Rÿchean's Map Challenge Round 2, Group A2 - Voting Thread

[Rÿchean]

Please vote for the map that you think is the most suitable for tournament style play.

What is tournament style play? Whatever it means to you!

Please take the time to review the documents before casting your vote. Top 3 advance to the next round.

Contest details


1.)

Originally Posted by GameBear

Scavenger's Folly

2.)

Originally Posted by Filthy the Clown

2 man enter, 1 man leave

3.)

Originally Posted by rym

Download Acropolis here

4.)

Originally Posted by Dignan

Map: Guardian
Date Uploaded: 5/14/11
Requires: 1 RotV, 1 FotA

5.)

Originally Posted by Parduz

The Ford

The Ford PDF file

6.)

Originally Posted by Killometer

Dance Steppes
supports 2 random treasure glyphs

7.)

Originally Posted by Louisan

http://www.heroscapers.com/community...o=file&id=3207

8.)

Originally Posted by tannergx

Remains of Clionesia

9.)

Originally Posted by nyys

Blockage Download PDF
Requires RotV x1, FotA x1

Glyphs: Two random Normal Glyphs.

[Killometer]

100% approval for Dance Steppes so far!

[LilMoochie]

He's the last one that should win from fairness' sake (Mr Fancypants/I have 7 squads of Heavy Gruts I can't get rid of ) but I have to say that "Guardian" is a truly beautiful map.

[Killometer]

GameBear and Dignan have quite the duel going on for first, but the race for third is even more impressive-3 maps with 3 votes and 3 5 maps with 4 votes!

[Parduz]

C'mon, ppl, you all know i'll win. So, pls, retire your maps from the contest, why waste time?

(man! the battle for the third place is even better than a superbike race! )

[dok]

Since I did the other section, hey, why not this one, too.

• Scavenger's Folly - the challenge of how to get good parity between ranged and melee-heavy armies with just the two ruins is a tricky one. This map takes a novel approach - leave the lanes to the startzones open, but use the ruins to restrict sight lines between high ground points in the middle. This allows for a wide map and encourages dynamic play, as no spot has clear sight to all the other important spots. There's no doubt that figures left in the startzones will be easy pickings for ranged attackers, but that's the compromise this map makes.
  
  
• 2 Man Enter, 1 Man Leave - I like the tweaked startzone layout, and I also like the rock-sand color coding, which is a nice plus if you're doing unusual startzones (or any time, really). I worry a little about the narrow passageways in the middle of the map. Not just because it could be tough to maneuver in those spots with huge figures, but because it seems like the center could get choked up very easily in a squad-heavy battle.
  
  
• Acropolis - I like a lot of things about this map. There's reasons to go everywhere on the map, but also a strong pull towards the center. I'm not a huge fan of the abundant single columns and some of the narrow gaps between them, and I don't like that the glyphs are 9 walking spaces from the startzones (again, it's a zombie thing). Overall, a thumbs up, though.
  
  
• Guardian - Another map that is very easy to get around and contest high ground, and has lots of good LoS blocking. I like how this one really stretches your army laterally. It doesn't appear to have many bad choke points. And the aesthetics seem nice, as long as you don't mind the single columns.
  
  As I mentioned on Dignan's thread, one concern is that height 4 figures can't attack figures on the central perches from the road. Another issue is that each side has a slightly shorter path to the left hand glyph (10 versus 11, but that makes a big difference for move 5 figures). I also usually prefer 1-space wide rivers, as these afford some advantages to double-spacers and provide viable alternative paths Still, overall, I like this map.
  
  
• The Ford - I commented on this one in the main contest thread, so I won't repeat everything here. I think this one looks really neat but has some issues for double blind tournament play.
  
  
• Dance Steppes - In some ways, this is a similar concept to what Gamebear did with Scavenger's Folly. The startzones are relatively bare, but the ruin blocks lateral LoS between the high spots. The battlements do a nice job of balancing out the movement required to approach either of the two high spots. Personally, I'd like to see both ruins used, and possibly a power glyph put in place to encourage more movement once the armies get established on the high ground.
  
  
• Ruined Lake - Louisan certainly has a good eye for aesthetics. However, the middle of this map is pretty wide open. I would encourage using the ruins somewhere in the middle to prevent easy sniping of the startzones and to encourage figures to swing around the road ring to find LoS.
  
  
• Remains of Clionesia - I think this map is really great. Tough choices from the start, every spot on the map has a use, excellent use of the LoS blockers, no particularly glaring choke points. I am a little concerned about the stability of the central road there with no support underneath one end, but I assume tannergx tested this. Aside from that, I'm mildly concerned that Marcu can reach the right-hand power glyph in one turn, but not the left-hand power glyph. That's about it, though, and if that's all I can say, there's not much to criticize. I really like this one.
  
  
• Blockage - An unusual layout here, for sure. I would love to play on this one, but I have some concerns in a double-blind tournament environment. The ability to go straight for the throat and engage your opponent's startzone on the first turn is really unusual and somewhat concerning. Once you get outside the startzones, the map has a very nice mix of blockers and easily contested high ground, but I could see some battles just ending up in a mosh pit in the middle. I'm also a bit concerned that the left-hand glyphs can be reached more quickly than the right-hand ones. Finally, a couple of those columns seem like they could get tipped over very easily. Still, like I said, this one makes me want to play on it when I look at it.

[A_Train]

Sorry if this is common knowledge, but in a map like 2 enter, 1 leaves, how do you decide who places first. Is it a dice roll? Its never been hugely important to me, but with the 1 hex per team available in the middle of the map, it could be very important to have a placement order.

[Rÿchean]

D20 roll when necessary.

[Killometer]

Originally Posted by dok

Since I did the other section, hey, why not this one, too.

• Dance Steppes - In some ways, this is a similar concept to what Gamebear did with Scavenger's Folly. The startzones are relatively bare, but the ruin blocks lateral LoS between the high spots. The battlements do a nice job of balancing out the movement required to approach either of the two high spots. Personally, I'd like to see both ruins used, and possibly a power glyph put in place to encourage more movement once the armies get established on the high ground.

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, and it becomes less of an issue.

I really tried to find a place for power glyphs, but they always either became yours-and-mine, or they clogged up the road. Given more time I might have been able to work something out, but I knew I was going to need most of my time to work the kinks out of Erosion, and this map flowed sufficiently well without them.

The angled ruin makes an excellent LoS break to gather troops behind before rushing a fortified hill, and the roads are broad enough that a lot of traffic can move down them. I started with the large ruin, but it completely bisected the road, forcing players to leave it and lose the bonus.

Again, thanks for the comments dok, and I'm going to <snip> this over to my map thread as well.

[Filthy the Clown]

Originally Posted by A_Train

Sorry if this is common knowledge, but in a map like 2 enter, 1 leaves, how do you decide who places first. Is it a dice roll? Its never been hugely important to me, but with the 1 hex per team available in the middle of the map, it could be very important to have a placement order.

In regards to the single hexes on 2 MAN ENTER, winning the initial placement is nice, but having the second placement helps, as you can react to the single-hex figure that your opponent places in the arena (you can also forsake placing a figure here, but you can quickly give your opponent central board control with this route).

Originally Posted by Dok

2 Man Enter, 1 Man Leave - I like the tweaked startzone layout, and I also like the rock-sand color coding, which is a nice plus if you're doing unusual startzones (or any time, really). I worry a little about the narrow passageways in the middle of the map. Not just because it could be tough to maneuver in those spots with huge figures, but because it seems like the center could get choked up very easily in a squad-heavy battle.

Thanks for the feedback. I designed the map with the narrow, central arena in mind, mainly to create a frenzy of activity in the center (while still allowing non-flying figures quick access via the roads). Large dragons (and other huge figures that use a lot of real estate) have to be careful how they are placed, but there are also plenty of perches on the outskirts of the central arena.

I really enjoy the initial options...Do you attempt to grab the central glyphs (think of Mad Max opting for the Chainsaw against Blaster), or do you quickly engage your opponent in the arena...Or do you make a run (or take some shots) at your opponent's start zone?

It is a fun Marvel/mixed Marvel map as well.

[rym]

Well, I can see that I'm pretty much out of the running for this thing, but I would like to say what an honor it has been to not only go up against the likes of Gamebear, Mad_wookiee, tannergx, and Dignan, among all the others, but to also have made it to the second round.

You guys are too kind in voting for a map that clearly shouldn't have made it pass the first round, but I thank you all nonetheless. Good luck to those that make it to the finals.

[Killometer]

32 minutes left to vote for Dance Steppes!