RuneMapper: A Google maps for building worlds

battle-map
resource
community-adventure
#1

Ok, so my game got put back another week… that seems to mean I have a hack on something else. I was really inspired @ScottyRoberts post for Creating a world... together and was curious what that would look like if it WAS all part of a shared physical map, rather than in the abstract.

A few hours later I found a couple of maps on Google Image search (my Worlds maps pack is still in transit from the US to the UK) and I’ve got a rough proof of concept.

image
image.jpg2920x2022 2.08 MB

I grabbed inspiration from the forum header, and used the navigation to create a map switcher. Then knocked up a quick API using Google sheets to store map pins (and the matching form to add rows to the sheet). Then chucked all of that on Github so I could share it and see if this could be a way to contextualise some of the amazing content that’s being created and shared.

Check it out: https://hawkz.github.io/runemapper/index.html

Would love to hear if this could be useful, or if any tweaks would make it more useful (the journey back from adding a pin is a little clunky to start the list off…)

Oh and of course… do add some great adventures to explore…!

Encounter difficultly simulator - any requests?
#2

This is very cool. A map for each world like hardsuit and ghost mountain would be kick ass as well….

Game On!

#3

100% - not sure on the process to get official permission etc, but getting hi-res images would really level up the zoom-in you can do. Happy to add others if you can point me at map images.

#4

I remember a program that is called LegendKeeper. Had the same idea to add maps and pins, and tie to pins to an in-program wiki. Do you think that a wiki could be a possible addition to your own creation?

#5

Yeah totally that would just be about switching the source of content. What does the wiki give? Cross-linking rich content? Better editor? What else would be useful?

I was also wondering if we could tie it to forum posts here…

#6

It would be cool if we could de a living world like this. Where we could post the happenings of our campaigns. Then other people could see what is going on in there areas by opening a pin.

#7

I’ve been using the note taking software Obsidian.md with the leaflet plugin, which lets me make pins on a map. And it is totally free.

@BlazingPolyhedron I had been using legend keeper before and switched to Obsidian. Just because it fits my needs much better.

@hawkz linking directly to web addresses is something that obsidian can also do. Aswell as opening and linking to specific page numbers of PDFs.

Screenshot_20220625-180410-01
Screenshot_20220625-180410-01.jpeg1080x1364 176 KB

#8

I like @MattSlaton’s suggestions!

It would be fantastic if it had Markdown too! Perhaps tags?

#9

Yet another feature the Obsidian has…

#10

Have you asked @Runehammer … he does have high res maps for sale, but he may just share them for the project…

#11

I use a similar program called NOTION. I just create a weblink and it makes a window in any of my pages to allow me to interact with the site, and it uses Markdown too! … check it out…

image
image.jpg950x1014 423 KB

Game On!

#12

Don’t get me wrong, it’s great that Obsidian has all those features (wish I would have known before!) but I’d rather use something made by one of us! Heck, he gets to talk to us and we can ask him questions or recommend features! Isn’t that cool? :smiley:

@Ezzerharden damn, dude, with Obsidian and Notion why did we use LegendKeeper at all? :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes:

@hawkz speaking of which, wouldn’t it be cool if we could download the program on our computer? Pleeaase? :pray:

#13

@Ezzerharden that’s awesome, means you could enter the URL of your notion page as a pin, then you could bounce around between all the content you have on Notion - nice!

@MattSlaton Really like the filter, pin type and distance features - can you link me the plugin you’ve used so I can check that out?

It’s awesome to learn that so much of what’s needed already exists. Clearly the rich editing ability of Obsidian/Notion is possible to replace (markdown is particularly easy) and feels like a feasible thing to add. I think there seem to be two wins/goals/needs that are trying to be addressed:

  1. Having a way to gather and keep your own material, so you can use it in your own game as a DM (and maybe revealing bits of that to players over time)
  2. Collectively building a shared work as a way of finding cool ideas for encounters, or lightening the load of creating content a little.

Originally I was thinking about #2 but I can see how close we are to #1 aswell…

For me this basically boils to the same issue with different perspectives: Where is the data kept? If it’s centralised then we can share, but if’s just on your device it becomes a solo / DM tool.

If we made it so you could switch the source of data/pins/content then we could connect to a shared resource and browse others content, or maybe switch to an “official Runehammer resource” that becomes a community hub for sharing stores. All we’re changing is who-can-add, and who-can-see.

If it could then switch out the map too… we’ve basically got everything. Keen to hear a bit what everyone needs:

  • I’d use this for solo / DM / my campaign needs - rather than sharing
  • I’d use this to see others content and build a world together
  • I want my own private content, but also to easily see other content

0 voters

  • I’d use my own maps
  • I’d use Runehammer maps
  • I’d want both mapping options

0 voters

  • I’d prefer to enter raw markdown or something like the forum with UI for formatting
  • I’d prefer to keep it simple with just plain text.
  • I’d want a rich-editing experience like Notion / Google Docs / MS Word

0 voters

#14

Oh that’s useful… so maybe a map switcher, and markdown editor are needed next…

One thing I’ve just realised, I had email requirement turned on (didn’t notice being logged in already) can someone add a pin for me to prove it works?

#15

response and pin submitted… Ezzerhardens Happy Place!

Wizlock!

#16

The common wiki of the Shieldwall seems to be the Runehammer forums, so that’s not something that is a priority to me. However, if the rest of the Shieldwall wants it, I wouldn’t complain either! :smile:

The distance feature would be super practical! It’s a tool that I have not seen before but have always hoped to get! And could we get the feature to move pins, please? I’ve added mine to your map but I don’t like the position! :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes:

#17

Here’s a thought - what if I used the thread from the forum as the source of info… :thinking:

So you could write a post like this, but add something specific like [pin:1737,950] and then content of the pin at 1737 x 950 would be the full text of this post? So then rather than ANOTHER tool, it just becomes a fun way of showing forum content.

Then @BlazingPolyhedron editing locations would become editing posts… and we also solve formatting at the same time.

#18

That sounds pretty dope. In that case, It would be nice to be able to make posts from the map page aswell.

#19

Ok, so this is a pretty filthy hack… but I’m not at work, so all good! :smile:

image
image.jpg2936x1870 2.18 MB

If you go to the updated page you can see the pin from this thread is loading… and I’ve added a form, so you could switch between threads…!!

@MattSlaton That’s tricky without API access to the forum, but possible. For now if you click on the map you get the instructions (coordinates) and a link back to the forum.

@Ezzerharden Thanks for submitting, can you post that text here, so you can test re-retest the new method? adding the “[pin” notation ?

Soooo,. going back to the polls… If you want to use private content / for your own game you can replace the link with any other forum thread, in terms of mapping we could have a set of tabs with maps, and then switch the threads we plot onto each map. And we have the forum styles implemented.

Just need a little more thought on private posts/threads (DM’ing yourself could work, but the JSON seems protected on discourse - makes sense!), and how to use your own map :thinking:

What do you think??

#20

[pin:1036,756.59375]

My location

Hope you like this :heart_eyes:
Bold text, Italic text

(

image.jpg934x980 219 KB

Live Link

  • list test
  • list test
  1. list test
  2. list test