{"id":1818832,"date":"2023-09-28T19:44:20","date_gmt":"2023-09-28T23:44:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/?p=1818832"},"modified":"2023-09-28T20:06:37","modified_gmt":"2023-09-29T00:06:37","slug":"pseudo-anachronistic-elements-in-fantasy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2023\/09\/pseudo-anachronistic-elements-in-fantasy\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Pseudo-Anachronistic’ Elements in Fantasy"},"content":{"rendered":"

This blog post from independent roleplaying games creator Periapt Games<\/a> looks at the phenomenon of what\u2019s called \u201cpseudo-anachronistic elements\u201d in fantasy fiction (and fantasy roleplaying games): technologies that have no business existing in the era being portrayed. Of course<\/em> maps are mentioned, and at length\u2014otherwise why would I mention it here? \u201cDespite being ubiquitous in the modern day, reading a top-down map or even understanding<\/i> what a map means is a learned skill, and not trivially so. Don’t expect pre-industrial people to be able to purchase a map, read one, or know what one is.\u201d This is precisely what I was trying to say in my 2019 Tor.com article, \u201cFantasy Maps Don\u2019t Belong in the Hands of Fantasy Characters<\/a>\u201d; it\u2019s gratifying to see someone else making the same argument.<\/p>\n

Previously: Fantasy Maps Don\u2019t Belong in the Hands of Fantasy Characters<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This blog post from independent roleplaying games creator Periapt Games looks at the phenomenon of what\u2019s called \u201cpseudo-anachronistic elements\u201d in fantasy fiction (and fantasy roleplaying games): technologies that have no business existing in the era… More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"link","meta":{"autoblue_enabled":true,"autoblue_custom_message":"","autoblue_shares":[],"autoblue_post_url":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[745,31],"class_list":["post-1818832","post","type-post","status-publish","format-link","hentry","category-maps-and-literature","tag-fantasy","tag-fantasy-maps","post_format-post-format-link"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1840139,"url":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2025\/05\/fantasy-mapmaking-tools\/","url_meta":{"origin":1818832,"position":0},"title":"Fantasy Mapmaking Tools","author":"Jonathan Crowe","date":"2 May 2025","format":"link","excerpt":"I\u2019ve been making note of procedural fantasy map generators for a while now. These are tools that generate a map of an imaginary landscape, town or dungeon, mostly (but not necessarily exclusively) for the purposes of role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons. The latest to come to my attention is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Games"","block_context":{"text":"Games","link":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/category\/games\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4860,"url":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2017\/09\/the-territory-is-not-the-map\/","url_meta":{"origin":1818832,"position":1},"title":"The Territory Is Not the Map","author":"Jonathan Crowe","date":"27 September 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Critiques of fantasy maps have more to do with the shortcomings of fantasy worlds than the maps that depict them.","rel":"","context":"In "Book Reviews"","block_context":{"text":"Book Reviews","link":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/category\/book-reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"From Jared Blando, How to Draw Fantasy Art and RPG Maps (Impact, 2015).","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/blando-example.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/blando-example.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/blando-example.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/blando-example.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/blando-example.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/blando-example.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1831085,"url":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2024\/05\/a-library-of-17th-century-map-elements-useful-for-fantasy-and-game-maps\/","url_meta":{"origin":1818832,"position":2},"title":"A Library of 17th-Century Map Elements, Useful for Fantasy and Game Maps","author":"Jonathan Crowe","date":"15 May 2024","format":"link","excerpt":"David Stark extracted elements from a 1688 map of part of Germany to create a library of tree, hill and town signs that he thought entirely appropriate for use as map assets for a role-playing game. I look at them and see fantasy map design elements. In 2019 I noted\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Antique Maps"","block_context":{"text":"Antique Maps","link":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/category\/antique-maps\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/stark-1688-elements.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/stark-1688-elements.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/stark-1688-elements.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5313,"url":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2012\/04\/the-lands-of-ice-and-fire-westeros-atlas-coming-in-october\/","url_meta":{"origin":1818832,"position":3},"title":"The Lands of Ice and Fire: Westeros Atlas Coming in October","author":"Jonathan Crowe","date":"4 April 2012","format":"link","excerpt":"More information today on a book I'd heard was coming: The Lands of Ice and Fire, a definitive atlas of George R. R. Martin's fantasy world from A Song of Ice and Fire (A Game of Thrones, et cetera). The publisher: \"The centerpiece of this gorgeous collection is guaranteed to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Maps and Literature"","block_context":{"text":"Maps and Literature","link":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/category\/maps-and-literature\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1839277,"url":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2025\/04\/maps-and-games-roundup\/","url_meta":{"origin":1818832,"position":4},"title":"Maps and Games Roundup","author":"Jonathan Crowe","date":"10 April 2025","format":"link","excerpt":"The GeoFacts Challenge is calling for games that teach geography. How many of us only know where Winnipeg is because we played Ticket to Ride, or Kinshasa because of Pandemic, or Kamchatka because of Risk? None of these games are educational in nature, per se, and yet for many gamers,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Games"","block_context":{"text":"Games","link":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/category\/games\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3373,"url":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2016\/11\/the-british-library-on-fantasy-maps\/","url_meta":{"origin":1818832,"position":5},"title":"The British Library on Fantasy Maps","author":"Jonathan Crowe","date":"14 November 2016","format":"link","excerpt":"British Library curator Tom Harper writes about fantasy maps, which make up a major component of the Library's current exhibition, Maps and the 20th Century: Drawing the Line\u00a0(previously). Fantasy maps increased in number during the 20th century due to the rise of science fiction and fantasy writing, and the birth\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Maps and Literature"","block_context":{"text":"Maps and Literature","link":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/category\/maps-and-literature\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Bernard Sleigh, \"An ancient mappe of Fairyland,\" 1918. 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