Wargrounds of Scape (WoS) - discussion thread

[Cleon]

I've played a lot of games online with Sheep, trying out and testing many of his maps, and my two favorites have been Yngvild Pass (which has been nominated) and this one, Nomanisan:


Requires: 1 RotV, 1 FotA, 1 TJ, and 1 VW
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Nomanisan is a very different, but fun build. I feel like the main problem with VW maps isn't so much the molten lava or having lava field tiles, it's dealing with the four 7-hex lava fields and avoiding them being dead zones. This map gets by that with the implementation of ladders. They make the spots easier to traverse and gives an option of jumping off of the lava height but still having a height advantage in most spots...it's an interesting dynamic (and one I'd like to see more maps utilize). The jungle on this map are well placed, they provide the alternative spots to oppose things sitting from height (lava field or ladders) attacking down, and the two bushes and tree are really nice for developing out of the start zone. The jump points from the jungle, along with the ladders/heighted lava field combo makes for a lot of interesting options. There are also a few spots you can place a figure hugging two battlements providing cover, also making for nice jump points. The glyphs are a little out of the way but not too much. They seem more optional than most maps (still depends on the glyphs, and matchups, like always), but still drive movements/tactics. And the treasure glyphs have been interesting to try and go for and when to do so. Lastly, the ruins in the start zones are pretty funky. But, I have had multiple games where I've wrapped around them in my start zone (when my opponent was close by) and games I've maneuvered around my opponent's. A lot of maps where ruins are placed in the start zones they are kind of just a nuisance, but I like these ones, I do think in a lot of games they will contribute to gameplay.

With a slew of options deciding between jungle, hugging battlements, ladders, heighted lava field, glyphs, or treasure glyphs, Nomanisan is a really fun map that provides a fresh feel to a competitive match. I'd like the WoS to consider it and try some games on it, I think it's a really neat one, and solid too.

Events with Nomanisan used:
Peoria - August '22
OHS Season 48

[superfrog]

Nomanisan by @Sheep



Nomanisan was one of the maps that intrigued me most from the ScapeCon II contest, so I’ve been glad to play on it more and think about it more for my WoS review. As Cleon noted in his submission, the lava field 7 hexes can pose a problem for mapmakers and for players to work around.

The footprint of this map is also dominated by 7-hex lava fields, but I think the placement of the 2-hex lava fields plays almost as big of a role in how Nomanisan feels.

First, the center is dominated by the 2-hex that Sheep placed there. In general, I like this feature (as I did on Mome Raths). The 2 ladders attached to it provide a little extra intrigue. They also, crucially, make the center very difficult to traverse. Putting a pair of Rats on those two spaces is very strong defensively (jungle-boosted level 3, difficult to take adjacent height against) and entirely shuts down movement through the center.

It’s also unfortunately difficult to develop into the center in the first place, due to the placement of some of the other lava field 2-hexes. The level 3 ones protruding from the left lava field 7-hex slow development for figures with less than 5 move leaving the SZ. In fact, the single grass perch, the water hex, and the jungle bush right there outside the center of the SZ line up to really make most initial central movement feel meandering at best.

I do agree with Cleon that the glyphs are not often meaningful on this map (not a problem per se), but that really just makes developing to the sides even more pointless. Battlements and water placement make it difficult to move onto/across the 7-hexes using anything other than the ladders, so staying level 2 is really the only realistic option in many scenarios.

Capping off all the development issues is the fact that walking large/huge figures are at a major disadvantage, having no safe level 3 spaces and having to work harder than other figures to reach the lava field height really doesn’t feel good.

I do think the concept of Nomanisan is admirable and the most ambitious I’ve reviewed for WoS but I think the various mobility challenges make it feel like you’re fighting against the map more often that not. I vote to induct.