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SirInkman — Airship Merlin
#airship #cartography #deckplan #deliverance #dm #encounter #fantasy #gaming #handdrawn #illustration #inkman #map #roleplay #rpg #ship #structure #topdown #vehicle #skybourne #jedward #johnstevenson #sirinkman
Published: 2018-06-18 14:12:17 +0000 UTC; Views: 16700; Favourites: 330; Downloads: 0
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Description
One of a set of maps I created for a client back in 2017.
The publication date was not certain, so I was told I could post them now rather than wait.
I will update with links when/if the game module goes to print. As of now, I have no link for the product.
The environment had a lot of airship travel and large desert regions.
Look for more from this series, Deliverance, in the next weeks.
If you enjoy my work and want to support it, check out my patreon - www.patreon.com/imaginebetterw…
Cheers, J
Edit - here's the sketches for the maps in this series...
Other bits....
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Comments: 33
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Beautiful work!
I'm rather unfamiliar with Fantasy Airships, so please don't be offended, but why do they have a ship hull in the first place?
Wouldn't it make more sense if the ships hull was... much more flat? So it could land more conveniently?
(stilll keep the top down profile of a ships hull)
Something like this ship:
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Hey Nhlaqgor
No worries. The client gave me a sketch of what they wanted and wanted me to elaborate on it.
Their sketch was of a sea bound vessel but lifted by balloons.
I think many people have a connection with this style of airship because it has been used in stories and movies.
I believe it started with Jules Verne. I am sure they used them in Treasure Planet.
I think Magic the Gathering had one called the Weatherlight.
So it's just something people like I guess.
I am very much into blimps and actual airships and of course alternate forms of lighter than air travel machines.
I've often thought that the whole thing with heavy sea vessels and the sails they use seemed a bit impractical.
So I basically agree with you, though I might even take it further and ditch the sails as terribly unwieldy up in the air, with various crosswinds and thermals and all.
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I see why ppl. want to have "ships" floating in the air and have them use sails (because it's just very cool).
But as you said, it is very impractical, so i though there needed to be a way to make the hull much lighter and more adapted to the ships use, making it more useful by having more choices to land, but still keep the characteristics of a classical sailing ship.
Heck there could even be some sort of cannon (or whatever magical equivalent a given fatasy world uses as artillery*) battles in the skies, that would be pretty awesome imo.
*there could be massive steam powered cannons for example, no need to have those fancy wizards in shiny robes throwing lighning bolts around.
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*sigh* This is going to sound like an hyperbole, but this reminds me of architectural blueprints.
Pal, you have a lot of potential to build an environment with precision and creativity.
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Thank you M5
I try to be as accurate as I can.
I still miss things.
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But hey, you still try. Now it is a matter of polishing your skills.
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It's a cute little ship great set of views for the layout. (Serious technical details aren't necessary at this stage. 
Technically, apart from theory of operation, wouldn't a way to see below clearly and safely be more important than so many crow's nests? Anyway, I will assume that the lower hatches and ramp are water-tight in case they need to put down at sea. (It may not get them to a safe port any faster, but it beats swimming.)
Thanks for more fun fantasy things that I really wish actually existed.
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People are bringing up a lot of good points about the functionality of this.
Stuff I hadn't really thought about. Mostly because with commissions you try not to spend too much time.
More time equals less income. But a lot of these points are insightful.
I always appreciate your comments FS
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Thanks Dr. D
I might be doing some more flying boats.
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I like it. I have always thought, though, that in adapting a water ship for air that the steering would be more likely from the bow, rather than the back deck, steering with a front rudder rather than a rear one. Much better visibility, especially while landing, if the steering station were below the bowsprit.
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Thanks Larry
Yeah, I agree that taking a sea borne vessel into the air wouldn't be the best choice.
But, it seems to be a well liked idea.
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There is a certain elegance to them, we must all admit. Against a fantasy background, it's easy to see them arising from ordinary water ships - like the flying boats of yesteryear, they could always land if there was water, no specific docking requirements. They would probably evolve in unlikely directions, and that makes them fun to imagine - like how they might look once they moved beyond the need of landing in water. Fun stuff.
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It's a neat looking design. The various rooms and crew quarters makes wonder how big it is.
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Thanks Gavin
The Hold level is about 20 feet wide.
The main deck is about 30 feet wide.
At main deck it's about 100 or so feet long.
So not particularly large. But comfy.
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This would be great for roleplaying as a group of player characters with a small NPC crew could run it.
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Like a mobile home
But cooler.
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You are correct Grant, and observant.
The client didn't specify and I wasn't aware of what sort of means they might use.
And the client was going into the armed forces and was out of contact for a good while.
And it sort of slipped through the carpet.
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Ah. Whatever, it could be just slapped on like an oversized outboard motor.
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I'm imagining them running wonky solar panels all over the balloons and duct taping cheap electric fans on the back of it. 
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Now I just have to attempt to calculate the maximum speed of a solar-powered airship...
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It would have to be so slow hehe
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Sweet! Who doesn't like a good airship design?
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Agreed
I love airships, mainly the standard ones.
But fantastical ones are cool too.
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Classical ships that sail through the air rather than water, the imagination just eats that up! It's something that most would dearly like to see for real, despite the obvious unfortunate limitations.
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Very true.
Coming in for a landing seems like it would be rough.
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Do you play Skyrim? It's nuts what you can do in that game with mods. There's a cool airship mod that I played with; getting it to dock next to something high so you could throw down a gangplank was very difficult, and that's with unrealistic controls and no winds! Seeing this makes me want to reinstall it again.
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I don't but apparently I should.
A lot of people have made reference to Skyrim.
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