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Classic Cartography: Star Frontiers

Time for some map nostalgia!

When Star Frontiers came out in 1982, we were so excited about lasers and gryojet pistols that we briefly dropped our long-running D&D campaign like a hot potato and went all-in. I remember wistfully wondering whether we’d ever return to our gelatinous cubes and +3 longswords. In the end the break was probably less than four months, but to a kid, that’s a life time.

These are some of the maps I drew for that first Star Frontiers game, an interconnected web of adventures on the barren backwater planet, Laco. Complete with authentic smudges, stains, and eraser marks!

Port Nacano

The main attraction was Port Nacano itself, the only “city” on the planet and the center of the action. In hindsight that “6 meter” scale seems way off. Clearly a clerical error.

Laco Planetary Map

The plains of Laco were littered with starship wrecks, including the shell of the Myyrs-Varn that was now being used as the camp for a hoverbike gang, the notorious Dentriss Howlers.

Myyrs-Varn

I used to draw *a lot* of maps back when I ran campaigns, as GMs do. I was about 14 years old when I made these, so it’s interesting to see how quickly my style changed and developed, as you’ll see if I get around to posting more blasts from the past.

    Ben Robbins | September 18th, 2022 | , , | show 2 comments