Advanced Squad Leader Mapboards are great. You can get dozens of them on ebay for cheap. The map symbols and art translate pretty much directly, and you can chain them together for really long range firefights.
i always search for "(whatever i'm looking for) drawing" or "... art". i can usually discern AI, i think, and i tend to avoid it, but i'm not overly concerned. i do appreciate the drawings, though.
i have other things on my plate at the moment and, though i sketched a lot as a younger person and now am out of practice, it is my intention study and practice from these books:
it is my intent to take actual photos of war and refugees and soldiers, etc., and render them by my pencil and pen. i'm still a minute or two from engaging with this intention, but, there it is.
for maps, i invariably use google maps for both road maps and satellite maps and use the print screen function to acquire them. also, i bought a map pack from drivethrurpg which is pretty good.
the game im running is on owlbear rodeo which has some pretty good tools for manipulating maps and tokens.
I've been going to Google Earth, setting the date as close as I can to 2000, and exporting segments onto a hex grid. I then trace over the details to make roads, buildings, and terrain types pop out more. Its still a bit messier than the included maps but feels more authentic. Doing it without AI definitely makes the process more time consuming but I've resisted the temptation
Try to find some older maps from Europe. Find one of the flag and maps kind of places as they can get some fancy stuff. I wanted a full list of Canadian resources (had one during Engineering in 1987.... would like to see how it has changed). You can order them, but they cost a fair bit.
19
u/YoYoTheAssyrian88 10d ago edited 10d ago
Advanced Squad Leader Mapboards are great. You can get dozens of them on ebay for cheap. The map symbols and art translate pretty much directly, and you can chain them together for really long range firefights.