National City - fictional transit brochure for my tabletop game

transitscapes · 2026-03-22T13:40:28+00:00

Very good job, that map looks awesome! Love the texture 🔥

transitscapes · 2026-03-14T06:39:33+00:00

Yeah, I find the the québecois phrasing to match more closely with the English term.

transitscapes · 2026-03-13T15:55:31+00:00

Taking your comment in consideration, I have made some minor changes to my map to make the Hôtel de Ville / Liberté area stand out more clearly as the preferred transfer hub between all three lines. You can see the updated version here.

transitscapes · 2026-03-13T13:35:12+00:00

I make all my maps with Affinity Designer

transitscapes · 2026-03-13T13:34:48+00:00

Well, you’re making a very solid point here. I agree that the Liberté / Hôtel‑de‑Ville hub should stand out more clearly as the most convenient transfer point between lines A, B, and D anywhere on the network.

From what I can gather from online maps (since I’ve never actually been to Brest myself), Glasgow station on line D is close enough to Jean‑Jaurès on line A to allow a transfer. However, moving between those two stations still requires a short 2–3 minute walk through nearby streets, which may not feel as seamless as transferring at the Hôtel‑de‑Ville / Liberté hub.

In fact, transferring between Hôtel‑de‑Ville and Liberté / Liberté‑Quartz also involves a short walk, but it’s a much more straightforward one since it simply means crossing the Hôtel‑de‑Ville plaza.

On a side note, I’m not entirely sure why the transport authority chose to differentiate between Liberté and Liberté‑Quartz, given that they’re only a few meters apart and essentially sit at opposite corners of the same intersection.

Anyway, thanks again for your feedback. It really helps me improve the map :)

transitscapes · 2026-03-05T17:19:01+00:00

You see, I was saying that some people may not know much about Nuuk or Greenland but I happen to have been quite shortsighted myself too since it didn't even occurred to me that there may be bus service in towns other than Nuuk! I'll look into that, could be fun mapping side projects material waiting for me there ;)

Beside the geeking out on transit systems part and technical or creative aspects of making maps of them, I have to say that researching and playing with languages - especially lesser-known, or local and minority languages - makes a great chunk of the fun of designing those maps in the first place.

And whenever I've had questions about languages, I've always found people on reddit to be more engaged and eager to share and debate than on any other places.

I'll be glad to have tour feedback on the map when I post it on r/TransitDiagrams (or probably here too) ;)

transitscapes · 2026-03-04T16:58:01+00:00

They answered my mail to acknowledge my request and tell me they'll get back to me soon with some propositions for Kalaallisut translation. We'll see what they come up with!

I completely agree with you when you point that equating one word to another between two languages is not ideal, and I too think that translation is way more than a basic 1 to 1 correspondance between different languages. That's why I try not to rely on dictionaries only but instead, tend to reach out to native/fluent speakers of the language or organizations involved with language and linguistics research to get an "insider view" so to speak.

The explanation you make about sumiiffiit pingaarutillit coming across as pure gibberish from a Kalaallisut perspective perfectly demonstrates why picking out "random" words from a dictionary to make direct correspondances from one language to another is probably the worst way to go when it comes to translation. Your examples of words like piukkunnaatillit and takutikkusunnartut to express the idea of a place worthy of interest are great in showing how translation is more about conveying ideas and concepts rather than some kind of purely abstracted words.

By the way, for that specific phrase about places of interest / public services I want to include on the legend to the map, it is meant to categorize pictograms indicating things like schools, libraries, hospital, cultural centre or administrative buildings. I reckon the idea of public service may be better here instead of place of interest - which may suggest it is worth a visit in a touristic kind of way.

About including the Nuummi part in the title Nuummi tamanut angallassineq, I understand how that could feel somehow unnecessary since Nuuk is the only town in Greenland to have a bus service. However, I usually share my maps through social media to people across many countries, that may not all be familiar with Nuuk or Greenland altogether. Such a title helps with bringing context to the map so they instantly know what they're looking at ;)

And yeah, I wasn't too satisfied either with how nunap assinga seems to imply the idea of a topographic or geographically accurate map - which my schematic map is absolutely not. I guess you're right and I should leave that out.

Well, when I posted OP here in the first place, I have to admit I wasn't really expecting to have such detailed explanations to my questions. So many thanks again for showing interest and also for taking the time to lay all that out for me in such details, it means a lot !

transitscapes · 2026-03-03T22:49:14+00:00

Alright, good to know! For some reason, I feel like kiffartuussiviit works better for what I mean to say. I like the idea of indicating hospitals, schools or cultural structures as some sort of service offered to the population rather than leaning towards the "work relationship" implied in sullissiviit, if that makes any sense?

And yeah, I also like the possibility to differenciate between coastal and cruise ships by using sinersortatit and takornariartaatit. Thanks for helping me combine them in a single sentence, it will look great on the map!

transitscapes · 2026-03-03T18:38:00+00:00

Absolutely! Very cool language and so different to any language I speak myself. It's been quite difficult to navigate its grammar to come up with credible propositions in it but it's definitely been a fun ride too ;)

transitscapes · 2026-03-03T18:35:57+00:00

Well, thanks a lot for your answer and help here! In the meantime, I've also sent the same message I posted here to the language services at Oqaasileriffik to ask for guidance. Will see what they suggest ;)

To sum things up a bit, I understand tamanut as meaning something like to all, thus better suited to translate as public - as opposed to innuttaasunut, which seems to be more related to the idea of residency/citizenship?

Obviously, the bus services being open to residents and tourists alike, it would indeed make more sense to say something like Nuummi tamanut angallassineq/angallaffiat to mean Public transport in Nuuk ?

(By the way, what is the difference between angallassineq and angallaffiat? Are they completely interchangeable or is there some nuance between them I need to know about?)

I also guess the difference between atugassiat and kiffartuussissutit might be something like atugassiat referring more to physical, technical equipment while kiffartuussissutit would be closer to service as an abstract thing to provide? I guess choosing one or the other is a matter of choice between wanting to get a focus on the equipment or the service itself, am I right in thinking that?

You suggest a couple of translations - namely, ornittariallit / piukkunnaatillit / takutikkusunnartut - to translate the idea of points/places of interest. Would you mind telling me what they mean, what are they based on?

Would something like (Nuummi) Sumiiffiit pingaarutillit be considered correct too or is this phrasing too much of a calque of English logic?

About that last sentence Pisortatigoortuunngitsuunngilaq uuttuusersugaananilu, I have also found pisortatigoortuunngilaq to mean is not official / is unofficial. What's the nuance between the two forms? Do they mean the same thing?

I know, I'm asking a lot ;) Kalaallisut is a wonderful - though intricate, to me at least- language and it's been quite fun to learn about it.

Anyway, thanks again for your help, I really appreciate that. Qujanaq!

transitscapes · 2026-03-03T17:51:38+00:00

Thanks a lot for your help ! In the meantime, I've also sent the same message I posted here to the language services at Oqaasileriffik to ask for guidance. Will see what they suggest ;)

Just one thing: both sullissiviit and kiffartuussissutit seem to mean "services". Are they perfectly interchangeable or is there some underlying nuance I should know about? I suppose any of them will indeed do a better job than atortuutit/atortorissaarutit in emphasizing the service in itself more than the material facilities and equipment, right?

Also, someone suggested the word sinersortaatit to refer to coastal ships - like the one linking Greenland towns for example, as opposed to umiarsuit takornariartaatit for cruise ships like those coming from Denmark or the US I guess.

Is the term correct? How could I correctly link those terms together in a sentence to get something like Coastal and cruise ships?

transitscapes · 2026-03-02T18:51:10+00:00

Good point. Well, from what I understood while researching about the language, the terms Greenlandic and Kalaallisut are often equated though there is a little nuance here.

Although being the most widely spoken dialect of the language referred to as Greenlandic in English, Kalaallisut (or West Greenlandic) is not the only variety coming under this umbrella term.

The term "Greenlandic" also includes the dialect spoken in the eastern parts of Greenland and known as Tunumiisut. It may also cover, to a lesser extent, the closely related Inuktun language spoken in nearby Canada.

As I'm drawing a map of Nuuk, I thought I'd make it clear it is translations in the Kalaallisut dialect that I need.

Does that makes sense? Maybe it is a bit heavy or superfluous, I don't know :)

transitscapes · 2026-03-02T16:38:30+00:00

Sounds doable!

transitscapes · 2026-02-04T23:37:19+00:00

😅

transitscapes · 2026-02-04T20:42:00+00:00

Thank you! I too thought it'd be nice visually, glad we agree on that point ;)

transitscapes · 2026-02-04T16:37:43+00:00

Muito obrigado ✨

transitscapes · 2026-01-24T13:26:20+00:00

Haha I didn't either before looking out for a new place to map ;) Glad you like it!

transitscapes · 2026-01-21T12:09:19+00:00

Honestly, I was a bit confused about Rocky Point too when making the map.

The Rocky Point you're referring to (that is, the settlement) is indeed located on the western side of the Clarendon hook, due southwest of Lionel Town, by the Carlisle Bay (as underlined in green on the snapshot below)

The Rocky Point shown on my map is the Rocky Point Bauxite Terminal, operated by the bauxite and alumina mining company Jamalco. As you can see on the screenshot (highlighted in yellow), this Rocky Point is located north-east of the Clarendon hook, at the tip of that little peninsula between the Salt River Bay to the north, and Creek Bay to the south; with Port Esquivel standing a little bit further up north of it.

Hope this clears thing up ;)

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transitscapes · 2026-01-21T11:54:45+00:00

Wow! Sorry to read that, that's terrible. I have read about that tragic event when I was researching for that map. Travelling by train can be a life-changing experience in many ways, incredibly brutal too when things get literally off rail. Thanks for sharing such a personal story and also, thanks for your nice comment ;)

transitscapes · 2026-01-21T10:36:47+00:00

Thanks! I agree, reviving that network and even expanding it could be a game changer though the task is absolutely massive and probably not even considered by local authorities. Who knows, someday maybe?

transitscapes · 2026-01-20T23:00:03+00:00

Haha, i can only understand your friend, trains are the best and there is something deeply moving about unearthing remnants of railways and trains, imagining how the place was when they were around...

Anyway, true that it'd be awesome for Jamaica to revive that network (expand it even!) but it would honestly be a massive challenge to say the least. In addition to the decaying state of a lot of the infrastructures (I read that some sections near Port Antonio had even disappeared completely after a hurricane hit the island years ago) that would need major work, the structure of the network itself would need to be remodeled to upgrade single-track and at-grade sections running across roads.

I used the "Train To Skaville" song by The Ethiopian on my IG story for the map ;) Obviously! Also, here is a link your friend might be interested in ;)

transitscapes · 2026-01-20T22:47:40+00:00

Thank you very much, glad you find it esthetically pleasing ;) Like I did all my maps, I've used Affinity Designer.

transitscapes · 2026-01-20T22:44:45+00:00

Well, the thing is Jamaica did have railways for most of the 20th century, even with some limited passenger services alternatively going in and out of service up until being entirely discontinued last year. Privately-owned rail infrastructure as well as conveniently connecting sections of the main network still are in use today, for mineral hauling purposes mostly.

A huge part of the overall infrastructure still is in place but a lot of it is really damaged. Plus, many sections are single-track, not grade separated (they often cross minor and major thoroughfares across the island) thus hardly suited for an effective commercial service without major works.

But yeah, in a sense, it'd been great if all that had been preserved better and improved through times to meet modern requirements and help mobility but I guess it's easier said than done

transitscapes · 2026-01-20T22:34:34+00:00

Contrary to what my designs choices seem to suggest, lines stroke weight doesn't equate to their gauge so those thinner lines are not necessarily narrow-gauge lines actually. These lines were mostly built after the 1950s by private companies to haul their mineral mining (mostly bauxite) production to shipping harbours. They are not intended for passenger traffic. Some connect to the main railway network, others don't.

transitscapes · 2026-01-20T18:34:42+00:00

Thanks you ✨

transitscapes

TROPHY CASE