Aquaria (Empyrea)

[GT]

So, Scotty--you bought a copy of Frank's Empyrea campaign---does he give the general squaremileage of the continent? I know it's way smaller than Oerik or Kara Tur or Gonduria, but nit must be bigger than Hepmonaland which Gary viewed as "a sort of Greenland"...

[grodog]

Frank's already selling it? I hadn't heard that. He previewed the map at the North TX RPG Con last month, though. I probably have a pic of it if I go digging....

[Scott]

Yeah, I have one of the limited copies he sold. It's not unpacked yet though, so the map question will have to wait.

[grodog]

Cool: when you dig up the set, any details would be appreciated

[Merkholz]

I'm all ears as well! (or eyes as it were)

M

[Scott]

Oh, alright, I'll dig it out when I get home from work today.

[GT]

See Scott--I contract out my badgering now! Heh!!

[Scott]

I have not forgotten. I have gaming stuff packed away in many boxes. I haven't found this one yet.

[Scott]

Some notes:
Empyrea Campaign Setting.
Copy 11 of 50
38 pages.
p. 4 – p. 13 is history. The planet is Aerth. Aerth has two moons, luna and Celene, The largest continent is Oerik. or Aerid. The continent Empyrea is set on is Aqua-Oeridia or Aquaria. Demi-humans/humanoids use the names Olve, Dwur, Noniz, etc.
Olven ships started sailing east from the east coast of Oerik in -462 CY. Other demi-humans soon followed.
-122 CY was when humans started migrating east.
There is a BIG war in the setting’s history, which much of the campaign revolves around. “Scholars believe this development to be somehow connected to the Age of great Sorrow in Oerik”.
A year after the releasing of the Nine on Oerik, the Return of the Old One is noted in Aquaria. 571 CY/557 JR (Aquaria reckoning).
The map is 32 hexes east/west x 30 hexes north/south. I’m assuming 30 miles/hex.
There are some original campaign map scans included from 1977/1978. The campaign is noted as originating in 1976. Frank started working for TSR is 1980.
It includes the tournament-style adventure ‘Appraisal’. For 8th to 11th level characters set in the BIG war era.

[Scott]

I asked Frank about the hex size; they're 20 miles to the hex.

[GT]

Does the map show the entirety of Aquaria, or just the wetern portion?

[Scott]

It looks like the western portion of a larger continent.

[ExTSR]

The entire continental area used in the Aquaria campaign (1976-present) is slightly over half a million square miles, after deducting for ocean. The full map is 56x32 hexes, each 20 miles across.

The capital city of Empyrea covers about 2180 square miles (compare to Rhode Island and Delaware at 1545 and 2489 square miles, respectively).

With its agrarian base, most of the acreage in civilized lands is used for farming (both crops and animals of coruse). This applies even within Empyrea itself. The capital (pop. about 500,000) is actually a grouping of 7 sub-cities, many villages, and lots of farmland, all within a tall rock wall around the 166-mile perimeter.

Frank M

[Scott]

Thanks Frank.

[GRWelsh]

Can I buy one of these sets? Or were there only 50 sets made?

[GT]

Frank is, and always has been, "The Man"! Hope to see ya at Gary Con next year!! ^__^