Battlefields of Valhalla Discussion Thread

[UranusPChicago]

Battlefields of Valhalla
Goal: To offer the Heroscape gaming community balanced, playtested maps for both tournament and competitive play. And to establish standards for playable, balanced, and aesthetic maps.


Battlefields of Valhalla Display Thread

Updated 8/3/2021

Maps pending acceptance for review

Spineback Ridge by Gamebear
Yes = 1 (fomox) ; No = 1 (Dignan) ; Pending = 4

Maps currently being reviewed:

High Ways or the Highway by 1Mmirg
Yes = 1 (fomox) ; No= 0 ; Pending = 5

[Rÿchean]

By-laws for the Battlefields of Valhalla:

SECTION 1: Submission guidelines and tips
1. Maps shall contain exactly 24 hexes of start zone for each player. Start zones must be identified in the build instructions and must accommodate the Marro Hive in some capacity.
2. Maps should be balanced for 1-on-1 competition between two (2) 400-600 point armies
3. Maps are generally not to exceed 1 MS and up to 3 terrain expansions. No more than 2 expansions of the same type may be used in a map. There are exceptions; please note the set classifications at the bottom of this section.
4. Use of the Marro Hive as a line-of-sight blocker is allowed with the SotM set. Keep in mind the fewer expansions a map includes the more likely it is to be used. Submitted maps must state what sets are needed.
5. Anyone can nominate a map for consideration, but it will not go through the judging process without a majority vote of the Council.
6. Submitted maps must include build instructions.
7. Glyphs are not required, but any number may be used to enhance a map.
(a) Maps containing symbol-side up Treasure Glyphs must state which glyphs are Treasure Glyphs, otherwise mystery glyphs will be treated as standard glyphs. (Until another means of marking Treasure Glyphs becomes available, any face-up Brandar can be designated in the build instructions as a symbol-side up Treasure Glyph.)
(b) Symbol-side up Treasure Glyphs must include a description of the trap the map uses in the build instructions. Trap design will be considered in judging the map.
8. Nominations should be in .pdf format. Special circumstances may warrant exception.
9. Maps should not heavily favor any one special ability to the point that it makes the map non-competitive if an army does not contain that ability (i.e. range, flying, etc.).
10. Do NOT slap a map together and nominate it for consideration. Nominated maps must have some games played by more than one person. Additional game play experiences and observations are encouraged.



Classification of Heroscape sets:

• Master Sets. One of the following may be used as a master set:
  • Rise of the Valkyrie
  • Marvel: The Conflict Begins
  • Swarm of the Marro
  • D&D: Battle for the Underdark
• Expansions: Up to three of the following may be used, with up to two copies of the same set allowed:
  • Road To The Forgotten Forest
  • Volcarren Wasteland
  • Thaelenk Tundra
  • Fortress of the Archkyrie
  • Ticalla Jungle
• Hybrid Master Sets: One of the following may be used in place of two expansions:
  • Marvel: The Conflict Begins
  • Swarm of the Marro (Except when also used as a master set.)
  • D&D: Battle for the Underdark

SECTION 2: How maps are judged
Maps nominated for consideration will go through the following process after a majority of acceptance votes by the judges:
1. Maps will be playtested competitively at least once by all judges, using 400-600 point armies. Candidates for approval will be playtested more than once.
2. Consideration for approved maps will be given, generally, based on the following criteria and in this order: balance, interesting play, and aesthetics.
3. Time for consideration is: as long as it takes for the judges to make an informed decision.
4. Great maps will be approved; not good ones. Don't let this discourage you.
5. Judge discussions will occur in a public and private forums on the non-official Heroscape web site: Currently www.heroscapers.com
7. Reviews on maps will be public with status and results presented.
8. Maps that receive a super-majority of 75% (currently 5 out of a possible 6) of the Council will be formatted and given the Battlefields of Valhalla Seal of Approval. Judges may abstain from a vote on a particular map, thereby reducing the total number of votes needed for acceptance.

SECTION 3: Self-governance
1. The Council will contain six judges. The current judges are: 1Mmirg, Bengi, Dignan, fomox, RoninValentina
2. Judges will maintain their position unless:
a) They are not heard from by fellow judges on the official non-official Heroscape web site for a period of 31 days, or
b) They abstain for a total of three months or for three consecutive maps under review, whichever comes later.
3. If a vacancy on the council occurs, judges will be replaced by those who:
a) show interest in serving, and
b) after consideration of the sitting judges receive 75 % vote of approval. Voting and discussion of a replacement judge may occur in private.
4. Judges will not be allowed to vote on their own maps. During the judging of their own maps their vote will be considered an abstention for the percentages needed to both playtest and approve the map. Their vote will NOT be counted as an abstention for purposes of the "three consecutive maps" criteria in Section 3-2-b.
5. These by-laws may be changed and amended at any time by a 75 % vote of sitting judges.

--
Maps that were reviewed but not approved for Battlefields of Valhalla:
Links to nomination
Links to yes votes
Links to no votes

Link to Updated List of Reviewed Maps (thanks, UtahScott!): 2007-2009 | 2010-

Old List:

Spoiler Alert!

Forsaken Waters by Hasbro
Ruins at Dhibah Oasis by justjohn (Broken)
Fire and Ice by xraine69 (Broken)
Forest Trails V2.0 by Braxev (Broken)
Into the Breech by GB & Ry (Broken)
The Key Holes at Wolf Swamp Road by Kahrma (Broken)
Ancient Ruins of Nalanda by Alastair MacDirk (Works)
Forgotten Wellspring by Harlord (Broken)
Roadkill by Khanbob42 (Works)
RiverCheckpoint by Khanbob42 (Works)
Spring Thaw by Kahrma (Broken)
Bayou Bridge by T-Bomb (Broken)
Annihilation Alley by Codeman (Works)
Ashonqurk Fields by geosmores (Broken)
The Desolate Watch by Satyr (Broken)
Klomar's Training Ground - Location 7 by geosmores (Broken)
Winter Crossing by Khanbob42 (Works)
Across the Ice River (version2) by eveningdrive (Broken)
Spring in the Air by UranusPChicago (Broken)
Ayrwode's Bluff by GameBear (Broken)
Foxtrot by Nadi (Server not found) (Broken)
Frozen Foothills by Messenger (Broken)
Alpine Shrine by CH4071Curl (Broken)
Ice Blossom by STAROCEAN980 (Broken)
Ice Buffer by GameBear (Broken)
Hot Bog by Jonathan (Works)
Tursan Run by yagyuninja (Works)
Little Rampart by Ch1can0 (Works)
Spiral Turrets by Mooseman (Different site/server?) (Works)
Marro Marsh by Gomolka (No map here) (Bad link)
Road to Nowhere by Nadious (Server not found) (Broken)
Desperation by Browncoat (Works)
Flanking of the North Army by Soul Shackle (Works)
Sunken Temple by Mooseman (Works)
Marro Marsh by Gomolka (Works)
East Pond by Soul Shackle (Works)
Stroll Through The Park by UranusPChicago (Works)
Overlord by Ch1can0 (Works)
Myrkr Spring by Kahrma (Works)
Shady Oasis by Rÿchean (Works)
Division by Mooseman (Works)
Winter Holdout by Jexik (Works)
Marpesia's Glory by Gamebear (Works)
The Lowland Paths by Superflytnt (Works)
Hot Spot by karl with a k (No map here) (Bad link)
Husk of the Holdfast by Velenne (Works)
Serpent Mound by Mooseman (Works)
Icy Isle by Angear (Works)
A Chill in the Air by Dignan (Works)
Border Disorder by Velenne (Works)
Highways&Dieways: Swamp Edition, modified by Rÿchean (Works)
Mole Hills: Jungle Edition, modified my Rÿchean (Works)
Common Ground by Gamebear (Works)
Derelict by Jexik (Works)
Watch Towers by nyys (Works)
Marshes and Mountains by Einar's Puppy (Works)
A Stone's Throw by Darkmage7a (Works)
Into the Jungle by Rednax (Works)
Kyrien Quarry by White Noise (Works)
Rift Valley by RoninValentina (Works)
Paved Paradise v3 by Sup3rs0n1c (Works)

Maps previously nominated but were not accepted for review (map balance varies wildly, please search the thread for why they didn't make it before using for competitive play):

Link to Updated List of Nominated Maps (again, thanks, UtahScott): 2007-

Old List:

Spoiler Alert!

Puddle Garden by J-bird (Broken)
Fire Pit by Marduk (Broken)
Gnarles Barkley by Oogie (Broken)
Nerak's Passage by Cornpuff (Broken)
Frost Heaves by Kahrma (Broken)
Paragon Mountain by Homba (Good)
The Nassik River Pass by Sirpongo (Broken)
Battle for High Ground by grizz (Broken)
Hot Spot by pixiepop (Broken)
Fight for the Waterfall by grizz (Broken)
Baraxton Falls by Sirpongo (Broken)
Frostbite by songbird (Broken)
Speedy Trees by Goldendice (Broken)
Scalding Pass by Goldendice (Broken)
Soulrazor Canyon - Browncoat Edition (Broken)
Flooded City by Technomagus (Broken)
Searing Pass by Hasbro (Official site)
Mt. Kismet by Browncoat (Broken)
The Crossing by Darkomen57 (Broken)
The Ruined Road to Gotham by tyguy94920 (Broken)
Baraxton Falls 2.0 by Sir Pongo/Krackon_02 (Broken)
Hopscorch by Elstree (Broken)
Stand Ready by Soul Shackle (Good)
Conflict in the Woods by Gomolka (No map here) (Bad link)
Rough Climb Ahead by Nadi (Server not found) (Broken)
Frozen Pass by Aeston (Good)
Cross Swamp Expressway by Eckels (Good)
Stechavan Outskirts by Soul Shackle (Good)
Death Bridge by Troubleman23 (Good)
Melee Mania by Soul Shackle (Good)
Husk of the Holdfast by Velenne(original version) (Good)
Forgotten Highway by Retlaw (Good)
Burning Love by TheSparkleInYourWater (Good)
Thormun's Wellspring (Good)
Ancient Table of the Giants by Archkyrie11 (Good)
The Revenge of the Marr Highway by Sup3rS0n1c (Good)

[Rÿchean]

Yeah it is ok; you can have one Master and up to 3 expansions:

Originally Posted by Rÿchean

By-laws for the Battlefields of Valhalla:

SECTION 1: Submission guidelines and tips


3. Maps are not to exceed 1 MS and up to 3 terrain expansions. No more than 2 expansions of the same type may be used in a map. There are exceptions; please note the special set classifications at the bottom of this section.

Classification of Heroscape sets:

• Master Sets: Rise of the Valkyrie, Swarm of the Marro*
• Expansions: Volcarren Wasteland, Thaelenk Tundra Road, To The Forgotten Forest, Ticalla Jungle, Marvel Heroscape**, Fortress of the Archkyrie**

*Swarm of the Marro is a hybrid set. It can be counted as a MS or 2 expansions.
** No more than one of these sets may be used in a single map.

My concern is the nomination says ROTV but the build clearly has SOTM.

[Shades fan]

Originally Posted by Rÿchean

Yeah it is ok; you can have one Master and up to 3 expansions:

My concern is the nomination says ROTV but the build clearly has SOTM.

After looking at the Map, It is just a misprint. It uses SotM instead of RotV, he must have had something else on his mind when he posted. I looked at the build instruction, and it only uses SotM, no RotV

[Mooseman]

Originally Posted by Rÿchean

Yeah it is ok; you can have one Master and up to 3 expansions:

My concern is the nomination says ROTV but the build clearly has SOTM.

Sorry, I'll fix that.

[SuperflyTNT]

Originally Posted by Rÿchean

By-laws for the Battlefields of Valhalla:

SECTION 1: Submission guidelines and tips
1. Maps shall contain 24 hexes of start zone for each player. Start zones must be identified in the build instructions and must accommodate the Marro Hive in some capacity.

Seems like the judges were pretty clear from day one...

[KCU Master 2007]

Originally Posted by SuperflyTNT

Seems like the judges were pretty clear from day one...

That rule can be interpreted as a minimum of 24 but can have more. You can contain 24 starting hexes in 30 starting hexes.

Anyway, its just something for the judges to consider. If they say no, than that's fine. But I can see where you could base an argument in nyys's favor.

[Revdyer]

Originally Posted by KCU Master 2007

That rule can be interpreted as a minimum of 24 but can have more. You can contain 24 starting hexes in 30 starting hexes.

Anyway, its just something for the judges to consider. If they say no, than that's fine. But I can see where you could base an argument in nyys's favor.

Regardless of what the judges decide, reading the current statement and construing it to imply that the call is for twenty-four starting zone hexes or more, would be an amazing stretch of English language lawyerism, in my opinion.

[Angear]

Originally Posted by Rÿchean

Classification of Heroscape sets:

• Master Sets: Rise of the Valkyrie, Swarm of the Marro*
• Expansions: Volcarren Wasteland, Thaelenk Tundra, Road To The Forgotten Forest, Ticalla Jungle, Marvel Heroscape**, Fortress of the Archkyrie**

*Swarm of the Marro is a hybrid set. It can be counted as a MS or 2 expansions.
** No more than one of these sets may be used in a single map.

I was just thinking (not normally a good thing ) but considering swarm of the marro is a hybrid set could you use 2 sotm? One as the masterset and 1 as a hybrid?

[arp12]

Originally Posted by Angear

I was just thinking (not normally a good thing ) but considering swarm of the marro is a hybrid set could you use 2 sotm? One as the masterset and 1 as a hybrid?

Yes, you could. One SotM counts as a masterset, and the other SotM counts as 2 expansions.

[GreenLanturn]

Ry, I went over the first post (yours after UPC's) and checked all the links. If you want, or when you get the time, I tagged all the links as good, broken or otherwise for you to fix. (All in the spoiler.) All the links that take you to a download page on HSers I didn't test, I assumed they worked.

EDIT: I got a +rep from someone (signed, but I don't name my rep) saying that I have to much time on my hands. While it looks like this is true, duel screen and a system of 2 browsers and tabs made the task take 5(ish) minutes.

Spoiler Alert!

Maps that were reviewed but not approved for Battlefields of Valhalla:

Forsaken Waters by Hasbro
Ruins at Dhibah Oasis by justjohn (Broken)
Fire and Ice by xraine69 (Broken)
Forest Trails V2.0 by Braxev (Broken)
Into the Breech by GB & Ry (Broken)
The Key Holes at Wolf Swamp Road by Kahrma (Broken)
Ancient Ruins of Nalanda by Alastair MacDirk (Good)
Forgotten Wellspring by Harlord (Broken)
Roadkill by Khanbob42 (Good)
RiverCheckpoint by Khanbob42 (Good)
Spring Thaw by Kahrma (Broken)
Bayou Bridge by T-Bomb (Broken)
Annihilation Alley by Codeman (Broken)
Ashonqurk Fields by geosmores (Broken)
The Desolate Watch by Satyr (Broken)
Klomar's Training Ground - Location 7 by geosmores (Broken)
Winter Crossing by Khanbob42 (Good)
Across the Ice River (version2) by eveningdrive (Broken)
Spring in the Air by UranusPChicago (Broken)
Ayrwode's Bluff by GameBear (Broken)
Foxtrot by Nadi (Server not found) (Broken)
Frozen Foothills by Messenger (Broken)
Alpine Shrine by CH4071Curl (Broken)
Ice Blossom by STAROCEAN980 (Broken)
Ice Buffer by GameBear (Broken)
Hot Bog by Jonathan (Good)
Tursan Run by yagyuninja (Good)
Little Rampart by Ch1can0 (Good)
Spiral Turrets by Mooseman (Different site/server?) (Good)
Marro Marsh by Gomolka (No map here) (Bad link)
Road to Nowhere by Nadious (Server not found) (Broken)
Desperation by Browncoat (Good)
Flanking of the North Army by Soul Shackle (Good)
Sunken Temple by Mooseman (Good)
Marro Marsh by Gomolka (Good)
East Pond by Soul Shackle (Good)
Stroll Through The Park by UranusPChicago (Good)
Overlord by Ch1can0 (Good)
Myrkr Spring by Kahrma (Good)
Shady Oasis by Rÿchean (Good)
Division by Mooseman (Good)
Winter Holdout by Jexik (Good)
Marpesia's Glory by Gamebear (Good)
The Lowland Paths by Superflytnt (Good)
Hot Spot by karl with a k (No map here) (Bad link)
Husk of the Holdfast by Velenne (Good)
Serpent Mound by Mooseman (Good)

Maps previously nominated but were not accepted for review:

Puddle Garden by J-bird (Broken)
Fire Pit by Marduk (Broken)
Gnarles Barkley by Oogie (Broken)
Nerak's Passage by Cornpuff (Broken)
Frost Heaves by Kahrma (Broken)
Paragon Mountain by Homba (Good)
The Nassik River Pass by Sirpongo (Broken)
Battle for High Ground by grizz (Broken)
Hot Spot by pixiepop (Broken)
Fight for the Waterfall by grizz (Broken)
Baraxton Falls by Sirpongo (Broken)
Frostbite by songbird (Broken)
Speedy Trees by Goldendice (Broken)
Scalding Pass by Goldendice (Broken)
Soulrazor Canyon - Browncoat Edition (Broken)
Flooded City by Technomagus (Broken)
Searing Pass by Hasbro (Official site)
Mt. Kismet by Browncoat (Broken)
The Crossing by Darkomen57 (Broken)
The Ruined Road to Gotham by tyguy94920 (Broken)
Baraxton Falls 2.0 by Sir Pongo/Krackon_02 (Broken)
Hopscorch by Elstree (Broken)
Stand Ready by Soul Shackle (Good)
Conflict in the Woods by Gomolka (No map here) (Bad link)
Rough Climb Ahead by Nadi (Server not found) (Broken)
Frozen Pass by Aeston (Good)
Cross Swamp Expressway by Eckels (Good)
Stechavan Outskirts by Soul Shackle (Good)
Death Bridge by Troubleman23 (Good)
Melee Mania by Soul Shackle (Good)
Husk of the Holdfast by Velenne(original version) (Good)
Forgotten Highway by Retlaw (Good)
Burning Love by TheSparkleInYourWater (Good)
Thormun's Wellspring (Good)
Ancient Table of the Giants by Archkyrie11 (Good)
The Revenge of the Marr Highway by Sup3rS0n1c (Good)

[dok]

Personally, I think that the key point is already made on the second post of this thread:

Originally Posted by Rÿchean

10. Do NOT slap a map together and nominate it for consideration. Nominated maps must have some games played by more than one person. Additional game play experiences and observations are encouraged.

This standard should be understood to apply both to new maps, and again, independently, to resubmitted maps.

Whether a map has been re-worked enough to merit a seperate look is of course a judgement call, and the BoV judges are free to vote "no to review" if they feel it has not. So, it's basically in the hands of the judges to decide what sort of resubmission standards they want to work with. That seems fine by me.

I am not the most impartial person to weigh in on this, since my nomination, resubmission after rules/bylaws discussion, and renomination after rework of "swamp helix" is the sort of thing that Revdyer was talking about. I passed all the criteria that Rÿchean had listed, though.

As I've said before, I found the BoV feedback extremely valuable - even the relatively brief comments that came with a "no to review" vote. It's very unlikely that that map would have reached its current state without that feedback. It's extremely unlikely that I'll ever nominate "swamp helix" again, even though I think it's unlikely it's going to get inducted. I believe that I've run that map concept as far as I can, and at this point it's just a question of whether that map concept is considered BoV-worthy or not. Irrespective of the ultimate decision, I'll be satisfied. But I wouldn't have reached that point without the feedback I got through the BoV judging process.

As Revdyer points out, this feedback is not the reason the BoV process exists. But to me it seems like a positive side-effect, as opposed to a flaw to be corrected. It's only a problem if the judges feel that resubmitted maps are slowing the judging process by clogging up the queue.