WIP Map Thread

Bogdanoff

Banned
Hey folks, I'd love to get some input on a map I've been working on:
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The idea behind the map is a realistic take on the famous "Orthodox Ottomans" EU4 strategy. The year is meant to be ~1700, POD ~1200. These aren't the Ottomans of course; they're Orthodox Turks that managed to marry into a position of power within the Byzantine Empire as well as establish themselves in a position of strength in Anatolia. Long story short, they eventually manage to cement their control over both, establishing themselves as the legal successor to the Roman Empire and the protector of the Orthodox faith. Seeing the map in .png form, I'm realizing a lot of the national borders look rather harsh and I may have to recolor them... ugh.

Anyway, everything outside of the Americas, Oceania, and West Africa is complete. The last one is what I'm looking for input on. The region is meant to be much more Islamized than OTL but with Sufism dominating and a potentially large degree of syncretism with local beliefs depending on where you are... lots of things that wouldn't fly closer to Cairo. I'm not very well versed on West African polities and politics prior to colonization and I'm not sure how I should build this region. Assuming the polities are more centralized and religiously similar than OTL, should there be lots of little coastal nations and an empire dominating the interior? Would it still make sense for Mali or Songhai to rise? Assuming close West African ties with Morocco, how do power dynamics in the Gulf of Guinea shift? Any expertise on the matter is greatly appreciated.

Feel free to ask about other parts of the world if something catches your eye. I have explanations, I just would appreciate advice on West Africa above all.
Why are Turks Orthodox? Who are their ruling dinasty?
 
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Part 2 of the Polish-Bohemian Union world (for now only europe) QBAM. I have used Onerom's idea of Castile+Portugal Spain instead of Castile-Aragon, and tried on doing the mess which is HRE. Also trieeeeed on the balkans but that was real eyeball and just pretty much random since i didnt reaaaaally flesh out scenario that much (and that greece was supposed to have northern epirus instead of going that far into albania). I still dont know if i want to leave Russia disunited so i didnt do anything with it.
 
Why are Turks Orthodox? Who are their ruling dinasty?
I haven't picked a name for the ruling dynasty yet, but rest assured it's a new name on the world stage. There weren't exactly a plethora of Turkish Orthodox dynasties OTL so their existence is sort of a work of fiction.

The easy answer for why they're Orthodox is because they have to be; in the grand strategy game Europa Universalis 4, it's a popular strategy to take one of the strongest nations in the game, the Ottomans, and have them convert to Orthodox so they can get personal unions over the other strong nations in the game. Of course, this doesn't really make a whole lot of sense and wouldn't happen in real life; by the time of the Ottomans, Islam was a central part of life for the majority of Ottoman Turks and a sudden conversion to Christianity by the Sultan would be seen as a betrayal, and found little support within the court.

I'd like for the scenario to be as realistic as possible, so right now the PoD I've got is Seljuk converting to Islam but having a much weaker hold over his empire so beyliks in Anatolia feel greater freedom to follow the religion that they feel best suits their interests before Islam takes hold in many communities, resulting in some beyliks converting to the Orthodox faith (and in conjunction with a greater Byzantine effort to influence the beyliks in light of weaker Seljuk control), some following Islam, a few Tengrist faiths, and even a few Jewish beyliks for a time. One of the leaders of the Orthodox beyliks has a flair for diplomacy, negotiates an advantageous marriage with the Byzantines + with other Orthodox beyliks, and establishes himself as a power-broker and powerful player in the region. One unexpected political crisis and some routine Byzantine political fuckery later, he manages to secure his son as heir to the Byzantine throne. He's eventually succeeded by a militarilism-inclined son or grandson that utilizes his advantageous position to unite Anatolia under one crown and one faith while managing to avoid fury from his neighbors to the south who are still recovering from more Arabia-focused Mongols.

This is what made the most sense to me for a workable scenario in any case. The write-up is still very much in draft mode so I'm open to ideas.
 
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Song of Ice and Fire/GoT meet 16th/17th century religious wars and exploration age.
I probably leave it as it is and try to do new version, a little bit more visually attractive, with base map based (hehe) on @rvbomally s Cold crusade (which was, with his Just good business, one inspiration for this thing...)
Also I would like to come with some ideas for Africa (but there will be cannibal Congo probably) and rethink Ottoman relations with rest of Asia... Europe and Muricas are hopefully complete.
Also, there will be less ASBish map with some ideas discarded/unused here (basically remake of my older Cross and Crescent - bipolar, Hispano-Ottoman world)
30yw GoT.png
 
Song of Ice and Fire/GoT meet 16th/17th century religious wars and exploration age.
I probably leave it as it is and try to do new version, a little bit more visually attractive, with base map based (hehe) on @rvbomally s Cold crusade (which was, with his Just good business, one inspiration for this thing...)
Also I would like to come with some ideas for Africa (but there will be cannibal Congo probably) and rethink Ottoman relations with rest of Asia... Europe and Muricas are hopefully complete.
Also, there will be less ASBish map with some ideas discarded/unused here (basically remake of my older Cross and Crescent - bipolar, Hispano-Ottoman world)
That’s really cool. Who in the map is supposed to be what in GoT?
 
That’s really cool. Who in the map is supposed to be what in GoT?
Thanks! It isn´t meant to be 1:1 conversion, just some elements from GoT "transferred" into "real" world...
So there is some sort of "fire priest/ess" sect/brotherhood helping Ottomans. Habsburgs, driven by them and French from Europe meanwhile hatch some dragons, rule with them their new empire and dream about return home.
There is also coming winter (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Ice_Age) and some sort of "Young Wolf" and Mance Rider composite character (compare to Gustav Adolph and Charles XIII.)
 

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Aw no Najibullah gang? His flag and emblem were the best.

In my opinion, the early flag of the DRA was better, plus it ties with the map as well as the lore

also wasn't it just the Democratic Republic not People's Democratic Republic?

It was the IRL name of communist Afghanistan, but the events following the PoD cause the country to change it's name from the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan the to People's Democratic Republic of Afghanistan
 
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@NiGHTS Great Germania!Mwahaha! Is Netherland outre Mear somehow "united" with it? (nominal vassal, personal union...? or just standard alliance?) And whats that "Intermarium" east of Germany?
Russia isn´t finished? Good.
But some borders hurt me a little bit - those straight lines of northern Plata and Mexico (but, at least in Mexico, it is probably ok, in real... even OTL midwest/northwest borders look mostly this way)
Similar problem I have with western borders of Germania - I would use OTL western borders of HRE, if don´t have some better idea. But thats just like my opinion, man.
 
The Kingdom of Hungary in 1891.
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Alright, so this is probably my biggest project to date. It's not alt-history but it's a map nevertheless. I have a lot that I want to add in my mind but I'm making this post here in hopes of finding ideas of additions that I haven't thought about yet.

So far I'm planning to add:
  • Second level administrative divisions. I think these should work.
  • Cities for both Hungary and the rest of the map.
  • (Maybe) change how the lakes look as well as adding lakes for the areas outside of Hungary.
  • Margins with information about scale, scalebars in kilometers and miles, a color-guide for the topo elevation, title and context
  • Might add rivers. But I am not sure how to implement them in a good looking way.
  • Make another render with the paper texture on the same level as the plains. This would allow the shadows of the mountains to be cast upon the flat paper texture. Kinda like in this very rough rendition.
Like I said if you have any other ideas of what I could add to this map feel free to tell me!
 
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