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The map isn’t supposed to be an in-world artifact. It’s a piece of art for inspiration to players.

If Bob from Utah doesn’t know Scandinavia it’s a handy little reference to say x is over here and the art style is for mood.

One possible way of looking at it, certainly. Not the only one, though.

What I can say for certain is that I liked it a jolly lot better without the railway lines! To me, adding them makes no sense whatsoever.

One possible way of looking at it, certainly. Not the only one, though.

What I can say for certain is that I liked it a jolly lot better without the railway lines! To me, adding them makes no sense whatsoever.

No sense, but there are railroads there. The map is drawn to give a mythic feeling and that we are no longer in the 50:s, 80:s or the present, but at the same giving enough information so it also is a useful player aid. The map is for the players, it is not a replica of an old map in the game world.

I wouldn't know, I've chosen to play in a time when Upsala has no railway station. My players take boats and coaches. Knowing where the main roads and main rivers are is important, though, so they can plan their journeys.
Maybe, in the 19th century, people treated old things with less respect than we do today. Look at what happened in Egypt, where some mummies were unwrapped for public amusement. So, I don't see why someone from the 19th century wouldn't have drawn railways lines on an old map. This could indeed be convenient for players, and even for members of the Society at the time.

However, I don't see why we couldn't play in the early 19th century. So, if I want to tell my players those are the main roads instead of railways, I simply do it. Just because it's called 'Mythic' north doesn't mean you can't respect some of the historical accuracy. As they said in the book, it's our own Mythic North we present the players.

The map is for the players, it is not a replica of an old map in the game world.

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I guess that's my problem with it ... I was looking forward to having a map that wasn't only a game aid, but actually a handout; a prop. In my experience, those always help to create a sense of immersion.
But perhaps that isn't so important in Vaesen?

The map is for the players, it is not a replica of an old map in the game world.

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I guess that's my problem with it ... I was looking forward to having a map that wasn't only a game aid, but actually a handout; a prop. In my experience, those always help to create a sense of immersion.
But perhaps that isn't so important in Vaesen?

The map is for the players as a gaming aid (so we know where everything are) and to enhance the feeling for the world we are playing in.

We have different opinions here. I am Swedish and also loves maps so for me the map gives the right feeling for a mythical north (a world where vaesen can exists but also with a touch of industrialism). Those maps for example in your post from the mid 1840:s just gives me the feeling of a wargame. I am sorry that the map doesn't do that for you.

We have different opinions here. I am Swedish and also loves maps so for me the map gives the right feeling for a mythical north (a world where vaesen can exists but also with a touch of industrialism). Those maps for example in your post from the mid 1840:s just gives me the feeling of a wargame. I am sorry that the map doesn't do that for you.

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You persist in misunderstanding me, Fenhorn.

I LIKE the map. I LIKE the fact that it evokes an earlier era. I only posted the mid-19th century maps to illustrate THIS VERY FACT - that the map DOES EVOKE an earlier era, that it DOES NOT look like maps did in the game's time.
I DO NOT want a map in the game that looks like the actual 19th century maps - I PREFER the one we got.

What I am objecting to is the railway lines, which are an anachronism on the map, and detract from its sense of being a map from an earlier era.

They limit its use to ONLY being a slightly flavoured play aid.

Had they NOT been there, it STILL would have worked as a play aid, but ALSO worked as a prop - something to increase the players' sense of immersion.

But as I said. Immersion perhaps isn't as important in Vaesen as I thought it was.

Immersion is very important in Vaesen. I think the problem here is: what kind of immersion? It may differ from GM to GM and from group to group. It doesn’t seem absurd to me that the Society could have a 17th century map, but want to keep it up to date. What if they added the railways in the 19th century to help the members picture at the same time the world as it was before, and the world as it is becoming? Makes sense to me.

Immersion is very important in Vaesen. I think the problem here is: what kind of immersion? It may differ from GM to GM and from group to group. It doesn’t seem absurd to me that the Society could have a 17th century map, but want to keep it up to date. What if they added the railways in the 19th century to help the members picture at the same time the world as it was before, and the world as it is becoming? Makes sense to me.

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I am not sure people would be so keen on defacing a centuries old artefact ... it's one thing to wrap up mummies from Egypt at a party in New York or Paris; it's quite another to treat artefacts from your own history with irreverence. And Sweden had already institutionalised preservation of the nation's heritage during the 17th century.

Nah ... I'm considering letting the railways be either slightly weirdly drawn roads, as per your example, or give them some mystical meaning ... yet to decide what, though.

I worked in an archive once, where the wall around my desk where decorated with old local maps from the 1860:s that looks like that so just because the map isn't drawn the way of an atlas map doesn't mean that type of maps wasn't used.

You have your opinion. According to you the map doesn't give you an immersion, but for me it does. For me an atlas-styled map would just give me a feeling that I am playing a wargame (the T2k maps will look like that). So please stop say that "immersion isn't important in Vaesen" like that goes for everyone. We all have different view of what gives immersion and what's not.

edit: and since there are roads that goes alongside the railroad, for the most part anyway, so treat it as roads if you want to play before 1850ish.