One-Planet-at-a-Time Quarterly News Update:  First Quarter, 2013


NEWS:  Greetings fellow world-builders, and Happy New Year!  OPaaT has come a long way and with 100+ members we are now a medium sized group.  In order to streamline collaborations within the group, I have set up a spreadsheet in order to facilitate art-for-art trades among our members ([link].  

For those of you who may be new to this ([link], the OPaaT Universe is set in the year 10,001 AD (last year it was 10,000 AD), and for now all new planets are being placed within the Sierra Sector Block ([link], which is within the Chaan Region ([link] of the Orion Arm ([link].  OPaaT is a shared universe, so if you submit art here it should fit somehow with the current universe and you should be okay with future artists placing links to your art in short stories as well as visual art.  No spam allowed!  

The Terran Region and the Chaan Region are connected via wormhole, as well as a number of other regions within the Trigalactic, but much of the space between the two regions is completely unexplored.  In order for it to make sense that the Sierra Sector Block is still somewhat of a frontier region, sector blocks should take approximately 50 years to explore, which means that if you do the math the Chaan Region was first discovered by humans in the year 9,750 AD.  FTL is a complex issue, and due to the importance of implementing the best paradigm possible, a moratorium on FTL details will be in effect until the year 2014.  Transit of starships between each of our worlds can take place in a timely manner, but the specifics as to how this all works will not be set in stone in the near future.  If anyone would like to offer suggestions for an OPaaT-specific FTL paradigm, please feel free to discuss this in the comments section below.  


Also, I would like to take this time to announce the winners of the Fourth Quarter Planet Contest:

1.  Minerva ([link] by ~morbiusgreen
2.  Derrickson’s Landing ([link] by *ILJackson
3.  Kanangar Prime ([link] by *JWArtwork


RESOURCE:  Now that we have a great neighborhood of planets, the next logical step is to work on making sure that we do a good job of developing these worlds before we start going crazy with trade routes and political intrigue.  As always, if you use a tutorial or template, please inform the original artist, provide a link in your description, and, when in doubt, obtain permission first.  Also, if you have ideas for other resources that may be of use, please feel free to post links for them in comments on the main group page.

1.  The Authors Guide To Drawing Maps ([link]
2.  Ranarh’s gallery of Tutorials ([link]
3.  Planet Reference/base ([link]
4.  Tear’s map tutorial at the Cartographers’ Guild ([link]
5.  Alien Species Template ([link]


CONTEST:  The next contest will evaluate all world maps submitted to the group before April, 2013, and will be evaluated based on quality as well as creativity.  One thing that I would like to point out is that annotation and links are two important aspects of cartography that are often neglected: Annotation can make the difference between a good map and a great map, and links in the descriptions increase the likelihood that viewers will stick around and keep looking at other interesting aspects of your world building project.  Also, just to be clear, this contest will only evaluate maps of the entire planet—settlement maps and interior maps will probably be evaluated in a much later contest.


GROUP HIGHLIGHT:  The World Builders’ Guild ([link] is a Super Group that was founded by Nate ([link] a year ago and in addition to cartography it is also a great place to find creatures, vehicles, environments, and much more.  One thing I really like about this group is that the admins do a great job in regards to quality control while also having a respectful attitude towards new artists. Below is a list of ten must-see deviations within the group:

1.  “Boreas” ([link] by ~arsheesh ([link]
2.  “Terra Antiqua” ([link] by *PhaeOBrien ([link]
3.  “Colonial Cavalry” ([link] by *Arcas-Art ([link]
4.   “VERDANTIA” ([link] by *Eydea ([link]
5.  “Scuttling Grizzly” ([link] by ~christopherburdett ([link]
6.  “Genius Loci:  Hall of Voices” ([link] by *Ranarh ([link]
7.   “Lost World” ([link] by *Dave-DK ([link]
8.  “Valacia – Regional Fantasy Map” ([link] by =Authsauce ([link]
9.  “Russian Merry-Go-Round” ([link] by ~gousman ([link]
10.  “Demera” ([link] by ~Luned ([link]


2012, Fourth Quarter News Update ([link]


3-31-13:  ~Zerraspace has been kind enough to do some research into the matter of FTL travel ([link].  If you have a similar proposal that is less than 1000 words then please write it in the comment section below.  However, if you have a proposal that is between 1000-5000 words then feel free to send me a note and I will amend the actual journal entry with a link to your proposal just as I did in this case.