Create Infinite Maps with Watabou's Procgen Arcana

[@PKQuix]

Credit where credit is due: Mike Schley is the artist behind all of those classic 5e maps that WotC uses!

[@Mystic-Arts-DM]

Absolutely right! Thanks for pointing it out. Everyone head on over to mikeschley.com/portfolio for his maps in high-res quality... including loads that I haven't seen in any books! Fantastic artist! And he sells prints!

[@Atrivion]

Yea, he's great. He also has a symbol style for the Profantasy map maker CC3+, which I use for all my maps for my campaigns. It makes them feel almost official lol

[@DoctorDroplet]

@@Atrivion As another CC3+ user, I second this comment. CC3+ has a steep learning curve, but once you get the hang of it you have so much flexibility.

[@jamesripley8031]

“My disagreements reveal my opinions.” This is such an incredibly valuable piece of advice, not only for RPG things, but for life as a whole.

[@Na16Patman]

That interruption is insane. Never in my life would I have believed what you were going to move the camera to. That's awesome!

[@Mystic-Arts-DM]

It really happened!

[@thoragunn_art]

One proud mom here and can I say: Biggest fan of your work dear D and AB! The quality of your material is outstanding and since not being a D&D fan and yet so excited to watch says it all

[@Mystic-Arts-DM]

Takk, Mamma! - Daði

[@EcoRV]

Awwww so sweet. ^_^

[@kdanielstark]

What I really appreciate about what you have been doing in these videos are that you come from a filmmaking background and in that world you see endless content saying "never do this." "10 things you should always do." And those rules are just click bait and in no way resemble reality in a strict way for people making films. You teaching the DM tips you want to teach while not claiming you have THE answer is refreshing. It's inspiration, not limitation.

[@processedsoy]

This is a huge takeaway, nailed it

[@MrHamr]

Casual Volcano was a good reminder to finish my session prep and stop procrastinating, thanks!

[@mecha-sheep7674]

- "Sorry guys, I could not finish the preps before the end of the world... But hey, at least we can check if those mob rules are realistic when applied to zombies..." -"shut up and run !"

[@mythdweller]

How? How is it that you post this exactly on the day that I'm in a rush to prepare a dungeon that my players may or may not teleport to tomorrow?! I'm so in love with your channel.

[@jollaffle]

Watabou's work is incredible. I've been using these tools for years, and they deserve way more recognition.

[@tomponist]

What great timing, as I was just procrastinating on getting started on a large settlement my PC's are about to reach in a session or 2, Daði and Anna come through. Also - that casual *an actual VOLCANO erupts* was crazy.

[@Mystic-Arts-DM]

We live in the land of fire and ice but lately it's mostly been fire.

[@CourtIsAdjourned]

This has been one of my favorite discoveries! I've been running / playing TTRPGs for 4 decades, and I marvel at the wide array of truly amazing creative tools that have cropped up in the last handful of years. They really accelerate my prep, while also adding several layers of polish over what I could do by hand back in the 80s.

[@UnluckyJipJon]

Brooother! Amazing content. You just blew my mind with the "generate multiple maps and stitch them in PS" idea. I've not been able to make the city map I have in my brain, and I've tried to from scratch with PS brushes and such. I'm going to give this a whirl! Thank you!

[@SiggiP95]

First of all nice shirt DM! I can't believe you included the eruption, I thought that we're all just to desensitized by now. Thank you for this tool or showing it to us, I'll be sure to check it out

[@metajock]

Totally agree that Procgen rocks. My current world was almost entirely done using it. I love using the random town generation, gives me lots to work with.

[@ChristopherPolack]

Casual volcano reference at 7:34

[@Mystic-Arts-DM]

Classic Icelandic lifestyle, tbh

[@ch355_]

thank you, seriously, thank you. i paused the video mid view to try it out, and it is amazingly good

[@hadley852]

Dadi these videos are wonderful, I'm loving how these really feel like someone just sitting down to have a chat with you, rather than forcing their ideas of what "good" or "bad" DMing is. Genuinely inspiring, thank you

[@Tysto]

I used to like 6-mile hexes, but now i just do a realm map with 18-mile hexes & use Perilous Shores with 1-mile hexes, which illustrates one of the 18-mile hexes on my big map. Each PS map can have one or two adventures, & then the heroes are off to another area. The only drawback is that PS doesn’t take manorial land (farms) into account. Every town should be surrounded by miles fields.

[@Mystic-Arts-DM]

That's also a really neat of way of doing things, thanks for sharing!

[@Custos43]

This solved soooo many of the "overwhelmed" problems i've had with making my world come together. I was able to, with a little time, create maps that matched what i needed close enough to be useful. They didn't match exactly what i had in mind, but it was so close that it only took a little adjustment to get right, and saved me HOURS of time. 10/10

[@Zebwak]

Holy Hells dude, these generators are so clean and quick and customizable. A gods send for the marriage between time efficiency and creative freedom.

[@KincaidDeWayne]

I found this online tool quite a while ago when there was only one or two generators, and though I immediately recognized how useful it could be... I kind of forgot about it. Thanks so much for bringing this back to the forefront of my attention and showing how many new generators and awesome customization tools there are now!

[@jamesripley8031]

I'm in the same boat. The tools sounded familiar, and when I started typing in the web address it was already saved in my history, haha! I'm having fun tinkering with it. My upcoming campaign is in an existing world with established maps and lore, so I doubt I'll use this in the short term, but it's a good tool to have in the back pocket

[@ziztark]

Absolutely fantastic videos, super glad to see this channel grow quickly because it is so deserved. So much inspiration and great advice here for my games. Thank you!

[@iibwenbwenii2088]

Absolute cinema, perfect to help me prep the session I've been putting off all week

[@ZeldaFan2004]

Thank you so much for showcasing this. I had no idea it existed and I will get so much milage out of this!

[@kadmii]

really feels like those watabou generators have really expanded in features and so many more than I remember. Really cool feature rundown

[@MondkindVonFlauschen]

Your Channel really skyrocketed into my recommendations, and I am so here for it.

[@georgegonzalezm.8393]

The only thing I love more than these videos and his voice are his shirts!!! Geetings from Taipei!

[@GaneshTulshibagwale]

I tried my hand at a dungeon generator for my master's degree final project. None of my team or my professors had heard of procedural generation or the concept of a dungeon, so I ended up preparing a booklet of explanations and references, and I'm pretty sure I used watabou's stuff in it, alongside donjon and a bunch of other academic papers (Joris Dormans' work and similar things).

[@tugman1234]

This channel is incredible. You guys are definitely onto something. Keep it up.

[@christophermwalsh]

I've been getting back into TTRPGs, and DMing specifically, after about a 20-year break, and your videos have been SO HELPFUL. Fun and inspiring stuff. Plus, and actual volcano eruption! How much more fantastical can you get? Keep up the great work!

[@derrickthomasjr.7371]

You’re seriously helping me a lot with my games

[@truehalixon6356]

I've been eating up every upload, love your guys' videos! Seriously helpful stuff, even for long time DMs! Keep it up!

[@ForeverGM659]

Oh man! This is the best map tool I've ever seen! So great to be able to tweak things instead of just having to reroll something that was ALMOST perfect (and never getting that close again). Genius. The developer is a genius. And you are too for sharing this with us all! Thank you!

[@Viljarms]

If you want to create a whole world there's "Azgaar's Fantasy Map Generator"

[@bthanbeethan5590]

I’m very happy that you’re videos ended up my recommendations

[@ericpatrick2779]

I found the dwelling generator quite handy for my Fallout 2d20 games. All I had to do was rename some rooms and make use of the color customization to create floor plans in the same style as Pip-boy maps. The fact that you can export the results as either svg (scalable vector graphics) or png files make it extremely handy to work with programs like Inkscape, Gimp, Clips Studio Paint, Photoshop, Krita, or my favorite go-to, Blender.

[@TheStonehammerFiles]

This is literally game changing. I'm really glad I stumbled onto this video!

[@Fatewing_]

you make amazing, easy to digest content i enjoy a lot - but i still learn something, each time i watch one of your videos! keep up the amazing work! go iceland!!!!!!

[@rainyrayn]

This timing couldn’t be more perfect. I’m running an inspired version of your guys All Hail Gek! Campaign for new players and I was literally just searching for a map maker🎉

[@Mystic-Arts-DM]

Very cool. Hope it's useful to you!

[@BlackGarland]

My guy, you just made a great video earlier this week. GET SOME SLEEP AND STAY HEALTHY

[@Mystic-Arts-DM]

Who needs sleep when you want to show the world some neat stuff???

[@GabeTetrault]

Thanks for pointing out this great tool! Loving your videos!

[@CantRIP9389]

Love your stuff. Every video has value, and even when it's not a new idea for me your delivery/presentation keeps me entertained. Map tool is definitely one of the best.

[@dswenneker]

Didn't watch the video yet, but instant like! You always upload when I'm just done with work and commuting home. Thanks!

[@SmashmanVideos]

Daði and Anna, thanks for such excellent videos. I've been DMing for a long time but I'm still looking forward to putting your suggestions into practice. Thank you!

[@LukeStrife]

Great recommendations, thank you both!

[@Ok-Runki]

Dude doesn't quit releasing bangers

[@BobIrving2]

Woohoo! Great stuff; I've never heard of this but it might be just what this non-artistic lazy dm needs!

[@Luelle18]

Yoo! I'm glad the channel is popping off! Really enjoy your videos, I started DnD at the start of the pandemic and started my own table campaign vew months after. Worldbuilding became my go to recreational activity REALLY fast. I used the city and dungeon editor you previewed, but didn't know about the others. Hope the Region Editor allowes me to make a cool accapelligo map. Ship travel time is up for my players :D

[@lukasbernhardt6720]

ANOTHER VIDEOOO LETS GOOO Cant you upload every 3 hours pls? Makes every Multiverse a better place

[@MarcWagner75]

Really enjoying your content! I didn’t realize you were in Iceland. We visited last year and it was amazing!

[@Mystic-Arts-DM]

Yup, we're both from here. Glad you had a good time!

[@davethepak]

Great video. Any suggestions for sci-fi generators? Although, it looks like with just removing a few things here and there - (citadel, walls, etc.) many of these could be used for sci - if, maybe with just some minor post editing (like power plant or starport). It would be pretty easy with just some artwork changes to transform some of the region wide maps as well. thanks for the video - oh, and pretty cool (so to speak) on the volcano!!!

[@prahxersphere7238]

I didn't knew I would enjoy the comment section even more than the video. I want to have a collection of all the quotes about the volcano.

[@thor7af3]

This channel has come out of nowhere for me, and I am HERE for it!! How do you and your partner feel life in Iceland has affected your creativity on the tabletop and in other mediums?

[@KlasticSynz]

Great tips! I have loved using Watabou's generators ever since I discovered them through the integration within Azgaar's Fantasy World Generator. Let's you keep continuity really easily on a map that covers areas as large as an entire world.

[@MorpheousXO]

Yay more! Definitely gonna check these tools out given I'm kinda sorta thinking of figuring out a PF2 homebrew campaign...

[@babyatemydingo574]

Maps are definitely a problem for me. Thanks, Dadi

[@VeneficusCubes]

Send this video to my curent GM, gonna make a use of it. Thx mate

[@DavidBuckley12345]

That screen punch at the end was cool haha

[@Avenger222]

It's free?? That's amazing. Thank you for covering!

[@maximecharbonneau2516]

Another great video. Keep it up!

[@christianwilliams1475]

Super excited to check this out!

[@mattbriddell9246]

As far as online tools go, this is definitely one of the better ones out there.

[@nathancorso4067]

Thank you for sharing such an awesome tool! I had a great time with the 4th edition maps for the points of light: fallcrest, hammerfast, the nentir vale... And in the village generator i found the same vibes!

[@VitoWolf-me3tq]

It was useful. Maybe a video on map and dungeon generators and how well they work on certain VTT. Great channel

[@slackerpope]

Long ago, before personal computers, there was a supplement called City State of the Invincible Overlord. It came with a huge map with tons of details you could get lost in. If you can find a scan of it online you will get a kick out of it. Also Tegal Manor had a wonder haunted mansion map.

[@cthomashand]

The two of you do great work

[@webuiltthissmitty]

Excellent vid!

[@RyanScramstad]

Thank you! World building really drains me so I found a site called (quite literally) fantasy town generator which even populates the town and based on the hour, the people will move around based on a generated schedule. But it only does towns, so these other tools are gold

[@HunterMayer]

Watabou's stuff is amazing. Watching the tools unfold over time has been amazing! #Inspiring

[@chaosmeisters6781]

Great Video! Watabou is indeed amazing. You should try out the City Viewer on generated maps, it's fun to comprehend the scale of things. Random Volcano was unexpected! Seems like you are used to them!

[@Mystic-Arts-DM]

They just keep erupting here, nonstop!

[@FloUwUer]

holy shit, im already clicking through it, this looks amazing

[@Mystic-Arts-DM]

We really only scratched the surface with this video. I've definitely spent multiple hours playing around with these tools. There's even options to change the appearance and colors :) - AB

[@sr.piedra3802]

1 minuto ago? I have been blessed by the algorithm

[@filiusvivam4315]

Great content and resources

[@sleepinggiant4062]

Great tool. Right up there with Donjon.

[@JeshieWafflez]

Tips and a warning for new DMs: NEVER!! NEVER EVER EVER!!! never... world-build first. Meaning, don't start with a whole world. Focus on just one town first (even just one building is enough). Flesh that town or building out as much as you see fit-its people, places, quirks, and vibe. You can even start creating names for nearby areas, but keep them simple. A village on the horizon doesn’t need a detailed history-just a name like 'Oak Hollow' or 'Bridgefort' is enough. Focus on what’s immediately relevant to the players. If you want to expand the world later, let it grow NATURALLY from the story your players create. In other words, if your players aren't going there, don't flush it out. That way, it feels alive and connected instead of overwhelming you with unnecessary details right from the start. Your players won’t know or care about the ancient ruins across the ocean unless they’re directly tied to your current plot. Start small, grow big, or you will burn-out and most likely never start your campaign. How do I know? Because I did the same thing by starting with map generators....

[@Sirwilliamf]

Blackgyard looks epic. U should put up a link to share it!

[@hjaltos]

OH god, I got punched! Good Video, I love the way you casually drop the names of the other videos on your channel so that I'm not corralled to click away from the video but gently reminded they exist. Also, Blackguard is such a good city!

[@Gmorktron]

A good trick for overland maps... take the real world.. and steal. I'm in the USA and DM for my sons (16 & 13). They have no idea that the jungle island map I made was just a trace of Halki Island in the Karpathio Pelagis. They have no idea that the building the guild runs is just a floor plan for Bellver Castle on the island of Majorca, Spain. My next campaign will have Stepwells from India. Turns out "the world" has done a bunch of world building work for us already!

[@Gmorktron]

Also... why is the channel not named "Who'syourDadi?"

[@camiloguadalupetorres2442]

Thanks a lot for this video!

[@acobarphone]

I really like the Blackguard map. I have often thought is stitching together maps. Nice to see it can really work. I would love to use Blackguard in my game. Is the Blackguard map available for purchase?

[@snake3368]

Bro, you're amazing.

[@gonhuertas7375]

Glad I found this channel! Excellent content, keep it up. By the way: I often have a layover in Iceland for a few days when I travel to Europe, would be nice to get a game on when I do. Are there any tabletop networks in Reykjavik you can recommend?

[@Quon_the_Destroyer]

Very useful video! Thanks

[@emilyfniles]

This guy is the James Hoffman of DND

[@General4nubis]

If the reference that "Watabou" came from is the Dragon Warrior series, then it is the first way you said it: "Watt - uh - boo"

[@DanniReykjalin]

I remember being on Discord seeing on the news that the volcano erupted like 10-15 minutes ago. Shit was crazy

[@louisdesroches]

woohoo Iceland!

[@NILgravity]

I haven't used them in years but the city generator let you export them in SVG so you can manipulate it in Inkscape or Illustrator.

[@wolfnx336]

Commenting for the algorithm!! Engagement!

[@kiarashkeshvari2164]

1 minute ago feels illegal

[@bryceziyenge3629]

ANOTHER BANGER

[@GreyfauxxGaming]

I want to give a shout out to Inkarnate for making world maps and dungeons is super easy. They have feature when you can drag mountins or trees to stitch together in a natural way. You can put grid or hex on. You can create DM notes, you can alter assetts in a lot of ways, allowing you to change any assetts color, shading, how its shadow functions.

[@Mystic-Arts-DM]

I use Inkarnate all the time too, its one of my favorite tools. To maximize your effectiveness, I think, you collect these tools and use the right one for the right job. - Daði

[@WeissM89]

9:40 Oh, god! Don't jumpscare me.

[@cookiedudegaming]

They've gone and done it again, again!

[@rdvaud]

Cool!

[@CyberdelicKnight]

That's Not a Vulcano Erruption!!! It's the Arrival of Hellfire Demons, Roll Initiative!

[@Mystic-Arts-DM]

Ugh! Again! IRL's DM has to start varying their combat encounters! This keeps happening!

[@CyberdelicKnight]

@ Pretty sure he's planning an Alien Invasion... It's overdue tbh 🤣

[@cadenceclearwater4340]

ahhh, Icelandic weather 🌋

[@bryceziyenge3629]

THEY DONT MISS

[@magley64]

Yo DAÐI! Really digging your vids. Been watching Oxventure and High Rollers for a few years now, and your videos really help me appreciate (in further detail) all the hard work done by Johnny Chiodini and Mark Hulmes.

[@beyondthecircles1]

🙏🏻

[@EcoRV]

After one post by Librarian Henry Cavill, Watabou will probably have to upgrade their webservers.

[@spike315]

Great content, a film degree AND a girlfriend? Dude has it all