Tnx guys. There's some tough work yet to be done, but I can give you a pretty final overview of what remains now for the map. It's all down to efficient use of climates and ground types now.
RTR 8 Climate outline:
I think the following 9 major climates are required for our map. I have underlined RL biomes and climate zones that we should then implement through ground types**.
1) A pine forest climate with snow in winter.
Taiga and alpine forest, and tundra.
2) A deciduous forest climate with snow in winter.
Central european forest, forest steppe.
3) A steppe climate
Tall grass steppe and arid short grass steppe
4) A deciduous forest climate without snow in winter
Temperate forest
5) A sclerophylous forest and scrubland climate without snow in winter
Mediterranean forest and Mediterranean forest scrubland
6) An cool arid scrubland climate (frost, no snow)
7) An cool arid desert climate (frost, no snow)
rocky desert, sand dunes
8 ) A hot arid scrubland climate
savanna, scrubland
9) A hot arid desert climate
rocky desert, sand dunes
This gives us 3 more climates to play with and I suggest using them for floodplains and waterlogged areas**:
1) Temperate forest and swamp climate
2) Boreal forest and swamp climate
3) Tropical floodplain vegetation (the Nile, Mesopotamia)
One of these can be mixed in with each of the above 9 to create some extra variety.
Just want to stress that this is not another theoretical excercise, but the result of actually delineating those 9 main climate areas on a map. The bits that are yet to be done I've marked with **.