About the role
Company Overview
Black Mack Studios is an independent tabletop game studio with one mission: produce games that provide entertainment and escapism entirely focused on fun.
The Project
Black Mack Studios is commissioning one full-color world map for Chronicles of Myth, an original tabletop roleplaying game. The map will be printed as the endpaper spread on the interior of the core rulebook cover and featured on the official website.
The world of Chronicles of Myth is a reflection of Earth, with recognizable but heavily altered landmasses, set in a period roughly equivalent to 700 to 800 AD. The map must clearly identify the game's four origin nations, which draw from ancient Greece, pre-Christian Scandinavia, ancient Japan and Mesopotamia.
The map should read as an in-world artifact: hand-drawn cartography on aged parchment or vellum, as though it were a physical document made by the people of the setting. Convincing texture work in the parchment, ink and pigment is a deciding criterion. The finish should be detailed and crafted, not cartoonish or overly stylized.
Requirements
- Experience: Established understanding of cartography or fantasy map making.
- Application Materials: Must include examples of previous map work with the application. General illustration or environment art portfolios do not satisfy this requirement on their own. Applications without map examples will not be considered.
- Originality Constraint: Generative AI and AI enhancement tools will not be accepted at any stage. The selected artist must be able to confirm that portfolio work and commissioned work are their own original creation.
Scope and Deliverables
- One completed world map illustration
- Two-page spread for an 8.5 x 11 inch hardcover (17 x 11 inches plus bleed), 300 DPI minimum
- Gutter-safe composition that also holds up when scaled for web
- Four origin nations color-coded within the artifact style
- Fog of war delivered as a separate layer over completed geography
- Print-ready CMYK file, RGB web file and layered working files
- Sketch approval and color review stages
A geographic reference map, a complete list of place names and the full project brief will be provided to the selected artist.