GameBear's Maps

[ThrasherDarkrai]

Originally Posted by elf326

Gamebear, on emabattled fen, how do you hink a glyph on the rocks would affect the game?

If there was a glyph on the rocks, there would be no reason to go into the water.

[GameBear]

Originally Posted by elf326

Gamebear, on emabattled fen, how do you hink a glyph on the rocks would affect the game?

Originally Posted by GameBear

I agree with Bloody

In general, I try to avoid placing glyphs on height. I try to use glyphs to draw players to undesirable areas; high points are natural focal points, and so do not need the extra lure of a glyph. Also, I dislike the idea of glyph holders having an attack/defense bonus for height advantage in addition to whatever bonus the glyph grants. On Embattled Fen, I would discourage placing a glyph on the rocks, as the rocks offer not only a height advantage, but also a strategic advantage (control of the upper road). If the rocks do not come into play in your games, let me know; I would expect them to be highly contested.

[elf326]

Originally Posted by GameBear

In general, I try to avoid placing glyphs on height. I try to use glyphs to draw players to undesirable areas; high points are natural focal points, and so do not need the extra lure of a glyph. Also, I dislike the idea of glyph holders having an attack/defense bonus for height advantage in addition to whatever bonus the glyph grants. On Embattled Fen, I would discourage placing a glyph on the rocks, as the rocks offer not only a height advantage, but also a strategic advantage (control of the upper road). If the rocks do not come into play in your games, let me know; I would expect them to be highly contested.

I'm only concerned because the battlements block it.

[that guy]

This map reminds me of a level from Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance for the PS2. Which is a good thing. I might have to try building a map like that. Thanks for the idea.

[bunjee]

I'm happy to say that we will be using two of your maps in our Game Day tomorrow. Spineback Ridge and Embattled Fen. We have to tweak the placement of the 7-hex tiles at the far ends of the starting zones to have Embattled Fen fit better on the tables we are using, hopefully it doesn't change your intent of play too much.

We'll let you know how they go!

[elf326]

I should of seen those battlements on the rocks. Sorry gamebear. I should have looked closer to see the rocks were higher than the battlements. Now I see it, they will be contested. Sorry for all the trouble

[elf326]

I tried Embattled Fen. It was a good map. The 7 hex rock wasn't used because I used a grut-based army.

[Jexik]

I played 2 games on Embattled Fen last night. Both games were fun and quick. The southern road didn't come into play much in the first game because we were both largely using melee units. In the second game, Nilf and the AE really just cleaned house, but my friend's army wasn't very good (he had forgotten that the Ninjas can't avoid Nilf's special.)

My only slight gripe with the map is that it doesn't offer very much varied height, especially in the center of the map. This can be very hard to do with just one SotM and one FotA though, since there are hardly any single tiles in those sets.

I like the varied height on the southern road a lot, as well as the placement of battlements throughout the map. I like that you have a nice place to hide in the sanded battlements, because the road bonus doesn't extend to those areas, but once someone gets in there, you have to run away! It was also surprsingly easy to get into them. Anything with 5 move and 4 height or better can get a couple squad members in on the first turn if placed correctly. The 7-hex rock-battlement spot came into play pretty heavily in both games.

Very nice map! It definitely plays a bit differently than other tournament maps that I've played on, but I think variety is a good thing.

Edit: We also played with Wannok as you suggest, and it made for some interesting decisions. It's in such a vulnerable place that we didn't rush for it, but it also isn't so powerful that you feel compelled to kill the guy on it. I like end of the round glyphs (like Dagmar and Wannok) because they encourage you to look ahead.

[GameBear]

New map: Post Maneuvers. 1 MS + 1 FA + 1 FF
Highlights
Symmetrical Layout
24-hex starting zones
Glyphs
Dagmar - dictate the flow from the bridge

I was quite tempted to add another tree set to this map, but decided to limit myself to two expansion sets for now. Even without the third expansion, this map provides some decent cover - the trees, the bridge, the mounds with battlements, and the tower walks all inhibit LOS.

[UranusPChicago]

Just popping in to say I really like the design of Post Maneuvers. Just looking at the image has me wondering how to "handle" all the terrain-y goodness. Simple design, yet complex strategies abound with it. Well done! Good job remembering to exercise restraint when wanting to add more and more terrain to a map. A lot of times, less is more.

I am also hoping to get in a few games with Embattled Fen as well. The community appears to be recognizing the emergence of another great map builder.

[arp12]

I just downloaded Spineback Ridge and am planning on playing it tomorrow. It looks great!

[GameBear]

New map: Ayrwode's Bluff. 1 MS + 1 FF
Highlights
Balanced glyph placement
24-hex starting zones
Glyphs
Dagmar - cut through the valley for first strike capability
Gerda - find shelter behind the hill

This map is a truly asymmetric design. I put a bit of effort into ensuring that the map was balanced, but it still needs playtesting. I am not thrilled with the glyph choices - I would have liked to include Astrid - but these are the glyphs that I thought would work best with the map. Random glyphs would probably be ok; I was just concerned that other glyph combinations might have a big impact on how the map plays.

EDIT 02-16-08: The PDF file has been updated - the bridge side starting zone has been rearranged to address balance concerns.