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  #1  
Old August 17th, 2012, 06:08 PM
papersmithforge papersmithforge is offline
 
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Modular Hex Terrain

Greetings Heroscapers. I will digress with a bit of back story as this is my first post here. A couple of years back I had been working on a modular hex terrain system. A friend of mine took notice and purchased a Swarm of the Marro kit for me as a bday gift. Needless to say I thought it was a very clever design. Sadly, with no one to game with (at least not with any frequency) I boxed it away and remained that way until a couple of days ago. I was stricken with a bit of inspiration and finally was able to realize my original design goals.

It seems though I was too late as upon searching for Heroscape I came upon the fact it had been discontinued nearly two years ago. Though, that may be a good thing given what I am hoping to promote here.

What I have designed is a modular, stackable, and linkable hex terrain that can be used with Heroscape figurines, and of course any other figurines which fit in 1.5 in. hex grids. Highlights of the system:
  • Made of paper, so you can print as many as you like
  • Small magnets can be slipped into cavities to make bonds between subsequent layers stronger
  • Portions of hexagons can be obscured as opposed to complete grids only (I don't believe Heroscape supports this sort of placement however)
  • NO GLUE is required, they are designed to be cut and folded only
  • Tiles can be connected horizontally as well, meaning things like bridges or doorways are possible

So without further ado, here is a link to the album which shows off two of the Swarm of the Marro figurines on the modular terrain. This is still in prototype stage so I used color cardstock to represent the different terrain types (also saves on ink). Let me know what you think.

As an aside, these patterns will not be free. They will be available as an eBook for a small fee (no more than $2.00), and of course you can print as many pieces as you like. I would hope that incentive helps to reassure you the eBook will pay for itself.

I've yet to time myself to see how long it takes to construct a complete terrain piece, so if someone is interested in the time investment I will gladly do so as I build more. Thank you for reading and hope you enjoy it.
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  #2  
Old August 17th, 2012, 07:27 PM
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Re: Modular Hex Terrain

Looks interesting! Keep us updated as you get more pic up.
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  #3  
Old August 17th, 2012, 07:36 PM
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Re: Modular Hex Terrain

That is pretty cool. HS on the go, perhaps?
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  #4  
Old August 18th, 2012, 03:08 PM
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Re: Modular Hex Terrain

I'm a bit intrigued by the half hex ones. I know they would not fit into standard Heroscape movement rules, but half hexes would make for much better looking steps or stairs on a map.
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Old August 18th, 2012, 04:46 PM
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Re: Modular Hex Terrain

Cool stuff, I'm always impressed by good folding skills, not to mention the clever interlocking mechanism. I can't origami to save my life. Would a bridge built out of that support a heavier figure?
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  #6  
Old August 19th, 2012, 04:11 PM
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Re: Modular Hex Terrain

@Porkins: I decided to register and maintain the gallery at papersmithforge.imgur.com so all updates will consistently appear there.

@Chill: Exactly, I designed them with the idea of being able to pack them flat if you felt so inclined for ease of transport.

@Yodaking: Thanks.

@Arch-vile: Optimistically I want to say yes, but I cannot make the claim factually. If you design the bridge as an archway then I've no doubt it would work, but as an overhang of a single hex may take a bit more work. I will test it out though as I work on the system. It may require the design of some sort of specialized structural piece to help.

UPDATES
I've determined it takes me approximately 20 minutes to cut and fold one unit. This is at a relaxed pace admittedly (I'm not a very fast cutter), and with some interruptions/mistakes. Assuming you cut quickly and maybe even take some shortcuts you could probably speed that up.

I've also uploaded two new pics that show off printing schemes for a grassland and water tile. They're simplistic because since this would be in an eBook format I prefer to use vector rather than raster graphics (though raster graphics might yield nicer-looking tiles). The advantages are that vectors can be scaled and that the file size of the eBook would be smaller and make for a quicker download.

In the pic that shows the blue/water tiles together there is a noticeable gap between tiles. I've corrected that by making the lids a tad larger to mitigate the separation.

I've also come to realize that Heroscape tiles are 1.75" in diameter rather than 1.5" which I'm working at. However, the "decorated" portions of the tiles are 1.5". This means that figures which extend beyond one hex grid (such as Tor-Kul-Na) extend to the very limit of two hexes. I'm still debating as to whether or not to increase the size or leave it the same as 1.5" seems to be more compatible with other RPG systems, or if I'll simply provide them in both sizes.

I'm open to suggestions.
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  #7  
Old August 19th, 2012, 04:24 PM
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Re: Modular Hex Terrain

Quote:
Originally Posted by papersmithforge View Post
I've also come to realize that Heroscape tiles are 1.75" in diameter rather than 1.5" which I'm working at. However, the "decorated" portions of the tiles are 1.5". This means that figures which extend beyond one hex grid (such as Tor-Kul-Na) extend to the very limit of two hexes. I'm still debating as to whether or not to increase the size or leave it the same as 1.5" seems to be more compatible with other RPG systems, or if I'll simply provide them in both sizes.

I'm open to suggestions.
Hmm. You might also have trouble with some single-based figures with large bases such as Deathwalker 9000 and Moltenclaw. I think many of us would prefer tiles that are as close to scale with HS as possible, but it is ultimately up to you. Providing both sizes could work, too.

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  #8  
Old August 19th, 2012, 07:52 PM
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Re: Modular Hex Terrain

I think the 1.5 is fine if that's what you like. If 'Scapers here want to use your tiles, they're already not playing strictly "by the book," so if a figure's base overlaps a tiny bit, I think that's a real small complaint.

These look awesome and very useful, especially for players who don't have many tiles.
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  #9  
Old August 20th, 2012, 05:42 PM
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Re: Modular Hex Terrain

@Chill & Lord Pyre: I don't know why I selected 1.5" and 1/2" thickness for the tiles to be honest, maybe they just seemed like "nicer" numbers in terms of divisions (possibly something to with another d20 based tabletop system).

Updates
I've updated the imgur album with new tiles. Decided to scrap the old tiles and use the proper dimensions of Heroscape tiles (1.75" diameter and 3/8" thickness). I used a different lid color to denote the new tiles (red which I equate to magma/lava tiles). Apart from the size difference they may be a tad less rigid horizontally due to the increase in size, haven't actually linked any together to test that yet though.
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  #10  
Old August 20th, 2012, 05:47 PM
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Re: Modular Hex Terrain

Looks good!
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  #11  
Old August 21st, 2012, 10:21 PM
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Re: Modular Hex Terrain

This looks really cool! I personally think 1.5" would be easier to convert into different games, and still work for heroscape.

Just my

Oh boy - grease up those hexagons!
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  #12  
Old August 21st, 2012, 10:50 PM
papersmithforge papersmithforge is offline
 
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Re: Modular Hex Terrain

I've run into a bit of a "snag". The issue is that when you stack these tiles you get half tile increments. So in order to get a full tile increment (in the vertical direction) you'd have to stack two of these tiles together. In other words every step you count heightwise is equivalent to the swamp/water tiles in Heroscape. So two steps equals the regular Heroscape tiles. I hope that makes sense.

The reason this is a "snag" is because if you wanted to create a properly contoured field you'd need TWICE the amount of tiles (since the paper tiles are only half the height). I realize that the photo comparison of the paper tiles shows that they are the same height as the plastic tiles, but when stacked the height is halved (works sort of like a paper LEGO). Twice the tiles means twice the time which I for one find to be a nuisance.

The solution, as of now is, to have two different styles of paper tiles. A thick one and a thin one. However, I wanted to ask (in order to avoid the extra work) do Heroscape half-tiles affect gameplay in some obvious manner (other than denoting a different terrain type)? I realize height difference affects gameplay in terms of line of sight but since half-tiles aren't stackable I figure they don't particularly factor in. Any helpful response would be appreciated.
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