Great Waste, 24 miles per hex (1983)

The Great Waste was the first area added to Mystara outside the Known World. Actually, X4’s map finished off the western edge of the Known World, providing the first view of the other half of Atruaghin, as well as Darokin’s far western border, before expanding out into the Sind Desert. Since it’s a desert, the map ended up being rather empty, although the module’s titular “Desert Nomads” presumably inhabit at least some of the spaces of this map.

The most problematic part of this first land expansion was of course the join between X1’s map and X4’s. It’s not quite as explicit as it could have been, as there was no overlap between the maps — though even establishing this basic fact is a little difficult. Maps in later years would confirm the placement, of course, but as of 1983 it has to be considered that any of a number of options could have been thought equally valid.

The western edge of the map, where X5’s Hule joins on, posed its own slightly different problems. There was an overlap between those two, but it unfortunately presented different terrain on each map, making it harder than it should have been.

Of course, the map below presents a reconciled version of both of these issues.

Chronological Map (August 2021)

This map is part of the Mystara 1983 series of chronological maps. It is an updated map, incorporating all available sources and made internally consistent with other maps in its series. But it only uses sources published in or before 1983.

For more information, see Appendix C: Cartographic Chronology.

Sources

• Mystara 1982
  • Known World, 24 miles per hex (1982)
• Expert Rulebook (1983) (PDF at DriveThruRPG)
  • Known World, 24 miles per hex
  • Legend
• X1 The Isle of Dread (1983)
  • Known World, 24 miles per hex
• X4 Master of the Desert Nomads (1983) (PDF at DriveThruRPG)
  • Great Waste, 24 miles per hex
• X5 Temple of Death (1983) (PDF at DriveThruRPG)
  • Hule, 24 miles per hex

Revisions

For detailed notes, see the posts for each individual source map at the links above.

• Terrain — The primary revisions involve reconciling the left and right edges of the map, where it joins up with Hule and the Known World respectively. There were a number of conflicting hexes, especially on the left-hand edge with Hule, and the Atlas has gone with whichever seemed most interesting and fit the best.

References

1. Let’s Map Mystara 1983 — the original project thread for this map
2. Let’s Map Mystara Together discussion thread at The Piazza (link leads to this map’s post)
3. Central Brun, Adri Varma Plateau, Black Mountains, The Plain of Fire and The Sind Desert, and Sind at the Vaults of PandiusSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSave

Past and Future Versions of this Map