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Author Topic: Brennenburg: The development of an Imperial town  (Read 19414 times)

Offline wissenlander

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Brennenburg: The development of an Imperial town
« on: February 23, 2009, 02:08:32 AM »
“Ah, welcome, welcome!  I trust your travels have seen you well, hmm? 

I know you have heard many things of Wissenland…well, no, probably not,” began a rather thin elderly man.  “Ours is a province seldom spoken of.  We have long been abandoned by the Countess. She has not been the first and undoubtedly, she won’t be the last to do so.  Seldom are we given credit for anything but the fall of Solland,” he spat on the ground after saying this.  The shame of that time still lingered in the land, especially here.

“Our people are hardy though.  We need to be in order to survive,” he waved his hand gesturing you to follow.  “We rarely get help from Reikland or Averland…or Sigmar forbid Nuln!  They’re all too concerned with their dances and fancy living to worry about us,” again he spat.  “Bah, forget the lot.  We can handle the roving bands of goblins just fine,” shaking his head while looking at the muddy ground the man sighed as if he were in pain.

Looking up after a moment he began to stroke his long grey beard, then again gesturing for you to follow while stretching out his open arm towards the town.  With pride in his voice he proclaimed, “This is Brennenburg!”

You look up to see rather large walls, about fifteen, or so feet and the old man immediately picks up on your inquisitive eyes.

“Eighteen feet tall, four feet thick,” the man says as he begins to hobble down the road.  “Dwarfen construction, sturdy as you’ll ever find.  Took from 2075 to 2086 to complete it, by that time some of the Dwarfs settled down here and called her home,” the old man smiled.

“Oh, I have not properly introduced myself!  My apologies.  I am Jorg Becker,” he bowed slightly.  “At your service.  I hope you enjoy your stay with us.  Now let’s enter the town.”


----------------------------

This is my attempt to compile, in one place, the majority of my work with the town I have created.  Hopefully this will provide some inspiration for others, as well as myself.  For a little while now, my creativity within the hobby has dried up and I hope this will rekindle the drive I had.  I think I owe it to those few who actually keep up with my ramblings to finish up some stuff I should've already finished.

« Last Edit: February 24, 2009, 09:00:44 PM by wissenlander »
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Offline wissenlander

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Re: Brennenburg: The development of an Imperial town
« Reply #1 on: February 23, 2009, 02:32:11 AM »
The Reason

When I first started, I decided I wanted a detailed backdrop for my army and wanted a town where the majority of my troops could call home.  My first thought was Pfeildorf, and I quickly found (at the time) little information about the town.  This was a problem as I would still have to create the story.  I didn't really want to have anything happen down the line where all of my efforts could be erased with a new publication.

To some this isn't a problem, but I like to have my fluff fit in with that of the game as much as I possibly can.  I know I'm anal, but I have fun with it. 

The best thing I could do to remedy the situation was to create my own town.  It was an exciting and daunting task to say the least.  The thing that I can say to anyone who wants to do something similiar is to just start small and it quickly snowballs.  You'll be surprised how much stuff you can get assembled in a relatively short amount of time.  And don't worry if you change your mind on multiple occasions.

The Start

I didn't want to create a town that would be more prominent than any other town in the province.  Coming from Wissenland, it wouldn't take much to outshine Wissenburg or Pfeildorf, unfortunately.  Sigmar's Heirs helped out a lot with this aspect (though it came later than a good deal of my opening fluff).  Not everything lives and dies by that book, but it did a good job of keeping me in check, I think.

Other things I considered were where would be a good spot for a moderate sized town that shouldn't be messed with too much if fluff were to be changed and then the name.  I knew I wanted a fortress town so the 'burg' aspect was something I wanted to incorporate.  I also liked the idea of the creating the town from the destruction wrought by the invasion of WAAAGH Gorbad.  This is another one of my moments, where I didn't want to just stick a fortress somewhere where it shouldn't go just to have one.   But reviving the destroyed fort in a nearby spot was a logical next step for an Elector, I thought.  Thus the birth of Brennenburg (translated 'burned fort').



The area in red is the area in which I decided was an apt spot for my town/fortress.  This spot, however, wasn't the initial area but once I saw the updated map it wasn't much to fill in the gap.  The junction of two rivers was too good a spot to leave vacant.  My original location for the town was roughly where Ellwangen is.

Any questions, comments or criticisms of my nonsense are welcome.
« Last Edit: February 23, 2009, 12:42:11 PM by wissenlander »
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Offline Karl Voss of Averland

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Re: Brennenburg: The development of an Imperial town
« Reply #2 on: February 23, 2009, 03:29:35 AM »
Quote
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Offline neverness

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Re: Brennenburg: The development of an Imperial town
« Reply #3 on: February 23, 2009, 04:11:20 AM »
 :eusa_clap:

Please continue!

I've been hoping to see more of this stuff from you! Other than routing those so-called "Sollanders" I've not seen much fluffy stuff from you since that "Crisis in Marienburg" fiasco (We showed them, 'ey?) and hope you have more.

Offline scarletsquig

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Re: Brennenburg: The development of an Imperial town
« Reply #4 on: February 23, 2009, 05:35:40 AM »
Interesting. With the whole area in a bit of a mess, access to some of the more advanced technology might be difficult. I hear the bit about no-one fom the northern cities caring for the place, but that said.. you could have a Nuln contingent present in the town to handle the artillery, after shipping it downriver. Naturally, they'd be horribly aloof and repeatedly remind the "peasent scum" residents that without their guns, the place would be overrun with ease. It could even be used as a testing ground for new inventions, with much loss of life... might be good to create a bit of tension.

Alternatively, dwarves can handle the artillery.

It's right on the border with Averland, so you could have a few different provinces and city-states vying for influence there. Simple border expansion/ protection.

What kind of religious backdrop are you thinking of for the area?
« Last Edit: February 23, 2009, 05:47:10 AM by scarletsquig »

Offline wissenlander

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Re: Brennenburg: The development of an Imperial town
« Reply #5 on: February 23, 2009, 12:49:13 PM »
Thanks guys.

What kind of religious backdrop are you thinking of for the area?

Sigmar's Heirs states that Wissenland is a very religious province, and homage is paid to all gods.  That's basically the stance I have taken with my town with Sigmar being the most influential.  There is the celebration of certain 'saints' of the local area as well.  I'll compile a synopsis of the standing of each god in the town and pertanent information about the prominent saints.  I shall add that to my 'to-do' list. :wink:

Your other statements are somewhat in development, though it's already been plotted in my head for the most part.
« Last Edit: February 23, 2009, 01:29:41 PM by wissenlander »
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Offline wissenlander

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Re: Brennenburg: The development of an Imperial town
« Reply #6 on: February 23, 2009, 01:02:58 PM »
The Map

Writing some stories based on your town it becomes almost necessary to have a decent map at hand to keep yourself straight.  This was the most recent project I've completed though I've been working on it for over a year, at least.  I'm sure there will be changes to it. 

Paint had a lot of restrictions to it, and I was told that photoshop or some other program would be much easier, but I don't have it and I never could figure out how to use it when I did have access to it.  That made this project a labor of love (and hate).

It may be difficult to see some of the numbers and letters, I tried to make them as gaudy and identifiable as I could.  Any questions, feel free to ask.




1. Rabenheim Castle
2. Marshalling ground
3. Barracks
4. Greatsword Barracks

Temples/Shrines/Statues
5. Temple of Sigmar
6. Shrine to Morr
7. Burial grounds
8. Shrine to Taal and Rhya
9. Temple of Verena &  Shrine of Shallya
10. Shrine to Ranald
11. Statue of Reinhard
12. Shrine to Myrmidia

Zwergstadt
13. Grung’s Ale Trove
14. Dwarf shrines

Taverns and Inns
15. Red Oak Inn
16. The River Rat
17. The Dented Helm
18. Dark Horse Inn
19. Cracked Mug

Miscellaneous
20. South Road
21. East Road
22. Ferry
23. Upper Reik Harbor
24. Oggel Harbor
25. Market
26. Altman Gunnar’s Estate
27. Golfarber Park
28. Olenbay Park
29. Schmutzpark
30. Ruins of the old fort

Districts
A. Wool Trade
B. Zergstadt (Dwarf)
C. Armenviertel (poor)
D. Speckgurtel (wealthy)
E. Burgerstadt (middle class)
F. Docking warehouses

I tried to mix in as much German as I could.  I apologize to the German language for my butchering.
« Last Edit: March 02, 2009, 01:47:37 PM by wissenlander »
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Offline Dunrik

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Offline warhammerlord_soth

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Re: Brennenburg: The development of an Imperial town
« Reply #8 on: February 23, 2009, 02:16:17 PM »
Have one  on Midaski's tab.  :::cheers:::
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Offline neverness

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Re: Brennenburg: The development of an Imperial town
« Reply #9 on: February 23, 2009, 02:36:47 PM »
That map looks great!  :eusa_clap: Have you tried a bright yellow or white for the numbers? I don't think the pink contrasts sharply enough (unless that was what you didn't want).

I think I pointed it out to you months ago, but have you had the oppurtunity to read Rungfang yet? It's been a decent read so far and I've learned quite a lot about Wissenland and the character of it's citizens from it.
« Last Edit: February 23, 2009, 02:54:29 PM by neverness »

Offline rufus sparkfire

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Re: Brennenburg: The development of an Imperial town
« Reply #10 on: February 23, 2009, 02:45:59 PM »
Nice map!

I find it easier to draw something like that by hand and then scan it in though...
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Offline wissenlander

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Re: Brennenburg: The development of an Imperial town
« Reply #11 on: February 23, 2009, 03:14:11 PM »
@ Neverness:  Yellow didn't contrast very well, unfortunately. :icon_sad:  I didn't try white, though.  I've yet to read Runefang but it is on my short list of GW books I want to.

@ rufus:  I think you're right about that.  I had originally sketched out a map on paper but for some reason I just gave up on it and went to the computer.  I can never seem to find scanners either. :|

Something I forgot to mention though, was that to get a decent starting image, I actually downloaded a 'town generator'.  It helped out with a lot of the minutia.
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Offline GamesPoet

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Re: Brennenburg: The development of an Imperial town
« Reply #12 on: February 23, 2009, 03:51:55 PM »
Excellent map! :icon_biggrin: :icon_cool: :eusa_clap:

Gives important places, some overall themes, and space for additional development if desired.

Maps, and calendars, and events give a framework for the characters and there stories.

This kind of thing brings up questions about things like ... were the founders of the Cracked Mug and Dented Helm related, who is Altman Gunnar, and who are the Golfarber and Versmutz parks named after.  And it's ok if answers to these questions aren't clear, that's part of what makes these kinds of things continually interesting.  Such stories and what ever else might develop over time keep readers coming back for more.

Impressive. :::cheers::: :::cheers::: :::cheers:::
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Offline Uryens de Crux

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Re: Brennenburg: The development of an Imperial town
« Reply #13 on: February 23, 2009, 03:57:32 PM »
Great stuff  :::cheers:::

And you have pre-empted me and inspired me at the same time to do something similar

town generator you say...linky?
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Offline wissenlander

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Re: Brennenburg: The development of an Imperial town
« Reply #14 on: February 23, 2009, 06:46:07 PM »
I can tell you that Verschmutz means bedraggled in German.  Or at least that's what the translator said.  So basically it's the park for the bedraggled folk in town.

I've looked online for that site for the generator but I've come up with nothing.  I think the site is dead as some of the places that have linked to it don't work either.  It was actually a downloadable program, though, and if I'm lucky I may still have it on my work computer.  I'll have to give it a look.

I've been searching google for anything similiar but that seemed to be the only one that would produce a map.  Every other town generator gives you details of the town but no map.  If I find anything I'll be sure to post it here.
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Offline The Grissenlander

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Re: Brennenburg: The development of an Imperial town
« Reply #15 on: February 23, 2009, 07:14:25 PM »
very nice! (Borat style)

Though i don;t have the time or energy to do a map like that for Grissendorf

Offline Midaski

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Re: Brennenburg: The development of an Imperial town
« Reply #16 on: February 23, 2009, 07:23:04 PM »
I finished reading Runefang last week.

Strange book - it's the first C.L.Werner book I've read, and so I cannot comment if it's his normal style.

For me it was a very average read, evidenced by the fact that I had been reading it for a few weeks,  without the urge to finish it.

It takes a while to get going, lots of character introduction, several of which turn out to be of little consequence, and I kept wondering who was going to be the book's hero, and I was still wondering with just a few pages to go ...........  :engel:

There are a couple of runefangs around, and there are a couple of twists. Most of the plot is guessable. The fight scenes are numerous and reasonable - some better than others - the orcs leading the way.

Around 6/10.
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Offline rufus sparkfire

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Re: Brennenburg: The development of an Imperial town
« Reply #17 on: February 23, 2009, 10:48:53 PM »
This kind of thing brings up questions about things like ... were the founders of the Cracked Mug and Dented Helm related, who is Altman Gunnar, and who are the Golfarber and Versmutz parks named after.  And it's ok if answers to these questions aren't clear, that's part of what makes these kinds of things continually interesting.  Such stories and what ever else might develop over time keep readers coming back for more.

I think it's better not to answer that sort of question. If you can imply history and depth in a fictional setting without actually having to spell it out, you are doing a good job as a writer.
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Offline Dunrik

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Re: Brennenburg: The development of an Imperial town
« Reply #18 on: February 23, 2009, 10:59:18 PM »
This kind of thing brings up questions about things like ... were the founders of the Cracked Mug and Dented Helm related, who is Altman Gunnar, and who are the Golfarber and Versmutz parks named after.  And it's ok if answers to these questions aren't clear, that's part of what makes these kinds of things continually interesting.  Such stories and what ever else might develop over time keep readers coming back for more.

I think it's better not to answer that sort of question. If you can imply history and depth in a fictional setting without actually having to spell it out, you are doing a good job as a writer.
agreed. When all the question have been answered, and there is no mystery back, the interest will drop in no time. It is the constant seeking of more information that makes it interesting. You might go more into it, but even how much I want you to do it :wink: don't tell it all :wink:
Cheers

Dunrik
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Offline rufus sparkfire

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Re: Brennenburg: The development of an Imperial town
« Reply #19 on: February 23, 2009, 11:07:07 PM »
Readers rarely want what they say (or think) they want from a writer.  :icon_smile:
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Offline GamesPoet

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Re: Brennenburg: The development of an Imperial town
« Reply #20 on: February 24, 2009, 12:08:23 AM »
This kind of thing brings up questions about things like ... were the founders of the Cracked Mug and Dented Helm related, who is Altman Gunnar, and who are the Golfarber and Versmutz parks named after.  And it's ok if answers to these questions aren't clear, that's part of what makes these kinds of things continually interesting.  Such stories and what ever else might develop over time keep readers coming back for more.
I think it's better not to answer that sort of question. If you can imply history and depth in a fictional setting without actually having to spell it out, you are doing a good job as a writer.
agreed. When all the question have been answered, and there is no mystery back, the interest will drop in no time. It is the constant seeking of more information that makes it interesting. You might go more into it, but even how much I want you to do it :wink: don't tell it all :wink:
Cheers

Dunrik
I didn't suggest answering all questions.  Yet as questions are answered, it could be wise to have situations that pose more questions.  It could be the combination of the two that can keep readers coming back for more, for it is the nature of humans to seek out answers, but it is the nature of the world to keep posing more questions. :icon_cool:
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"The beauty of curiosity and creativity is so much more useful than the passion of fear." me

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Offline wissenlander

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Re: Brennenburg: The development of an Imperial town
« Reply #21 on: February 24, 2009, 02:17:26 PM »
If you can imply history and depth in a fictional setting without actually having to spell it out, you are doing a good job as a writer.

I hope I've been able to pull that off. 

I don't mind letting the source for the Verschmutz out though as it's a dictionary search, basically.  Plus it's a funny sounding word. :icon_lol:

And I've definitely deleted that one town map generator, though I do have another that isn't as good.  I can email it to anyone who is interested.  Just PM me.
« Last Edit: February 24, 2009, 02:21:41 PM by wissenlander »
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Offline Alaak

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Re: Brennenburg: The development of an Imperial town
« Reply #22 on: March 01, 2009, 11:32:40 PM »
The Map

Writing some stories based on your town it becomes almost necessary to have a decent map at hand to keep yourself straight.  This was the most recent project I've completed though I've been working on it for over a year, at least.  I'm sure there will be changes to it. 

Paint had a lot of restrictions to it, and I was told that photoshop or some other program would be much easier, but I don't have it and I never could figure out how to use it when I did have access to it.  That made this project a labor of love (and hate).

Do you know this nice tool, which is designed for roleplaying maps? http://www.profantasy.com/products/cd3.asp
With this tool you can create amazing city maps in no time.

To fight for my native tongue I may give you some advice on the german words you are trying to use. ^^
1. Rabeheim Castle - Rabenheim Castle
...
29. Vershmutzpark - Better use "Dreckpark" or "Schmutzpark". "Verschmutz" sounds a little odd in german. I don't know which translator you took, but the actual word is "verschmutzen" or "verschmutzt". It means that someone puts dirt ("Dreck" or "Schmutz") somewhere.

D. Speckgurtel (wealthy) - Speckgürtel (You propably don't have this "ü" on your keyboard.)
E. Mittlestanderstadt (middle class) - Mittelständlerstadt. Something like "Bürgerstadt" would sound more appropriate I think.
...

Offline wissenlander

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Re: Brennenburg: The development of an Imperial town
« Reply #23 on: March 02, 2009, 01:41:55 PM »
That software looks amazing.  Perhaps, one day, I'll have a go at that.

Thanks for the translation help!  And yes, I unfortunately lack the umlaut button on my keyboard.
« Last Edit: March 02, 2009, 01:48:15 PM by wissenlander »
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Offline Uryens de Crux

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Re: Brennenburg: The development of an Imperial town
« Reply #24 on: March 02, 2009, 02:22:21 PM »
ProFantasy's Campaign Cartographer is a very powerful mapping tool, the problem it has, in my experience, is that it is a piece of CAD software, and as such is actually very unhelpful and not at all user friendly.

Over the editions the map icons have got better looking, to an extent, but its interface, ease of use, flexibility and such like really havent improved. I am sure if you were a CAD operator, its a breeze, as a casual map making player its a waste of time and money.

All my opinion of course, based on my experiences with it.

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