I have this idea, inspired by my love and interest in the Ancient World, to play a fantasy with the tone and flavour of the ancient near-East, ancient Greeks, and Mesopotamia. This idea re-occurs in my consciousness and yesterday was one of the times I acted upon it.

I awoke with the vision of a bronze-clad warrior carrying a spear, figure-eight shield, and short stabbing sword. I decided I would explore such a character and decided to use Brian Jamison’s methodology to create a character.

Before you can even start with the character, however, Jamison encourages you to sketch out the setting. I spent about an hour making notes on the imagined fantasy culture and society this character might arise within.

Right at the end of that first creative process, when considering the idea of finding or sketching a map, I remembered that I already have one. Back in 2012, the last time this idea of playing the in Ancient World got me creating ideas, I had a pair of full-colour maps made. I printed them out.

It amazes me still how the patterns of our fantasy keep playing themselves out. I’ve been here before and even though that game 12 years ago didn’t work out, there’s nothing to stop me re-using the maps and reimagining the World.

Why do we keep returning to some ideas? My theory is that certain patterns demand to find expression. The manner in which we give birth and life to these patterns is ours to determine but find expression they will. Perhaps it’s the Muse. I really can’t be sure.

What I know is that finding those maps brought me joy. Recovering the images and printing them off grounded the ideas I had written down and gave them form. It was a short step to begin to imagine that warrior who arises from that particular place and imagined time.

Game on!