5 Map-making Software for Fantasy Cartographers

If you have played TTRPGs or read fantasy books or watched fantasy movies/TV shows on screen, you would have seen a lot of maps and probably asked yourself how they are created. In this blog, I will be covering the different software that can be used for making maps. Although, many capable artists and cartographers do draw their own maps by hand. Quite a talented bunch. However, some on the other hand use a lot of software to do what I desire.

Without further ado, time to get down to the various software that can be utilized in coming up with maps. I will be beginning with the simplest and best software and I will be concluding with the most trickiest learning curves.

1. Master of Realms

Okay, let me start with the one I’ve been using a lot lately as a backer. Master of Realms is the one If you’re looking for the absolute easiest, smoothest way to whip up fantasy maps especially for your TTRPG sessions.

What makes Master of Realms amazing is it’s designed for game masters and worldbuilders who don’t want to wrestle with complex tools or spend lots of time figuring out things. It’s basically “click, drag, done kind of easy here. You can generate amazing, cinematic and detailed maps in seconds. The only thing that you need to do is imagine and creatively develop your world. Also It’s a smart, hex-based mapmaker, which basically means you pick a tile set, draw on a grid, and quickly create polished 2D and 3D maps. 

What I love about it the most is you can export your maps in different formats as well. Like for virtual tabletops, or even 3D print them if you’re feeling to hold your crafted map. They’re building it with direct support for RPG creators, and from what I’ve seen, it’s shaping up to be a seriously handy tool for anyone running a game or creating a world.

It’s currently in development, but the beta version is being tested by Kickstarter backers. The full release isn’t here yet, but it’s definitely one to keep an eye on.

2. Wonderdraft

It is rather simple in mastering and has acquired a reputation to provide a traditional fantasy texture of its maps. Learning curve is pretty much minimal and anyone is able to create maps without the knowledge of graphic design or mapmaking. The software takes care basically of all the work of the underlining layer. It is capable of making some development on cities, towns as well as villages to an extent, but it is very limiting. It is not applicable in creating interior, battle and dungeon maps.

Moreover, although it is true that some sort of assets (stamps) are present in Wonderdraft to use in the map, it is also not particularly big in scope. However, third party objects and texture might be obtained on the Internet. Use of Mythkeeper, a software, can be quite useful in automatically installing these downloaded add-ons to the software. Again, it is not difficult at all.

Wonderdraft is also quite affordable to purchase, and it is a one-time charge. All updates are free for lifetime, though updates are rare in coming. Still, a handy and powerful software to have at such a cheap price!

3. Dungeondraft

Did I just mention that Wonderdraft fails to provide solutions for mapping dungeons and battle maps? 

Well, Dungeondraft is a sister software that was also developed by the developer excels where Wonderdraft does not. Dungeondraft, as the name suggests, works equally to Wonderdraft and is affordable as well. It has also many inbuilt assets although third party assets are possible to be purchased easily over the Internet. Forgotten Adventures is an online store on which assets can be purchased to use with Dungeondraft. Paid/free resources are numerous that you could use. And their developers are still coming up with new ones every now and then. Well, that is so cool!

4. Inkarnate

To be honest, I have been spending quite a lot of time on Inkarnate, so I might have improved in the process. It is almost a user-friendly software, just a word of caution to you, it is a browser-based one. It has no desktop version.

I have created overland maps, city maps (regional and top-down style) and battle maps, dungeon maps using Inkarnate. Yes, there are many more things which Wonderdraft cannot do compared to Inkarnate. There is much more stuff and textures to use. And the maps made as a final product are fantastic. In the meantime I am not deciding anything. 

There is also the free version of Inkarnate, yet the pro one can provide you with greater diversity. Nevertheless, due to its Internet-based character, the software is a SaaS. That is, it is subscription based. It will cost you some monthly but a yearly subscription is rather cheap.

5. Dungeon Fog

Dungeon Fog is an online alternative to Dungeondraft. It can be made to develop maps specifically for TTRPG. It has similar features to Dungeondraft. I couldn’t say which is better. I have only ever used Dungeondraft. But I would suggest trying the free version out (limited features) before trying it out its paid versions, which are also affordable.

You can find more alternatives to Dungeondraft and DungeonFog like Dungeon Painter Studio, Dundjinni, MapForge, AutoRealm, etc.

I am definitely hoping that this list is exhaustive enough to get you started or at least pointed in the right direction. When it comes to map-making for your fantasy worlds.

Of course, there are plenty of other tools and software out there. Some are super niche, some are clunky, some are absolutely hidden gems but these five are solid, reliable options that I’ve either personally used or have seen enough of to know they can handle the job.