wargame-cartographer

Wargame Cartographer

Generate historically accurate, playable wargame-style hex maps for any geographic area at any scale.

Features

• Hex grid generation with terrain classification from real geographic data
• Elevation data with hillshade rendering
• Three designer styles inspired by classic wargame publishers
• Multiple output formats: PNG, PDF, interactive HTML, game data JSON
• Natural language input — just describe the area and scale

Claude Code Plugin

Install as a Claude Code plugin for the /wargame-map slash command:

/install-plugin fredzannarbor/wargame-cartographer

Then use it:

/wargame-map Normandy 1944 --hex-size 5
/wargame-map Eastern Front 1941 --hex-size 50 --style simonsen
/wargame-map Stalingrad tactical --hex-size 1 --style kibler

Standalone Installation

git clone https://github.com/fredzannarbor/wargame-cartographer.git
cd wargame-cartographer
uv sync

CLI Usage

# From a YAML spec file
uv run wargame-map generate configs/examples/normandy_hex.yaml

# Quick generate from command line
uv run wargame-map quick --name "Gettysburg" --bbox "-77.30,39.78,-77.20,39.86" --hex-size 1 --style simonitch

# List available styles
uv run wargame-map styles

# View terrain effects chart
uv run wargame-map terrain-effects

Designer Styles

Style	Inspired By	Character
simonitch	GMT Games (Normandy '44, Ukraine '43)	Warm earth tones, muted greens, thin grid
simonsen	SPI/Avalon Hill (PanzerBlitz, Squad Leader)	High contrast, bold colors, strong grid
kibler	Avalon Hill (Third Reich, Breakout: Normandy)	Painterly, saturated, organic feel

Output Formats

Format	Description
PNG	High-resolution static map image (300 DPI)
PDF	Vector map for print
HTML	Interactive Folium/Leaflet map with clickable hex tooltips
JSON	Game data with hex IDs, terrain types, movement costs, elevation

Example Spec (YAML)

name: "Normandy 1944"
title: "OVERLORD"
subtitle: "D-Day to the Breakout"
scenario: "June 6 - August 25, 1944"

bbox:
  min_lon: -1.80
  min_lat: 48.80
  max_lon: 0.50
  max_lat: 49.80

designer_style: simonitch
hex_size_km: 5.0
dpi: 300

show_elevation_shading: true
show_rivers: true
show_cities: true
show_hex_numbers: true
show_legend: true

output_formats: [png, html, json]
output_dir: ./output

License

MIT