Top Down RPG World Design, Part III: How To Create Random World Maps With GIMP in 36 Easy Steps

This may not be as vital a post as others, if you aren't interested in visually creating your own world map of landmasses,so I recommend those people look into more interesting avenues of text concerns, such as random name generators, for their continents and settlements, etc.

For those that are interested in a way to create your own overland campaign world maps quickly, easily and for free, the 36 items below are presented in an easy-to-follow, step-by-step format that requires no artistic ability (with the exception of one step) or even more than basic familiarity with the GIMP application, which is a free image editing software, similar to Adobe Photoshop, but open source and free - my favorite price.

After you have created your continents or landmasses (and you may wind up doing this multiple times to generate various suitable continents, choosing the best one or two from each instance, to put together in one final world map), the next step will be deciding how and where to arrange your landmasses, and you will find a section addressing this point, directly after the steps given for creating random world maps.

SPECIAL BONUS!
For those that find this tutorial too long or unwieldly to read online, I've turned it into a simple, single PDF document you can download and read on your PC at your leisure. {DOWNLOAD}

ANOTHER BUT NO LESS SPECIAL BONUS!
I've also uploaded a shorter, simplified version (though it has a few errors) of this tutorial, with the steps reduced to 25, as a Youtube video. {WATCH YOUTUBE VIDEO}

Click "Read More" below to get into the full tutorial!

Top-Down RPG World Design Part II: Maps and Continents

Before we begin placing continents, we need to refamiliarize ourselves with the nature and features of maps.

Latitude or meridians are lines or bands that run east-west around the globe. There are generally 12 to 24 segments or squares of latitude on most maps, with the easternmost area of Asia sharing a square with the westernmost part of Alaska, in a wrap-around. The primary line of latitude is the Equator, which is located halfway between the north and south poles, at 0 degrees latitude, dividing the world up into the north and south hemispheres, extending from 0 degrees latitude at the Equator to 90 degrees north latitude at the top of the north pole, and 90 degrees south latitude at the part of the south pole nearest the bottom of the map. The Equator is an abstraction representing the halfway point of the rotation of the Earth on its axis.

Longitude or parallels, are north-south lines or bands from the north to south poles. There are generally 6-12 squares of longitude on most maps, with the "top squares" containing most of the north pole, and the "bottom squares" containing most of the south pole/Antarctica. The primary line of longitude is the Prime Meridian at 0 degrees longitude, dividing the world into west and east hemispheres, extending from 0 degrees longitude to 180 degrees south longitude in the southernmost part of the south pole, and 180 degrees north longitude in the northernmost section of the north pole.

Top-Down RPG World Design, Part I: Planet, Continents

This is Part I of hopefully a lengthy series, posted as I graduate to new levels or sections, of a top-down method of creating a game world, starting at the "top" - the celestial body itself. I'll be using Earth and our solar system as my base examples, so let me put its stats up first.

PLANET	DIA (MI)	SqMi	Land%	Land SqMi	NumCont
Earth	7,930	197,000,000	30%	57,000,000	7

What I've Been Doing, Part I: Animals in RPGs, Medieval Measurements

I've been doing a lot of work, research, writing and organizing on:

animal bite forces, sizes, weights, senses, abilities
diets, care, space, speed, burdens, abilities for horses (need to do dogs, birds, tigers, bears)

I realized that in the Solomon Kane game I run, and others, I've had people with either just trained animals or pets, or actual NPC allies which they've even turned into sidekicks (NPCs that can gain levels like PCs), but I have little or no real support or treatment of how these are to be treated or used in play, or what other features they may have outside of "monster manual"/bestiary stats, and that needs to change.

Also:
medieval measurements: linear (ancient measures: fingers, cubits, roods, perchates, chains)
medieval measurements: area (acres, hides, baronies, manors, etc)
deep settlement (village/city) creation and development, including land features (water, arability, resources)
deconstructing the Solomon Kane plot hooks, to add to an adventure generator to produce a very involve level of detailed elements from which to create new adventures, using randomness/die rolls
putting hopefully 3+ adventures together to sell on an rpg site

Joshi Puroresu/Female Japanese Wrestling Back Suplex

New full color image for DeviantArt, plus a new image for Cafepress merchandise.

Joshi Puroresu/Female Japanese Wrestling: Back Suplex

Deviant Art

 Cafe Press Items

Table Scraps: WWF Wrestling Stars Game Review

This Table Scraps is a retrospective look back and review of the 1985 board game, WWF Wrestling Stars Game, before they were even called Superstars, from the Hulk Hogan era, or heyday and genesis of professional wrestling's soaring popularity in the mainstream. Unlike most of the other Abstruse Decapod videos, this actually has live camera video, rather than screen capture, as we rummage through what is left of this board game from over 20 years ago.

As a special bonus, various images, including the board, rules, all the wrestler cards and stand-up pawn miniatures with full body photos of the wrestlers, are all available for free download as an historical curiosity of trivia, for those interested in seeing a genuine relic from the hazy past of pro wrestling, the WWF and board games.

[Download WWF Wrestling Stars Game Archive Here]

WWE Wrestling Ring Dimensions

As of 2012, the standard WWE ring is one of the largest, dimensions-wise.

"Ring Size": 20 x 20 feet mat area (measured between the turnbuckles)

Ring Apron: 1 foot beyond ropes

Turnbuckle to Post: 12-18 inches from ropes

Turnbuckle Pad: padded coverings bound over steel rope-anchoring turnbuckles

Total Ring Floor Area: 20' x 20' + 1' x 1' = 21 x 21 feet

Mat Height: 4-6 feet from floor, 4.5' average

Rope Heights: average 1, 3 and 5 feet from mat (1.5 to 2 feet between ropes)

Rope Dimensions: at least 1 inch diameter, 60-80 feet per rope (15-20' per side)

Number of Ropes: 3 top to bottom, 3 per side, usually 12 tightened segments

Rope Material: rope (as opposed to cables used by some companies)

Mat Material: padding, heavy Canvas, plywood, steel Crossbeams and wires

Ring Posts: heavy-duty material, usually metal, 9-10 feet tall, 3+ inches diameter

Total Ring Height: 10 feet from floor to top of post, 9.5 feet from floor to top t.b.

Abstruse Decapod Shop (Cafepress) Offers Argument Invalidation Opossum

Opossum sleeping in a trash can. Your argument is invalid. 

Those magic words are now on shirts and mugs and anything else you want them on, at the Abstruse Decapod Cafepress site!

President Barack Obama 2012, Flaghair Lady 2016

Congratulations to Barack Obama for being re-elected as President of the United States of America, for his second term, in November of 2012. Also congratulations to "Flaghair Lady" for becoming an instant meme for wearing a flag in her hair and positioning herself directly behind the president in camerashot throughout his entire speech. She is going to have more fame than she will ever wish. I will help start us off.

Flaghair Lady for President 2016! I love you Flaghair Lady! I will vote for you!