Naming the Sections of a World

I've got a mapper to set my world on and start creating it, but it can't produce images in a size big enough to cover the entire thing. (The world is probably too big for it's own good.)

So my new plan is to just create the world in sections and place those images together to kind of make the world map.

So my question is, what do I call these chunks of world? So far I'm planning on 4 images though there could (and probably will) end up with more, so Quadrants is out of the question (as is any other name that revolves around a specific number.)

I was thinking Hemispheres, but I feel like there's a better term. And one of my friends came up with Theater (following the Theater of War concept) which is so far my Plan A, but I figured I'd ask here and see if anyone had a better idea I could grab.

Definitely not "hemispheres"--that means exactly two.

Regions?
Continents?
"Quadrants," but change to fit the number--"sextants," "octants," etc.?

Zones, Sectors, Domains, Horizons, Lands, Realms, heck you could even call them "worlds" themselves (as in like "the western world").

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Originally Posted by Moriwen

Definitely not "hemispheres"--that means exactly two.

Regions?
Continents?
"Quadrants," but change to fit the number--"sextants," "octants," etc.?

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I'd keep Regions out because I'm probably going to apply that term to chunks of land.

As far as continents go, there'll be several of them per section / theater/ whatever.

And as for a number based term, the world is ever expanding so it really wouldn't apply for long. And contantly changing it would get annoying.

Sorry to be a negative nancy and shoot down all your ideas, I am grateful that you're trying to help though.

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Originally Posted by Geordnet

Zones, Sectors, Domains, Horizons, Lands, Realms, heck you could even call them "worlds" themselves (as in like "the western world").

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Sectors sounds good. Horizons is another one. Realms, Zones, and Domains I feel apply better to celestial bodies better than chunks of a material plane.

You could come up with something non-standard, like a "Glimmer" or a "Branch" (for example) instead of the more conventional terms. Obviously not the most helpful advice, but it might come in handy, the old terms do tend to become commonplace after a while.

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Originally Posted by Synvallius

You could come up with something non-standard, like a "Glimmer" or a "Branch" (for example) instead of the more conventional terms. Obviously not the most helpful advice, but it might come in handy, the old terms do tend to become commonplace after a while.

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Just out of curiosity, why "Glimmer?"

Is this actually breaking the world into pieces, or is it breaking the map of the world into pieces? If it is just the map, I've heard them called tiles when you can't print a whole map and print it piecemeal.

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Originally Posted by Octopusapult

I'd keep Regions out because I'm probably going to apply that term to chunks of land.

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So? Are you looking for a name for the places or for the maps? Maps don't need names. Just call it "Map of (Continents A and B)" or "Map of (Regions G, H, I, X, and Q)".

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Originally Posted by angrymudcrab

Is this actually breaking the world into pieces, or is it breaking the map of the world into pieces? If it is just the map, I've heard them called tiles when you can't print a whole map and print it piecemeal.

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Both. The pieces of the world are divided because these certain areas follow the same consistencies.

In short, there is one area with 3 continents that is mainly wasteland. There is another area that experiences strange weather effects like literally acidic rain, and zephyrs of wind capable of igniting flammable materials.

So these areas follow consistent themes and I want to map each one individually and give them appropriate names. So far I've been using "Theater" as in Pacific Theater and European Theater. Terms from WWII.

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Originally Posted by Xuc Xac

So? Are you looking for a name for the places or for the maps? Maps don't need names. Just call it "Map of (Continents A and B)" or "Map of (Regions G, H, I, X, and Q)".

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In this case the maps are doing more than just providing an image of the land in question. By which I mean they are also designating borders and marking where the consistent effects of one land begins and ends.

You might try "Pale", in the sense of "beyond the pale", it is an archaic term for a jurisdictions.

If they are split between ruling deities, you could call them dominion of <insert appropriate deity or pantheon here>. You could also go with defining characteristiscs and some poetic license, like "Domain of Thirst" for the wasteland, "Domain of Clouds" for the weather one and so on. This would also work with pale from above, say, something like "Storm Pale".

You could go with march or mark. They are medieval terms for regions, though the term also implies that the region in question is kind of a buffer zone.

EDIT: Derp, just realized you already rejected domains, guess I should read the thread more closely before posting. Sorry.:smallredface:

Actually, I think you should stick with Theatre. It's nice, grandiose, and evocative, so I think it'd work great. Especially if you add more theatrical motifs.

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Originally Posted by angrymudcrab

You might try "Pale", in the sense of "beyond the pale", it is an archaic term for a jurisdictions.

If they are split between ruling deities, you could call them dominion of <insert appropriate deity or pantheon here>. You could also go with defining characteristiscs and some poetic license, like "Domain of Thirst" for the wasteland, "Domain of Clouds" for the weather one and so on. This would also work with pale from above, say, something like "Storm Pale".

You could go with march or mark. They are medieval terms for regions, though the term also implies that the region in question is kind of a buffer zone.

EDIT: Derp, just realized you already rejected domains, guess I should read the thread more closely before posting. Sorry.:smallredface:

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March is actually not bad. I might use that for a military term to designate an overland distance.

Mark gave me an idea for a scouting / trailblazing style guild who would measure distances in Marks they've already laid out across countries.

So not entirely what I was looking for, but still pretty helpful. XD

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Originally Posted by tbok1992

Actually, I think you should stick with Theatre. It's nice, grandiose, and evocative, so I think it'd work great. Especially if you add more theatrical motifs.

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I think at this point "Theater" has grown on me. I've settled on 9 theaters (one in the "center" and one for each compass diretion. {S, SE, E, NE, N, NW, W, SW.)

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Originally Posted by Octopusapult

March is actually not bad. I might use that for a military term to designate an overland distance.

Mark gave me an idea for a scouting / trailblazing style guild who would measure distances in Marks they've already laid out across countries.

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Something you might want to consider is including inaccuracies on the maps you give the players. Rough terrain, like forests or wetland, might be drawn bigger than the actually are, while areas with few landmarks like deserts and seas might be drawn much smaller.

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Originally Posted by Geordnet

Something you might want to consider is including inaccuracies on the maps you give the players. Rough terrain, like forests or wetland, might be drawn bigger than the actually are, while areas with few landmarks like deserts and seas might be drawn much smaller.

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I almost always do. ;)

Another good one is to label areas as "Approx."

The cartographer either couldn't or chose not to finish his work regarding an area. So what is revealed is generally correct... most (some) of the time.

Frankly, I don't really remember why I suggested Glimmer, just a random thought.

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Originally Posted by Octopusapult

The cartographer either couldn't or chose not to finish his work regarding an area. So what is revealed is generally correct... most (some) of the time.

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Even when they finish their work, cartography isn't always that precise. Especially in a pre-industrial society.

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Originally Posted by Synvallius

Frankly, I don't really remember why I suggested Glimmer, just a random thought.

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It gave me an idea for a desert with areas that have sands reflecting and creating lights that people in the local area might call "glimmers" and use to mark distances or as landmarks.

Scouts might even go and create green or blue lights in the areas so each glimmer can be referred to by a specific color.

In other words, "Thanks!"

For mine I used the word Continent if it had more than 1 region. For the region the continent was named after (being the dominant region), or being the only region in the land mass it was called a Major region. Finally any minor regions were the lands that were smaller than the dominant one, and basically areas that rely on protection from their larger counter parts.

Thus there were five continents most of which had 1 Major region, and two minor regions. Then there were 2 Major regions which were separated from the rest of the world.

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Originally Posted by Octopusapult

So these areas follow consistent themes and I want to map each one individually and give them appropriate names. So far I've been using "Theater" as in Pacific Theater and European Theater. Terms from WWII.

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never heard the term 'European theater' wstern Front, Easter Front, North Africa, Pacific theater.

I use the term 'Generallyaccepted map of [major country/regions]. eg. Generally accepted map of the kreig islands. the Kreigislands is 12 islands cirling a central island, at varous ddistances. Ialso hand draw all my maps, helps with getting the vibe and making the reading harder unless they are printed, where I photocopy.

Maybe the different sections do it differently?

Group 1 calls everything Quadrants, and themselves Quadrant 1
Group 2 calls everything Theatres, and themselves Theatre 1
...

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Originally Posted by Alexkubel

never heard the term 'European theater' ...

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It's a thing. The internet said so.

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Originally Posted by Tragak

Maybe the different sections do it differently?

Group 1 calls everything Quadrants, and themselves Quadrant 1
Group 2 calls everything Theatres, and themselves Theatre 1
...

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That'd be fine, but it wouldn't apply to a Cartographers Guild which is the main reason I'm doing this. (I'm not sure if I mentioned that above.)

But with one unified group of people mapping, there would most likely be one consistent term for these sections.