There is no getting around the fact that CC3+ contains a huge number of symbols, especially if you own all the add-ons, symbol sets and annuals, and even more if you have installed some of the available free community made sets, or maybe even imported images you have found yourself as symbols.
We have different ways in how we like to go looking for symbols, but one way some people like is having a kind of symbol book they can flip through. I still have memories of software in the last millennium that often came with such printed books in their box, for example a clipart book showing all the clipart available in the software. These days, such books are not quite as useful, because as computers evolved and became more powerful, they started offering on-screen preview and search features. Still, sometimes flipping through a book, either in physical form, or a pdf on your screen can be nice. If you have a multi-screen setup, you can even keep that book on one screen and work with CC3+ on another.
Now, CC3+ doesn’t come with any such books, neither printed nor digital, but it contains the tools that allow you to make one for yourself.
Ralf talks about his latest hobby project in which he prepares to create a new hex mapping style for his new rpg campaign game featuring hexcrawl-style adventuring.
Reminders
CC3+’s current version is 3.98. Check in Help > About and if your version is older, run Update 28 for CC3+ available from your registration page.
Maps have been an integral part of the fantasy role-playing hobby since its inception, but often we think of the classic gridded dungeon map as the basic map that is used during the game. The overland map is secondary, showing the overall lay of the land, and is perhaps just used to find out the travel distance between the town the adventures starts in and the next dungeon.
But there is another type of map that can see heavy use during the game session: the overland hex map used for a so-called hexcrawl. What is a hexcrawl do you ask? It is a type of game where the adventure consists not of an overarching plot or a specific dungeon that the heroes follow or delve into, but of a region that they can freely explore via a hex map. They go from hex to hex, encountering what the GM or adventure has in store there and then decide where to go next.
I first encountered this type of game (and the accompanying hex maps) not in fantasy gaming, but in science fiction. We used to play Traveller in the day, and hex maps where a big part of the game. Since then, I’ve always loved them but admittedly used them in my games fairly rarely. But now I am starting a new campaign game, and guess what it is in large parts a hexcrawl game. That means I’m looking at creating my own hex maps again, as you can see in our latest YouTube live mapping session.
Hex grids have been a part of Campaign Cartographer for a long time, and in CC3 we introduced special hex symbol functionality to make creating such maps even quicker and easier. Check out the Overland Hex Map style from the Annual Vol. 4, Overland CC3 Hex Maps in Vol. 7, Mike Schley Hex maps in Vol 12, and of course a large variety of hex styles in Cosmographer 3.
None of these are exactly what I’m looking for, so I’ll be creating a new style for my own use, fitting for the Cloud Empress game I’ll be running for a while. That way I can expand the published game world with my own content without breaking the visual style.
I’m looking forward to sharing my progress here and on the ProFantasy forum. Have you used and created hex maps yourself? Do you like creating them, or is their layout too abstract for your liking. I’d love to hear your thoughts.
You need towering structures rising from a jungle canopy or megalithic temples sitting on a lonely desert plateau? We’ve got you covered, so let’s climb the impressive step pyramids in this month’s free symbols of Mesoamerican Structures.
Note that the example maps included with this free content make use of the full Hand-drawn Fantasy style from the Cartographer’s Annual 2025. If you don’t have that Annual installed, you won’t see these correctly, but you can still use the symbols on other maps. The Cartographer’s Annual 2025 is available for purchase here.
To download the free content go to your registration page and on the Downloads tab, click the download button for Campaign Cartographer 3 Plus. The new symbols are listed there. All the content of from August 2025 to January 2026 is included in the one download. All previous content has been folded into the latest update for CC3+ (Update 28).
Welcome again, dear cartographers, to the user maps of of the month, this time from February 2026. They were shared by our amazing mappers with the community. Enjoy!
The first map is by Shessar, showing off an older, now finished floorplan, the Staggering Moose Inn. As usual, Shessar used a variety of different dungeon styles. Continue reading »
If you’ve missed any of the live mapping sessions we do on YouTube most weeks, showcasing a certain style or set of tools in CC3+, you’ll find them archived and organized into playlists on YouTube.
The March issue of the Cartographer’s Annual has been released, and it brings you a wonderful new map pack by Kevin Goebel. Explore the town of Edrinbury and the Black Cat Inn on 7 detailed maps ranging from the town through the inn floorplans all the way down to the establishment’s basement. A full description gives you hooks and adventure ideas to use in your own games. And of course you can adapt the maps in CC3+ for your own settings.
The March issue is now available for all subscribers from their registration page. If you haven’t subscribed to the Annual 2026 yet, you can do so here.
There is no denying that there is a lot of symbols available in CC3+, especially if you have several of the various add-ons and annuals. And at times, it can be hard to find what you want.
In CC3+, all symbols are arranged in symbol catalogs, and symbol catalogs are all associated with a map style. For example, the Mike Schley overland style have it’s own set of symbol catalogs, while the CC3 Standard overland style have a different set of symbol catalogs. CC3+ is set up this way to make it easy to find and use the symbols that belong to the current style, you should be able to access them simply by hitting the various symbol catalog buttons immediately above the mapping window. Symbols are deliberately divided into different styles because these symbols are drawn by multiple artists using multiple drawing styles, and very often don’t look all that good if you try to mix them on the same map. Just look at the mountains above. They all look good when used in the map style they belong to, but mixing them makes little sense. This is why when you click the mountains catalog button in CC3+ you will be presented with a symbol catalog containing symbols that fit your current map style instead of just the same set of mountains always.
Sometimes however, you do want to use symbols not part of your current style. Some styles are more compatible with each other than others, so there are certainly cases where a symbol from another style may look good. Generally in CC3+, you can always browse for any symbol catalog you want by hitting the Open Symbol Catalog button right above the symbol catalog and look for the right symbol catalog (They’re all found in subfolders under the Symbols folder in the CC3+ data directory). If you want to use many symbols from other styles however, this can lead to a lot of clicking and browsing, making creating your own symbol catalog a good idea. A custom symbol catalog gives you easy access to the symbols you have included in it, without impacting the official catalogs.
Remy teaches you how to create hand-drawn looking handouts for your players using random dungeon generation, the Sticky Notes Dungeon style and parchment backgounds.
The current bi-weekly roleplaying campaign I am running is the excellent “Borellus Connection” for Pelgrane Press’ Fall of Delta Green game. I had the pleasure to create some of the maps in the published book, from the heroin smuggling routes of the 1960s, via a drug lords compound to a Beirut warehouse floorplan.
More maps were created by other talented mappers, meaning the book has plenty of material, but I still found myself wanting more as our campaign progressed – you can never have enough maps!
Especially one location in Marseille tickled my fancy, as it is very interesting geographically, but at the same time difficult to put into a map – and the book didn’t have one. So I sat down, fired up CC3+ and used my trusty Dracula Dossier modern floorplan style to map the villain’s lair in Marseille.
Now, the location has some otherworlds components and the description is vague enough to make any mapper question their sanity, so I decided to not try to pin down everything to the inch. Instead I focused on the relative position to things to each other and convey the atmosphere of the place (one of a claustrophic maze). It worked quite well in practice during the game.
So in case you need a labyrinthine hideout for your games, or you are even running the Borellus Connection campaign (which I highly recommend), you can grab the FCW map here.
There is no getting around the fact that CC3+ contains a huge number of symbols, especially if you own all the add-ons, symbol sets and annuals, and even more if you have installed some of the available free community made sets, or maybe even imported images you have found yourself as symbols.
News
The current bi-weekly roleplaying campaign I am running is the excellent “
Especially one location in Marseille tickled my fancy, as it is very interesting geographically, but at the same time difficult to put into a map – and the book didn’t have one. So I sat down, fired up CC3+ and used my trusty Dracula Dossier modern floorplan style to map the villain’s lair in Marseille. 
