Cave of Shadows: Part 1

In a previous blog entry I demonstrated what goes in to creating one of my Adventure Pack terrain pieces. This time around I invite you to discover what goes on in my mind when I’m designing a new battlefield.


The Idea
Inspiration comes from all sources. I had long wanted to do and icy cave battlefield and while doing some research for another battlefield (Yes, I do research!) I came across this entry in the HeroScape Compendium:

Cave of Shadows
Dark and icy cave that may be located on or close to the Thaelenk Tundra. This cave provides a path to Concan’s Castle.

I remembered it from the last HeroScape comic, The Quest for Concan’s Castle. I thought, “Gosh, I think I’ve found my icy cave.” Mind you, I don’t usually make places directly mentioned in HeroScape lore. I prefer to make out-of-the-way places and then fit them somewhere in the Valhallan countryside. This felt different though. It was vague. I like vague – it’s open to new ideas. If you’ve noticed, for the most part my battlefield write-ups are intentionally kind of vague. It helps me make things fit into existing places or story lines without saying “this is the way it has to be from now on."

On a side note, while doing more research, this time looking at images of frosty caves I came across the image at the top of my blog. I couldn’t resist putting it here. I instantly recognized the creature on the right as a Greater Ice Elemental. What a cool find!

The Design
For many of my maps I try to develop an overall shape to the map first. Will it be symmetrical or asymmetrical? Round, square, rectangular, angled, curved, or hexagonal? Rectangles are kind of boring if you ask me; I’ve done enough of them. I was thinking of doing another sort of s-curve map like I did with the Deep Jungle Battlefield. But this shape can cause lack of activity in the extremities of the curve. One solution is to make those areas desirable – by adding height, glyphs, etc.


Although it’s difficult to tell by looking at it, this new map has a mild S shape. The center of the map is divided by a ridge of glaciers that will make for difficult choices in game and, of course, block line-of-sight. I tried to make the map friendly for all character types however I feel it will favor flying figures. If I add a stalactite rule it may lessen their advantage enough to put them on par with ranged and melee units.

In the next two parts I plan to cover the following topics: The Story, The Scenario, The Playtesting, The Production, and The Release. Stay tuned!