Battlefields of Valhalla Discussion Thread

[Cleon]

All of the maps that are on the current list are looking great guys! I could see many making it in. It looks like Gamebear will have 3 BoV maps, if Ticalla Sunrise recieves one more yes which seems very likely. Congrats.

[Velenne]

Maps pending acceptance for review:

Overlord by Ch1can0
All of Ch1can0's maps are gorgeous. This one is no exception. But is it balanced? Sheesh, with all those bumps and walls, I have no way of knowing without trying it out. Yes to review.

Death Bridge by Troubleman23
I'm all for trying new things. I really am. But I don't think I'm ready for this one. No to review.

Melee Mania by Soul Shackle
Is Melee Mania all the zaniness it's self-titled to be? I'm thinking not.

Myrkr Spring by Kahrma*
Sorry Kahrma, but Gamebear may have just clinched this niche in the BoV so I'm going to preemptively vote no.

Maps currently being reviewed:

Ticalla Sunrise by Gamebear
I can't say a single thing bad about this map. I thought about it. I thought some more. But then I was just left with the undeniable fact that this is the quintessential SotM+TJ map. It just doesn't get any better. Aesthetics, balance, originality, and a twist. If the BoV didn't include this map, it wouldn't be worth a hill of ashigaru. Yes to Ticalla Sunrise and congratulations on Gamebear's third induction!

[Bloody the Marro Stinger]

Congratulations Gamebear! For the record, I just set up Ticalla Sunrise and it really is an awesome map. Asthetically, it's gorgeous. Battlewise, it's a map that really does put your noggin to work. Awesome job, Gamebear!
Edit: As a side note, it would seem that Mykr Spring and Melee Mania are now rejected for review if my math is right.

[Rÿchean]

Originally Posted by Bloody the Marro Stinger

Edit: As a side note, it would seem that Mykr Spring and Melee Mania are now rejected for review if my math is right.

Myrkr Springs could still be accepted for review with a Yes acceptance vote from Bunjee. It has only received 2 No votes, myself and Velenne. A yes from Bunjee would give it a 60% approval for review; greater than 50% is required for the map to be reviewed.

[Bloody the Marro Stinger]

Okay. That makes sense. Of course, Melee Mania is still rejected.

[Shades fan]

Sweet, another two GameBear maps into the BoV both nominated by me!

[Rÿchean]

Maps currently being reviewed:

Marro Marsh by Gomolka

I want to apologize to gomolka for not getting to this sooner. I procrastinated so long on this map that I forgot why I was procrastinating. If you recall I voted no to reviewing this map again. After Kahrma, voted No to the map I was waiting to see if on one of the others judges would vote NO so I didn’t have to be the bad guy. However, it looks like I'm going to be the bad guy.

Aesthetically, the map is blah…it just is. There is nothing to offset that dark green anywhere except the road. Between the pines and swamp it is just blah. Color contrast is important. In order to be the best of the best it has to have some qualities that are pleasing to the eye. My eyes are not pleased when I look at this map.

The bridge set up is as I feared, I bit unstable. Sorry, tournament maps should not hit the table with the expectation that you will have to repair them often during the game or the event. A couple of the tree placements seem forced. The bridge itself seems forced. The start zones are not balanced to one another. The ROTV ruins on a SOTM map just rubs me the wrong way. If you are going to use the both master sets, you might as well get something for it. The ruins do not add enough to the map to warrant it including a ROTV set.

The map wants to be many things but as a result, it isn't much of anything. Is it a tournament worthy map? Sure! Of course, most maps reviewed are at least worthy of tournament play. Is it one of the best tournament maps out there? No, it isn't. When you look at the whirlwind induction of maps like Fire Isles and Ticalla Sunrise, you realize that Marro Marsh falls short. I've enjoyed the exercise of reviewing the various incarnations of this map, but I vote NO to Marro Marsh.

This removes Marro Marsh from the review process as two judges have voted No to the map; it can not obtain the required 75% approval rating for enshrinement into the Battlefields of Valhalla.

[Rÿchean]

- logged Jexik's acceptance votes
- Death Bridge is not accepted for review
- logged Kahrma's review of Ticalla Sunrise
- logged Velenne's acceptance votes
- Melee Mania is not approved for review
- Logged Velenne's review of Ticalla Sunrise
- Ticalla Sunrise is approved for induction in the BoV
- logged Rÿchean's review of Marro Marsh
- Marro Marsh removed from review process
_____________


Updated 9/5/08

Maps pending acceptance for review:

Overlord by Ch1can0
YES = 3(Jexik, Rÿchean, Velenne); NO = 0; Pending = 3(Revdyer, Kahrma, Bunjee)

Myrkr Spring by Kahrma*
YES = 2(Revdyer, Jexik); NO = 2(Rÿchean, Velenne); Pending = 1(Bunjee)
*Kahrma removed from review process per map creator

Maps currently being reviewed:

East Pond by Soul Shackle
YES = 1(Revdyer); NO = 0; Pending = 5(Kahrma, Rÿchean, Velenne, Jexik, Bunjee)

Shady Oasis by Rÿchean*
YES = 1(Revdyer); NO = 0; Pending = 4(Kahrma, Velenne, Jexik, Bunjee)
*Rÿchean removed from review process per map creator

Stroll Through The Park by UranusPChicago
YES = 1(Rÿchean); NO = 1(Revdyer);Pending = 4(Kahrma, Velenne, Jexik, Bunjee)

[Jexik]

East Pond by Soul Shackle

After being set up on my table for awhile, I finally got a chance to sit down and play this one.

As Revdyer pointed out in his review, there is an awful lot of foliage covering this map. To me, that's part of the problem. Eight of the eighteen jungle pieces are on the edge of the map, so that they don't confer their bonus to as large of an area as they might elsewhere on the map. Several others are adjacent to other jungle pieces, or close enough to other jungle pieces that they protect the same area as another piece.

I got more annoyed than excited about the tactile adventure of trying to move my figures around the map. The narrow lanes of traffic and ubiquity of the jungle pieces ensure that keeping your figures protected while they advance isn't even a decision- it happens automatically.

In short, it seems like the same thing could have been done with fewer sets, and that either that 1 TJ version, or this 2 TJ version wouldn't be as fun as Ticalla Sunrise. I think a great map that absolutely requires 2 TJ to achieve its vision might be out there, but this one isn't it. It's certainly a fine map that gives melee a decent chance at victory, but I'm not sure if it's BoV material.

Sorry Soul Shackle, I'm voting no on this one.

[ricksta2232]

I once again have a renewed commitment to play some scape... and my thought was to try out a few of the pending maps for consideration.

Then it hit me... many of the maps have glyphs on them. I'd be likely testing the 400-500 point competitive value of the maps. Is there a standard pool of glyphs used/reccomended by the judges on the council?

[Jexik]

Originally Posted by ricksta2232

I once again have a renewed commitment to play some scape... and my thought was to try out a few of the pending maps for consideration.

Then it hit me... many of the maps have glyphs on them. I'd be likely testing the 400-500 point competitive value of the maps. Is there a standard pool of glyphs used/reccomended by the judges on the council?

You aren't the first to ask this question.

The closest thing to "standard" at this point would be the glyph pool used at GenCon this summer, which was Ulaniva (Unique attack +1), Crevcor (Common Attack +1), Dagmar (Iniative +8 ), Lodin (Lucky 20-sider), Valda (Move +2), and Gerda (Defense +1). These 6 are probably a good starting point.

This topic is definitely open to debate, however. Rÿchean recently stated after GC that he thinks that attack glyphs of any kind have no place in tournament play. I happen to think that including just Ulaniva might help keep Unique Squads viable. Some tournament directors dislike defense glyphs because they lengthen games. Lodin might be too weak when compared to just about any other glyph, although it certainly seems to boost figures who need it. Many people think Wannok is too powerful, but I put it below the attack and defense glyphs in terms of power, and above some of the others (I'm also a sucker for end of the round/between round effects like lava and the initiative glyph, so I really like Wannok).

If you just do a search for 'Glyph' in the title of articles or discussions, you can find a number of interesting reads, but here are two of my favorites:

Do you think the +1 Attack Glyph is Overpowered?

Building a glyph pool by rdhight

[Revdyer]

Like Jexik, I find myself usually including Wannok in my play glyph pool these days. I generally do not include Lodin when I'm playing for fun, but do put it in when I'm testing maps here that use random glyphs.