I love random/procedural map generation. Heck, I built some frameworks for roguelike dungeon generation as a means of learning new programming languages when I started college 20ish years ago. It’s great fun to let procedures and randomness decide what an area looks like and is populated with.
There lots of ways to do this, but one that’s fun in the process itself is setting up your map paper and throwing dice to using not only the die results but also their places on the paper to get your map design. We’re in a digital age, but there’s something to be said for the tactile experience of working with physical mediums. So, as I get started into worldbuilding, I decided I wanted to use this method as my default approach to designing maps.
This post will perpetually be a work-in-progress. There are lots of tools and existing roll tables for this process. I could just use any number of those, but I’m wanting to include roll table generation as part of my creative muscle building. That said, I don’t expect my first attempt to be the tables I use for all time, so I’ll keep coming back to update this content as I refine my designs.
One last thing before starting on the tables, there’s a design thought that is key to my approach here. In order to control probabilities–or more specifically, to set some hard limits on maximum quantity of certain results–these tables will generally not be fixed to a certain die type but rather have higher values correlate to expected rarity of a design feature.
For example, a settlements table my have results for 1-8, where the results range from a handful of huts to a bustling metropolis. The world I’m designing may be post-apocalyptic, where metropolises no longer exist, so using a d6 with that table would ensure I never have a metropolis.
I’m calling this post “world map generation,” by which I mean to cover maps for the global, continental, and regional scales. Other posts will be created for settlements, dungeons, etc.
Now, without further delay, let’s get to some tables!
Global Tables
These tables are intended to define the planet inhabitability and place its continents/inhabitable regions.
Global environment
This table has to do with whether the world is temperate/earthlike, complete desert, an iceworld, covered in magical miasma, etc. These rolls precede mapmaking and do not need to be rolled over your map papers.
| Roll | Global environment |
|---|---|
| 1 | Earth-like, temperature shifted toward cold |
| 2-3 | Earth-like, no major differences |
| 4 | Earth-like, temperature shifted toward hot |
| 5 | Desert planet, cold |
| 6 | Desert planet, hot |
| 7 | Ice planet |
| 8 | Elemental plane/miasma-covered planet |
Continent habitability
This table is intended to define how much of a given continent can actually be utilized rather than submerged in water or is otherwise inhospitable enough to not be generally habitable by people. Roll one die for each desired continent on a sheet of paper to get the rough layout of your globe.
| Roll | Inhabitable area of continent |
|---|---|
| 1 | 5% |
| 2 | 15% |
| 3 | 25% |
| 4 | 35% |
| 5 | 45% |
| 6 | 55% |
| 7 | 65% |
| 8 | 75% |
| 9 | 85% |
| 10 | 95% |
Continental Tables
For each created continent, roll an appropriate/desired amount of dice on the following tables to define its geographical makeup.
Elevation features
Elevation features dictate bodies bodies of water, valleys, plains, hills, and mountains.
| Roll | Feature type |
|---|---|
| 1 | Large body of water |
| 2 | Small body of water |
| 3 | Valley |
| 4 | Plains |
| 5 | Hills |
| 6 | Mountains |
| 7 | Supernatural |
| 8 | Reroll |
Flora/fauna features
Flora/fauna features indicate the density of vegetation at the lower rolls and will later include other specific categories at higher rolls such as rainforests that are notable even at the continental level.
| Roll | Feature type |
|---|---|
| 1 | Barren/desert |
| 2 | Light vegetation |
| 3 | Moderate vegetation |
| 4 | Heavy vegetation |
Special features
This is an optional table where you could indicate an unnatural feature that of great enough importance to be world-renowned, such as an impact crater from a meteor, the Great Wall of China, Guild Wars’ Dragonbrand, and so on.
| Roll | Feature type |
|---|---|
| 1 | Impact site of a celestial object |
| 2 | Construction made in response to war |
| 3 | Desolation resulting from a war |
| 4 | Transformation from a supernatural blight |
| 5 | Transfusion with another plane of existence |
| 6 | Reroll |
Regional Tables
Regional tables, and the maps they apply to, focus on adding nuance to the features defined by the continental maps generated above. They show the specific ecology of an area as well as its manmade features, such as settlements, ports, and military structures. Decide for a given continent how many regions should be included, place them on the selected continent, then roll on a regional outline map to apply any of the desired feature types.
Elevation variations
Elevation variation is for adding mountains, hills, plains, etc. that do not necessarily comply with the norm for the region as defined at the continental level. This table is largely recycled from the continental table above, but may be altered later to focus on more regionally appropriate things.
| Roll | Feature type |
|---|---|
| 1 | Large body of water |
| 2 | Small body of water |
| 3 | Valley |
| 4 | Plains |
| 5 | Hills |
| 6 | Mountains |
| 7 | Supernatural |
| 8 | Reroll |
Ecosystem features
Ecosystem features include lakes, forests, swamps, notable types of wildlife, and so on.
| Roll | Feature type |
|---|---|
| 1 | Lake |
| 2 | Swamp |
| 3 | Farmlands |
| 4 | Foothills |
| 5 | Desert |
| 6 | Forest |
| 7 | Enchanted forest |
| 8 | Reroll |
Settlements
Settlements note where population centers are and their relative size.
| Roll | Settlement type |
|---|---|
| 1 | Collection of huts |
| 2 | Small trade-focused village |
| 3 | Crossroads village |
| 4 | Small town |
| 5 | Large town |
| 6 | City |
| 7 | Capital city |
| 8 | Metropolis |
Military structures
Military structures include things like forts, but also anything that might be run or maintained by militaries in your world, such as prisons.
| Roll | Structure type |
|---|---|
| 1 | Prison |
| 2 | Training camp |
| 3 | Fort |
| 4 | Watchtower |
Special features
Special features are things, natural or supernatural, that don’t quite fit the other categories or are otherwise considered noteworthy, such as Weathertop or a magician’s area-consuming fog.
| Roll | Feature type |
|---|---|
| 1 | Natural geological feature |
| 2 | Unique water feature |
| 3 | Tree of renown |
| 4 | Cave complex |
| 5 | Created world wonder |
| 6 | Isolated monastery/wizard’s tower |
| 7 | Magical grove |
| 8 | Supernatural miasma |