Reconciling GAZ1’s Karameikos with X1, Expert Set & B10 Karameikos (1987)
The Maps in Question
The Problem
Karameikos saw slow but steady development over the first years of Mystara’s publication. This was divided into three main stages: X1 and the Expert Set, both 1981 and 1983 versions; B10; and finally GAZ1. Taken in isolation, each of these versions is a perfectly valid view of Karameikos in its own right. However, problems arise when trying to use them together.
The specific conflicts arising in B10, and the issues involved with reconciling them with X1/Expert/X10 maps, are the subject of another article in this series, The Woes of B10 (upcoming). This article concentrates on the later problems that arise when GAZ1 enters the picture.
Overview
Overall, the situation with GAZ1’s map is a complete mess. The existence of multiple larger scale maps in previous products — 6 mile per hex in Expert 1981 & 1983, then again in X10; 3 and 2 mile per hex in B10 — was not taken into account. Instead, the map was reconverted seemingly from scratch from the original 24 mile per hex map from X1, adding new terrain details appropriate to the scale. GAZ1’s designers were either unaware of previous maps, or did not have access to them — at least not until late in the process. As a result, the 8 mile per hex map has a great many conflicts with the 6 mile per hex maps.
How to reconcile these conflicts is a major question that has stymied my attempts multiple times over the years, making me throw up my hands in frustration, and causing me to walk away over and over again.
Lining Up GAZ1 with the 24 mile per hex maps
Although GAZ1 went back to X1 as a base for its map, the fit with the 24 mile per hex map was itself problematic. The western two thirds of Karameikos’ territory are a close fit, but the eastern third (five columns of hexes) is clearly out of sync — as if the overlay slipped during production. This can clearly be seen by overlaying the 24 mile per hex map’s national border on the 8 mile per hex map.
Observe how the border fits the western two thirds in the left-hand overlay, but is out of sync for the eastern third. Conversely, with X1 moved to match the eastern border as in the right-hand overlay, now only the eastern third of the nation is in sync.
Although this issue is undoubtedly irritating, it actually does not require a solution. It can instead be accepted as an incompatibility of scale between the 8 and 24 mile per hex maps. Simply put, the 8 mile per hex map shows things that the 24 mile per hex map is incapable of showing.
Note also that this issue was carried over into other Gazetteer maps, notably Ylaruam. This had a knock-on effect on Rockhome, Soderfjord, and Thyatis — the nations bordering Ylaruam and/or the problem area of Karameikos.
TM1 and TM2 set the whole region in stone, so there is no point in correcting any of this now. For our purposes here with GAZ1, it simply means that the relationship with X1 is complex. Here is a composite overlay using the properly-lined up parts of the two above images:
Let’s use this overlay to examine the newly-developed terrain of GAZ1 in relation to X1.
Terrain: GAZ1 vs. X1
Starting in the west, it may not be immediately obvious, but there are two hexes of clear terrain in X1 directly north of the Achelos Woods (in columns 1 and 2). Expert and other 6 mile per hex maps took these at face value, but GAZ1 changed them to hills. Similarly, the hex including Fort Doom has been detailed with the edge of the neighbouring swamp and more hills.
All of the southern plains — all clear hexes on X1’s map — have been changed to light forest. At the same time, the new heavy forest symbol has been used to represent the Achelos Woods and the Radlebb Woods in the west. Essentially, forest symbols on X1 became heavy forest in GAZ1.
This is not so consistent in the east and the Dymrak Forest, which has been given a less grid-conforming shape. The edges have been split into heavy and light forests, and at least two full hexes (columns 9 and 11) on the northern side of the forest have been changed to another type of terrain. The hex southeast of Kelvin is now solely light forest, while the hex further east is now hills.
GAZ1’s mountains are mostly a direct conversion, with most 24 mile hexes being composed solely of 8 mile mountain hexes. The exceptions are near Threshold. North-northwest of Threshold (column 6), the edge of the mountain has been changed to hills. This is the hex we would expect to find the Lost Valley in. Threshold’s hex (column 7) also has less mountains, and the hex northeast of it (column 8) is almost entirely hills.
Finally, it’s worth noting that there seems to have been a further alignment problem with the eastern mountains. The place I chose for my second overlay in fact does not align with all parts of the eastern border, as evidenced by the extension of the Zargash Mountains.
Settlements and Other Features: GAZ1 vs. Expert
To compare the positioning of other features, let’s refer to the Expert 24 mile per hex map from 1983. It is very similar to X1, but shows more of the settlements, as well as trails.
Once again, I have combined two separate overlays into a hybrid for easy reference. I chose a slightly different placement for this one, lining up using the Zargash Mountains rather than the eastern border.
A quick scan of the settlement icons reveals that the locations on the 8 mile per hex map are very close to those on the 24 mile per hex map. Note Luln, Specularum, Kelvin, Threshold, and indeed B2/Castellan Keep, all of which are exactly where you’d expect them to be if working from the 24 mile per hex map. This is the source of one of the main inconsistencies between the 8 and 6 mile per hex maps, because the 6 mile per hex maps were a lot freer with their placement of settlements — as you would expect from a larger scale, closer up map.
The rivers are slightly harder to make out, but it seems clear that GAZ1’s rivers were directly derived from Expert or X1’s rivers, with added details; Robin has pointed out that GAZ1’s rivers appear to be conformed to the 8 mile hex grid. Again, this causes problems when comparing with the larger scale maps, which added their own much finer details to the rivers, often changing their courses significantly from the 24 mile per hex map.
Finally, let’s look at the trails. Aside from the fact that GAZ1 has changed many of these into roads, and conformed the roads to the 8 mile hex grid, it seems obvious that this, too, is a direct derivation.
Lining Up GAZ1 with the 6 mile per hex maps
The conclusion from our examinations so far is simple: GAZ1 did not wilfully ignore the larger scale maps. Rather, it went back to the origin point, the 24 mile per hex maps, assuming them to be the best source. But neither did it ignore the 6 mile per hex maps entirely. It’s now time to delve into this relationship, and see what we can find.
GAZ1 vs. Mystara 1985
For simplicity’s sake, I am going to use my Karameikos, 6 miles per hex (1985) map for this comparison. I avoided using chronological maps for the 24 mile per hex comparison for the simple reason that those maps have been made consistent with the larger scale maps. In other words, on those 24 mile per hex maps the settlements have been shifted to match their locations on the 6 mile per hex maps. This is not the case with the latter, as they are the most detailed source available. Thus, the Mystara 1985 map is simply a synthesis of both Expert Set maps with the X10 map.
Here is the overlay:
As expected, the fit isn’t great, and we probably need a separate overlay for the east of the country. For now, this is good enough to be going on with.
Once again, let’s start off by looking at the terrain. As noted above, the clear terrain north of Achelos Woods on the 24 mile per hex map was also marked as clear terrain on the 6 mile per hex map. GAZ1 placed hills here. However, look closely and you can also see that the forest itself overlaps with the hills in a way that could be shown on the 8 mile per hex map.
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The Solution
To decide on a way forward among such a complex set of maps, it may be helpful to recall the principles of the Atlas, as well as my Let’s Map Mystara project. Two of the primary principles are the idea that larger scale maps override smaller scale maps, and that newer maps generally supersede older maps. The former is only natural, as larger scale maps usually provide far finer detail. Meanwhile, the latter idea is simply the acceptance of “progress”, without which there would never be a way forward at all.
In terms of GAZ1’s map, the clearest revelation in the above analysis is the idea that GAZ1 was based almost exclusively on 24 mile per hex maps. This means that GAZ1’s designers did not wilfully or deliberately ignore larger scale maps, and therefore the choices they made were not meant to override those maps, nor indeed to contradict them.
My conclusion from all of the above is that we should absolutely use the 6, 3, and 2 mile per hex maps from Mystara 1986 (derived of course from X1, Expert, X10, and B10) to revise and add detail to 1987’s 8 mile per hex map.
The caveat is that, since GAZ1 is the new map here, we should also take care to preserve any new details that it added.
So, with those principles, let’s get to it.
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The Revised Maps
Below are the revised maps for Mystara 1987 as they appear in the Atlas of Mystara.
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