Parchment Map Background

If you've been keeping an eye on the CMG Blog Triad, then you know I've been preparing a new campaign setting for release in October called the Grymvald Campaign Setting.  Grymvald is the second smallest of five continents in my campaign world, one that has served me well for about thirty-seven years since I began GMing shortly after the first RPG was released back in 1974.  It's a good starting point for a campaign as it is populated by all of the major player character species options in my campaign as well as plenty of creatures and challenges for years and years of gaming.

Since the final play-through of the Medieval Fantasy Wargame and Roleplaying System, due for release in October, is currently underway, I wanted to redo some of the maps that I'll be using, particularly what the players will get to see.  Even though I am a firm believer that a GM should homebrew a setting of their very own I also recognize that not everyone has the time to spend to get things just right.  Naturally, it makes sense then for me to concurrently release a ready-made setting in the form of the Grymvald Campaign Setting along with a Grymvald Gazatteer and Player's Guide to accompany the GM's material.

In my efforts to find a good tutotial for Photoshop to produce a parchment background, I came across this YouTube video I thought I would share with would-be cartographers.  I use NBOS Fractal Mapper 8 for the map details but use Photoshop for the background and some detailing afterwards then do the labeling using InDesign from Adobe Software.  I hope you find it as useful as I do.  It's pretty simple but you can see how easily you can take what you will learn and go a few steps further to make something really stunning.  Have at it!