August 15th Edition – Maps Ahoy!

Many of us have played games, especially RPGs, and Open-World games, and wondered: Who makes the maps for these titles? Tonight, at The Phrasemaker’s Game Night, you’ll meet a one-of-a-kind artist: Francesca Baerald, artist, cartographer, and creator of the maps you play! There’s a high chance you’ve visited one of the worlds mapped by her!

Who is Francesca Baerald?

Francesca Baerald is a traditional Artist and Cartographer, whose works have been published by Paizo Inc., Fantasy Flight Games, Blizzard, CMON, Cephalofair Games, Shadowborne Games, Games Workshop, Chaosium Inc., Dark Horse Comics, HarperCollins, and many, many others.

Anytime you are playing a game (like Diablo IV for example) and wondering: Who drew this map? There’s a high chance Francesca has spent countless hours drawing the masterpiece that you are now using to pinpoint lootables and to know where to sell your (not stolen) dungeon goods.

I’ve been following Francesca’s work for quite some time now, and let me tell you: It is a treat for the eyes. So, what better way for you to know her than to hear the words directly from her?

Francesca, it is an honor to have you at The Phrasemaker Game Night Tonight! When did you start working as a map artist? Can You tell us how it all began?

“As a child, I loved to imagine stories and create fantastic worlds, exploring new places with my mind while walking through the forests in the mountains with my parents. Growing up, my passion for music quickly made me discover rock music and all the fantasy worlds connected with most heavy metal bands.

For many years I loved listening to music and drawing what came to mind with no reason if not having fun.

Thanks to videogames and boardgames I then discovered the world of cartography and started scribbling small maps at school, mainly as a way to keep the unconscious part of my mind busy while trying to focus on the lessons.

As an adult, I completely forgot about my passion for maps, until many years later I started drawing my first professional illustrations for the world of gaming; the wonders of mapmaking barged back in my life, and from that moment I never stopped drawing maps!“

I’ve been following your work for quite a long time. I understand that you also worked as a map designer for novels, TTRPG games, and other licensed products. Where did you feel more comfortable working, and which IP did you enjoy working on the most?

“I love working with all media, although it was mainly videogames that helped me discover the world of gaming, so I must admit I’m always excited when I see one of my maps in a videogame.
I feel comfortable with all products, but different media certainly require different approaches.

Maps for videogames (especially when used in-game) have a lot of technical aspects to take in consideration that traditional maps for tabletop games or books do not have (since they are
mostly printed on paper). Videogame maps may require elements on separate layers (icons, decorations or other) and if you’re working with watercolours and ink on paper, like I do, this means things must be carefully planned in advance.

It is probably easier for players to relate with a map inside a game, because most of the time they are involved with the game story and really create a deep connection with the map and
the digital world, exploring it pixel by pixel. Videogame players, tabletop players and readers approach maps in a different way. It’s good to take this aspect into consideration when working on a map. Readers use a map mainly as a guide to follow the book adventures and travels.

Tabletop players physically play on the map, but are generally focused on gameplay key elements, like stats and important gameplay info. While videogame players mostly use a map like they would in the real-world, so they create an important connection with it, that becomes
a real life-saver, in some occasions.

I love exploring new worlds, so I can’t say there is an IP I loved working on the most. Thanks to FreeLeague, Wizards of the Coast, Cephalofair and Fantasy Flight Games I had the occasion to travel to so many fantastical places.

I was always fascinated by videogames maps, so maybe some of the experiences I have more fond memories of are having the chance to paint maps for Square Enix’s Octopath Traveler series, Mount&Blade Bannerlord, Greedfall, Steelrising and lately Gothic: Remake. I also had
the honour of creating for Dark Horse two official maps of Dragon Age’s Thedas, Legacy of Kain and one for Horizon Forbidden West.

I really enjoyed painting some Warcraft maps for Blizzard and having been a passionate Diablo fan since the first game came out, I was blown away when they asked me to paint a special map of Sanctuary for Diablo IV Collector’s Edition.

But I appreciate drawing maps for books too and had the pleasure to work with Penguin Random House, Harper Collins, HMH, Simon & Schuster, and Orbit on many maps for books and projects like Game of Thrones Rise of the Dragon, so that is a really exciting medium to work for.

Finally, I had the immense pleasure of painting the new official map of the Hyborian Age for Conan!

As you may see, it’s really hard to decide.“

That is indeed, a trailblazing career. As you might have guessed, Francesca is the mind behind all of those maps (and perhaps even many more). You might have enjoyed exploring some POIs using her work as a reference or read some cool comics of your Favorite IPs without realizing the reference map was made by her. So, now you know!

Say, Franchesca. Which IP would yo love to work on next, if you had the chance to choose from the myriad of possibilities available out there?

“That’s an extremely difficult question; I would certainly love to work on more videogame maps and probably something in movies.

I would like to explore more sci-fi maps, maybe for Star Trek and Star Wars? I had the chance to paint some futuristic maps, but not as many as I would like to. I’m a trekkie, so I would love to paint a map for Star Trek, but Star Wars would be a dream too!

I would also like to create a map for a film – that nearly happened a couple of years ago, but then production schedules and other issues made it impossible.

I guess we all have special worlds that we have loved since we were little that we would like to work on: mine are certainly Diablo, Conan and maybe something related to Arnold Schwarzenegger. As I mentioned, I had the honour of painting some art for Diablo and Conan…but I’m still missing working on something for Terminator – hopefully in the future!

Finally, as all artists, I would like to work on more personal artworks, explore different styles and media: in a small way I’m doing this while working on some special pieces for my upcoming artbook.“

A Terminator Game, that would be one for the history books! If you could say something to the artists out there, trying to break into the game industry. What would be your advice?

“I don’t think there’s a specific advice to break in the gaming industry (or any other industry). Every artist would like to go from zero to the top in a blink of an eye (we all do!), but I’m beginning to understand that this is a journey where unfortunately, when you skip steps, you’re not doing things right. If I had to relate at the beginning of my freelance work with some of the big publishers and companies I’m working with today, I think I would’ve made a lot of mistakes and would’ve probably lost important opportunities because of my lack of experience.

I don’t see any quick hacks: you have to work hard on creating a strong portfolio and experience. In the first years after finishing an art course I worked a lot to create my portfolio, make connections and always continue developing my technique and style. The first works
were paid very little and gave not much visibility, but they were important to begin from something and learn.

You should always aim to become a better expression of yourself, find your strengths and uniqueness, be passionate about your art. There is an increasing amount of standardized art that makes many projects all look alike (and with AI this is visible to the eyes of everybody).

I’m an enthusiastic observer, not only of art, but of everything I have around or see in books, TV, games, and any other media (nature, items, sensations, …).

I’m really influenced by what is happening and what surrounds me; my mood and frame of mind influence the final work. I like my works to be instinctive, so most of the time when I start drawing a new work, the sensations I’m living in that moment get sucked in my artwork and
probably show themselves to a careful viewer.

I strongly believe good publishers are looking for uniqueness, to stand out of the crowd. So be unique! It’s good to be inspired and learn from masters, make their skills yours, but at the end of the day new artists have to find time to hear their own voice and listen to it. Only this way
we will have new games and projects that will inspire us in the future.“

Work on your portfolio, gain experience, stand for what’s right: Being unique, and never stop working. That sounds like golden advice from a very, very unique and talented artist. Thanks a lot!

Now some questions about gaming.

Tell us, Francesca. What is your favorite game character?

“This is another tough one, there’s so many of them. Can I really choose only one?

Without overthinking my answer, I would probably say Ezio Auditore from the first Assassin’s Creed games. Maybe because he’s Italian like I am, probably because he lived during the fascinating Renaissance times, certainly because he lived his life with passion and adventure,
being bold and audacious in front of troubles.

By chance I had the opportunity of creating a special promotional map illustration for Assassin’s Creed Mirage release – it’s a shame I couldn’t do one for Ezio, too!“

Oh my god. She’s a fan of Ezio Auditore da Firenze! (She needs to be protected. All praise be to her!)

If you could play a game to save the world, which would it be?

“I love this question, but it’s another difficult choice!

I will choose Detroit: Become Human. Firstly because I loved the game, but also because I felt I was actually experiencing genuine every day and philosophical issues humanity will have to face very soon. Maybe in interacting with real future artificial intelligences and androids we will
learn more about ourselves, our world, and be more responsible with how we treat our planet and the creatures who live on it.

We also love Detroit: Become Human. And with all that’s going on with the AI and everything else involved around it, it’s a good time to replay it!

Thanks a lot, Francesca, for your time and for sharing your thoughts and experience with us. Is there anything else you want to share?

“I’m always working on exciting new projects, but at the moment I’m concentrating all of my energies and time collaborating with renown book designer Spiridon Giannakis to create my first-ever artbook. It will focus on my most important and fascinating works, showcasing more
than 150+ maps that I’ve created in my 13+ years as a cartographer.

The book will be initially promoted with a Kickstarter campaign, going live on September 9th – you can already sign up to get notified at launch here.

I’m really looking forward to sharing this book with everyone passionate about cartography, art and fantastic worlds.

Thank you very much for this interview and for giving me the chance to talk about art, games and maps with you!“

Thanks a lot, Francesca, it has been an honor to have you here! And thanks for creating incredible maps, and helping us find our way while we loot and explore!

What are We Playing This Weekend?

I finally got my hands on a copy of Granblue Fantasy: Relink, and I’m feeling super adventurous. (Inspired by the Interview). So, as a good explorer player, I went on a quest to add yet another game to my ever-growing collection of titles in my Steam Library.

But that’s not all we are playing this weekend! There’s a bunch of interesting games, and I also got my hands on a very, very, very special title I would not be able to share until Early September. Hehe, no spoilers!

I was finally convinced to try The Isle. Let me tell you: My first experience was quite traumatic.

I was chilling as a baby Kentrosaurus, sunbathing with my family and minding my own business. When a wild T-Rex appeared out of the blue.

That’s right! You, out there! Random T-Rex player on Evrima EU Official Server 7! You killed my father; prepare to die!

Well, he kind of chomped us all after a long, long, long contest of stares. I should have run away as soon as I could, but got bugged on the rock and couldn’t drop. Rexie took down my folks, then went straight for me without a care in the world. Yikes! (To safeguard children out there, the next images will not be shared).

Anyways, what else is there to play this weekend? ARC Raiders has announced a new Expansion (Frozen Trail) coming on October, but that’s a long way from now.

I still have some unfinished business with these death cones (Turbines), so I will be going out and facing the thunder. This will be me in a few hours from now:

See you on topside, Raiders. And please, please, for the love of Shani: Don’t rat me out this time!