Killometer's maps ~ Vallum (single RotV) updated 3/1/15

[dok]

Originally Posted by Killometer

The hills with the battlements do an excellent job blocking LoS between start zones, at least until one is summited. Hopefully by that time, though, both armies are significantly deployed

My concern, in a nutshell, is that I think that won't be the case a lot of the time. This obviously won't be the case when one army is something like Zelrig+Greenscales, which can be blasting away from OM1, but there are plenty of armies that will tend to leave some figures in the startzone for a while, and will be leaving low ground targets for any ranged opponent.

I agree with you that there's no easy way to shoehorn the other ruin into that design (much less glyphs) without a significant reworking of the map. Those were more "abstract" suggestions, if you like... I see the FotA+RotV map as a very tough one to manage without using the columns, so leaving out what is, in theory, one of your best resources strikes me as strange.

In that vein, though, I basically think that every map in the contest that doesn't use uncapped columns has some flaws that leave the map short of perfect. I don't think that's avoidable. It's just a question of how you manage the problem and what flaws you choose to leave in the map. I consider your map a very solid effort at this terrain combo.

Of course, you could just use uncapped columns and make a perfect map.

[Killometer]

I do admit that I tend to have a very aggresive play style, so it doesn't come as a complete shock to hear that one of my maps cants slightly to that type of play. It's been said before.

Someday I may revisit Dance Steppes, and see if I can work power glyphs in somehow, because I do think that they'd improve its play, but that's a ways down my "to-do" list.

As far as taking advantage of the FotA columns, I honestly just can't get over their aesthetics, or lack thereof. I've played around with them before, but in the end I'd rather try to find different ways to design a map. It was a challenge, and I think I was a bit more successful with Erosion, but I'm still pleased with how Dance Steppes came out.

And if everybody would just start playing Death Chasers, it would be a perfect map.

[Killometer]

I have a possible solution to Dance Steppes glyph conundrum.

First, I don't take any credit for this idea. I know I'm stealing it from someone here (I think Ollie...) 1Mmirg.

One hill gets a Wannok, one hill gets a Brandar. The Brandar has special rules: if only one glyph is occupied, it functions as Wannok, if both glyphs are occupied, both are negated.

This would motivate people to claim a glyph, and fight to keep the other player off the other glyph, but would solve the mine-and-yours issue that I think would otherwise occur on this map.

I don't know exactly where on the hills they should go yet, but I think this might work. Unfortunately I tore down Dance Steppes to work on My Way or the Hiveway, so I can't work specifically on this yet, but I figure I'd throw it out to hear what other people think.

[Darkmage7a]

Originally Posted by Killometer

I have a possible solution to Dance Steppes glyph conundrum.

First, I don't take any credit for this idea. I know I'm stealing it from someone here (I think Ollie...)

One hill gets a Wannok, one hill gets a Brandar. The Brandar has special rules: if only one glyph is occupied, it functions as Wannok, if both glyphs are occupied, both are negated.

This would motivate people to claim a glyph, and fight to keep the other player off the other glyph, but would solve the mine-and-yours issue that I think would otherwise occur on this map.

I don't know exactly where on the hills they should go yet, but I think this might work. Unfortunately I tore down Dance Steppes to work on My Way or the Hiveway, so I can't work specifically on this yet, but I figure I'd throw it out to hear what other people think.

Actually I think that might be Mmirg's invention. It sounds like the Glyph of Mimicry he posted as part of Flooded Temple II on his Cartographer's choice list.

[Killometer]

Thanks Darkmage. Credit goes to 1Mmirg.

[Killometer]

My Way or the Hiveway is a map that I've been working on intermittently since at least October. The general idea has always been the same (glyphs+cover on one side, height+road on the other), but it's gone through a number of different configurations and terrain combinations until I came up with this design.



It took the addition of the BftU to open it up enough to make it interesting to play repeatedly. It added more hexes to increase the height of the hill, more LoS blockers to expand coverage across the low half of the map, and added shadow tiles and water tiles to increas the level-0 area.

The glyphs are, from foregound to background, Astrid (+1 Attack) Scarab of Invulnerability (ignore wounds), Valda (+2 move) and, hiding behind the dungeon tiles at the very far corner, Brooch of Shielding (disengage).

It is pseudo-asymetric, in that each side looks fairly different, but each start zone has balanced access to all the strategic points of the map (height, glyphs, cover, shadow). The start zones don't look particularly intuitive at first glance, but really they are: 3 7-hex swamp plates and the 3 water hexes that touch them.

Road leads most of the way up the hill to speed summitting, but always has normal terrain dominating it. The glyphs have partial protection behind LoS blockers, but Astrid (the biggie) requires stretching your forces to claim it, and is open to both melee and ranged attacks froim height.

[Robber]

Brilliant design- I love how you go out of your way to make perfectly playable, untypical maps that make you wonder how the heck you thought up this.

I worry about the flats a little bit in the area around the Astrid glyph. But with the shadow, water, and obstacles (ruin, 4-hex tree) the area should be perfectly playable.

Congrats on another awesome map! I'll build it tomorrow- Maybe a battle report.

[Killometer]

Originally Posted by Robber

Brilliant design- I love how you go out of your way to make perfectly playable, untypical maps that make you wonder how the heck you thought up this.

Thanks. It probably all stems from my involvement with the TWAMP during my early days of organized map design.

I worry about the flats a little bit in the area around the Astrid glyph. But with the shadow, water, and obstacles (ruin, 4-hex tree) the area should be perfectly playable.

Because almost all of the terrain there is the same level it allows units to spring from behind the Hive/rock/tree to attack the glyph-holder, or units protecting the glyph-holder, from relative safety.

A bazillion rats can clog it up pretty well, but that's usually true everywhere. :grrrr;

Congrats on another awesome map! I'll build it tomorrow- Maybe a battle report.

If you get a chance I'd love to hear how it goes.

[Robber]

I'm on summer, so I'll have the time. The question is if my neighbor (still has exams ) can come over for a quick game. If not, I'll call up Bassist of Doom.

...and utterly crush him

[Carnival Man]

I like the potential for ranged mayhem on order marker 1...even hand to hand if both melee squads have a move of 6 or better. I'll bring this for July at Ronin Games!

[Killometer]

I hope this doesn't hit a sore spot, but I had a lot of fun playing Vipers on this map.

If I had been able to get to Ronin's ealier last Sunday I would have brought it then to get a little more feedback before I posted it. (It's been complete since before then-that's what I was waiting on before I posted it. Oh well.) I'd love to hear how it does if it gets some play time next month.

[The Champion of Weston]

An awesome map, it's well balanced and doesn't favor one side. I think on the ranged threat is one that can easily be countered by turn 2. I love your name for it to.