struggling a bit since I've never made one before. I'm going to take this knowledge over to Inkarnate and start some mapmaking!

  • @640Luigi
    @640Luigi Před rokem

    Really nice video, congrats on reaching 10k
    Never thought of borders in all those ways, maybe I can incorporate some of this in the borders of my caveman like tribes of my current project.

  • @multifandommari
    @multifandommari Před rokem

    I love drawing maps. Campaign Cartographer is my go-to program. The UI looks ancient but there's still a lot you can do with it, and they have nice assets.

  • @riskhaj
    @riskhaj Před rokem

    This was such a fascinating video! it hadn't occurred to me to work trade routes into my country borders or to have countries made up of former smaller countries. Worldbuilding is such a rabbit hole, isn't it? Congrats on the subscribers!

  • @braingreatadventures8077

    It's so nice to see good on a good looking map

  • @Wendy-ie9js
    @Wendy-ie9js Před rokem

    I've been creating worlds in my head since I was very small, but it's always been hard to put into words or drawings. Campfire has really helped me figure out ways to build the worlds and be able to look back at what I've created. And hi :)

  • @MareElias
    @MareElias Před rokem

    Never thought about borders this way... Thanks for the inspiration 😁

  • @littleladybuglife
    @littleladybuglife Před rokem

    Congratulations on 10K Subscribers (consider yourself having +1 more permanent subscriber). Thank you for hosting this contest. :) To all, good luck!
    When I started to create my map (for a fantasy story), I didn't consider much about borders. This video has helped me a lot. It helped me to think of how border are important. The history of how the border were made/decided. This really helped improve my story. Can't wait for more videos. And yes please, enter me into the contest. :D

  • @ravensmol2609
    @ravensmol2609 Před rokem

    Ahh I've used Campfire for planning my stories for years now, congrats on 10k!

  • @arionnagonsalves7245
    @arionnagonsalves7245 Před rokem

    I’m writing my first novel and it’s a sc-if apocalyptic, survival horror and it’s quickly becoming one of my favorite passion projects. Every day I’m falling more and more in love with the characters and plot I created. But that world building aspect is a BITCH. I’ve been struggling so much on what makes sense to create and what just seems so outlandish. But I’m also loving the challenge it brings me. It’s really forcing me to think about the bigger picture and how environments heavily influence people’s culture, their view on politics, and their perspective on the world. I think your video really helped me to think about how natural borders can both help and hinder my characters on their journey and how it influences the overall plot

  • @TheHodoo
    @TheHodoo Před rokem

    Congrats on 10K subscribers! After trying many alternatives, Campfire is the toolset I eventually landed on, due to its flexibility in both tools and pricing; so it's well-deserved.

  • @lexbuchanan2257
    @lexbuchanan2257 Před rokem

    Ahhh this is exciting! Thanks for the chance to win! I haven’t used the mapping feature yet, but I have enjoyed the beginning stages of developing timelines and languages for my Fuetellon demon characters.

  • @jasonporter7934
    @jasonporter7934 Před rokem

    My story series I'm working on is based on earth of ~10,000 years ago with slightly different landscapes. I'm excited to see how I can utilize the maps feature to enhance my realism.

  • @loki_the_octo
    @loki_the_octo Před rokem

    I am going to need to rewatch this video later when making the map for the story I am writing. I have yet to really figure out how it is going to look, but this is going to help a lot!

  • @louwebber6289
    @louwebber6289 Před rokem

    Maybe one of these days I’ll get around to actually drawing a map and make use of all these lovely tips!

  • @rboncek
    @rboncek Před rokem

    I've just recently started world building, and this has been a great help in deciding some things. Thanks!

  • @rosieshilo-virtuallyyours

    Hello! I’m about to create my first map - I’ve started writing with only a basic handwritten map but excited about how campfire will help me create something WAY COOLER!!!!

  • @persephoneklein
    @persephoneklein Před rokem

    Honestly, setting borders is the one aspect of world building I’m actually decent at, but I always love learning more about it and world building and writing as a whole.

  • @yeoldehog
    @yeoldehog Před rokem

    Great video! I've been doing maps for a while, to use them with my regular TTRPG group, it's always great to learn new things to improve my games.

  • @ZoharielUK
    @ZoharielUK Před rokem

    Nice video! Campfire has made it so easy to update my writing from multiple devices, loving the software

  • @IbaNDia
    @IbaNDia Před 8 měsíci +1

    Great advice. I'll add that you often don't need precisely drawn borders at all to build a great setting. Sharp, defined borders are a pretty modern invention. In the middle ages, borders between political entities were often fuzzy, even between established and powerful ones. You don't have to draw every border take your world fleshed out.