While I was beginning to work through a pile of old games and papers today, one of the many that have haunted me for years and which (being ADHD) I really needed to spend some time clearing out, I found an old gem: a map.

Drawn on lined paper, this was created by my long-time gaming buddy, Ian, who was a stalwart member of the Friday Night Gamers from 1998 until the 2020 lockdown. Sadly, due to ill health within his family, he has been unable to return to play. In his honour, I wanted to show you this piece which I believe dates from somewhere around 2015.

Faulstieff was a city at the top of a mountain which stood astride the only pass for hundreds of miles. It was a location in one of my many fantasy worlds (honestly, I forget which one) and Ian was inspired to map it. One Friday night he asked if I minded if he drew the map and then, during play, he began. By Sunday evening he told me it was done. Amazing!

Even more amazing is that underneath the map I have found copies of a keyed photocopy and some hand-written notes that I haven’t had a chance to read (yet). It speaks to the incredible creativity of my friend and, it seems to me, desperately cries out to be added to a new world.

My feeling is that Ian’s work is incredible and worthy of saving. I think I will scan the notes and save them digitally, but I can’t help but feel that Faulstieff needs to find a new home in a new campaign world. To me, it’s a shame to almost lose such a great hand-drawn map to the recycling bin. It’s probably the reason I tend to pile this stuff up and hoard it.

Game on!