A lot of people, particularly those new to the Foundry, seem to be confused about the purpose of the Drafting Room.
Since we have these segments labeled "Drafting room", "Gameplay" and "Graphics" in that order, many seem to have the idea that these divisions are absolute, and no graphics discussion should take place before the Graphics forum.
The idea is somewhat false, at least when it comes to the current foundry process. As someone who has shepherded several maps through this very process, allow me to shine some light on what in my view are the aims and concepts behind this process. I'm not an official Cartography team member, so the cartos are free to correct me if they feel my assesment is inaccurate.
The Drafting room is a place one step ahead from the idea stage. New threads are posted either in map ideas (melting pot) or drafts, with the requirement of a "working draft" to be allowed in the drafts section. A working draft is one that contains a legend with all the rules of the map, bonus & territory names, and a clear enough visual draft to comment on gameplay. In other words, a working draft is an image that requires no external explanations to understand the gameplay.
So once we are in the drafting room, what exactly are we supposed to do? The goal is to create a draft that has most of the elements of a map in place. This requires some graphical work, because you need to place the territory shapes, borders, continents, etc. in a clear and understandable way. It also functions as a sort of litmus test where the cartographers assess if the mapmaker is capable of creating the graphics. Also, for new mapmakers, it provides a good opportunity to practice and learn graphics work.
Some seem to be of the opinion that no graphical work should be required at this phase. I am of the opinion that the current arrangement is necessary, since we have seen so many maps in the past that get up to the graphics forum, and then are abandoned when it turns out the mapmaker is unable to create graphics that are up to CC standards. This is a waste of not only the mapmaker's time, but of everyone involved in the thread, including the Cartography team.
Unfortunately some new mapmakers seem to feel this is done out of spite to punish or "haze" them, or that it is done just because "it has always been done that way". This is a very misguided notion, as if these people had been in the Foundry longer, they would be aware that the Foundry is very dynamic place that is constantly changing according to needs and resources.
So the point is, there are very much justifiable reasons for requiring a measure of graphical work to be done before the map is advanced to gameplay, and even during gameplay some amount of "graphics work" is often required - this is usually related to gameplay clarity.
Perhaps we should rename "Drafting Room" into something that more accurately reflects the thing that it is. The problem is, it serves many purposes, I myself can't think of any term that would concisely describe all of it's functions.
So, now I welcome everyone to post their opinions on the process here. If you have ideas or suggestions how to better run this collective project known as the Foundry, you're also welcome to suggest them here. However, please do keep in mind the practical limitations of a place ran by volunteer power. Some rules and limitations must be applied, and sometimes it may feel unfair or unnecessary, but nothing is done without a purpose. The Foundry is not perfect, but as a wise man once said, "the perfect should not be the enemy of the good". And the foundry is the best solution we have at the moment.
