The area is dominated by the Teiner Valley which runs from north to south. The whole area is loosely based on the Tyne valley in the north of England where I was born and bred. The orientation is altered from west to east and the topography altered to suit the campaign.
Place names are a mix of made up names and Germanised real names eg. Altstein = Alston (where my wife is from) , Heydn Brucke = Haydon Bridge ( where I went to school) and Hecksheim = Hexham (where I grew up and where I work).
Doing this gives me a feel for the lie of the land and should be useful in setting up the terrain and in visualising the troop movements on the map.
Has anyone else tried this ?.