Eclipse's Maps (Freya's Temple 1/4/2010)

[Shades fan]

Originally Posted by S1R_ART0R1US

Can't wait to see what the final looks like.

I can't wait either!!!
Looks awesome.

[Sokol]

The teaser map is great! Like everyone else, I can't wait to see it.

[Eclipse]

Thanks for all the kind words on the teaser image. Luckily for everyone looking forward to more, the final product is actually finished! No, burnout and writers block this time around (I swear I'll finish Eisenwein next, honest )

So, without further ado, I'd like to announce:

BATTLE FOR THE WELLSPRING OF LAGA
This is literally a map years in the making. One of my very first mega-maps ever was the North Nostralund Checkpoint. It's long been one of my absolute favorites as it's always stood as one of the most dynamic, balanced, and fun giant maps I've ever used.



Somewhere in the back of my head though, I always knew there was more to it. While the castle itself was everything I'd hoped for, the surround mountains were pretty useless and ignored.



The other problem I had is that a map of that size really tends to be up for quite a while before taking it down seems like a good idea again, which doesn't lend itself to a great deal of variety. What I finally got to thinking was the best way to deal with this was to treat each area of the map as it's own, completely unique mega-map that happens to fit together. This way I still have the giant, variety filled castle I love, but the extra areas can be used as a different experience by simply changing the start zones.

People who followed my previous map thread may have figured this out already, but the previous teaser isn't quite the way the final product is going to be released. What I actually have here is 5 maps (I apologize, none of these are exactly light on pieces) that interconnect to form one really, really big map:



In total, this thing takes up about 7 RotV, 6 SotM, 4 TT, 8 RttFF, 6 FotA, 6 VW, 8 TJ, and a whole lot of 2 hexers from the Wave packs. This isn't what I'd call one of my conservative designs by any means, but hopefully the breakdown gives people a little more to work with.

As for the scenarios themselves; you'll have to wait just a LITTLE bit longer. This thing took me months to make and I'm not quite ready to dump it all out in one go. Starting tomorrow (Sunday), I'll be releasing the center castle of this map with another section released each day all week. Enjoy!

P.S. I'll post pictures of this thing completely built someday. While I've played all the components individually I'm having a bit of trouble with the whole thing. The problem isn't so much the pieces; I'm just out of table space

[Shades fan]

Originally Posted by Eclipse

Thanks for all the kind words on the teaser image. Luckily for everyone looking forward to more, the final product is actually finished! No, burnout and writers block this time around (I swear I'll finish Eisenwein next, honest )

So, without further ado, I'd like to announce:

BATTLE FOR THE WELLSPRING OF LAGA
This is literally a map years in the making. One of my very first mega-maps ever was the North Nostralund Checkpoint. It's long been one of my absolute favorites as it's always stood as one of the most dynamic, balanced, and fun giant maps I've ever used.



Somewhere in the back of my head though, I always knew there was more to it. While the castle itself was everything I'd hoped for, the surround mountains were pretty useless and ignored.



The other problem I had is that a map of that size really tends to be up for quite a while before taking it down seems like a good idea again, which doesn't lend itself to a great deal of variety. What I finally got to thinking was the best way to deal with this was to treat each area of the map as it's own, completely unique mega-map that happens to fit together. This way I still have the giant, variety filled castle I love, but the extra areas can be used as a different experience by simply changing the start zones.

People who followed my previous map thread may have figured this out already, but the previous teaser isn't quite the way the final product is going to be released. What I actually have here is 5 maps (I apologize, none of these are exactly light on pieces) that interconnect to form one really, really big map:



In total, this thing takes up about 7 RotV, 6 SotM, 4 TT, 8 RttFF, 6 FotA, 6 VW, 8 TJ, and a whole lot of 2 hexers from the Wave packs. This isn't what I'd call one of my conservative designs by any means, but hopefully the breakdown gives people a little more to work with.

As for the scenarios themselves; you'll have to wait just a LITTLE bit longer. This thing took me months to make and I'm not quite ready to dump it all out in one go. Starting tomorrow (Sunday), I'll be releasing the center castle of this map with another section released each day all week. Enjoy!

P.S. I'll post pictures of this thing completely built someday. While I've played all the components individually I'm having a bit of trouble with the whole thing. The problem isn't so much the pieces; I'm just out of table space

Great job at seperating them into maps, it looks amazing. I can't wait to build this one.

[LongHeroscaper]

Everything looks amazing. But you need to post more pictures with different angle. You need to zoom in more so that we can see details. We need more eye-candy!!!
Great job!!

[Eclipse]

North Nostralund Checkpoint (DOWNLOAD)



In order to ensure the safety of the Wellspring of Laga, Jandar constructed a great fortress along the western border with Laur. Nestled between the harsh frozen peaks of the Nostralund mountains, it stands as Nostralund's last line of defense against Utgar's monsterous hordes.

Despite nearly losing the castle to a volcanic eruption , the forces of Jandar have managed to reclaim the barricade and withstand Utgar's forces. A new threat, however, has begun to emerge from the formerly barren fields to the west. The ground has become increasingly damp and the water murky and thick. Where once little more than the tattered remains of enemy camps stood, a great jungle has grown, nearly overnight. While the soggy ground threatens the stability of the walls, the true danger lurks beyond the increasingly dense canopy.

OPTIONAL RULES AND SCENARIOS:

STANDARD BATTLES (2-4 Players): In a standard battle scenario, players should choose a starting zone diagonal to each other with doors initially open. As additional players are added, these players should start with the doors near their start zone closed.

RACE FOR CONTROL (2 Players): In this scenario, Player 1 uses the Green starting zone and Player 2 uses the red starting zone. The doors in front of these starting zones should initially be in the closed position, while the far doors begin open.

CHECKPOINT SIEGE (2-5 Players): Player1 places figures anywhere within the ground floor level of the castle. Additional players used the normal colored start zones. All 4 doors are initially set to the closed position. Players 2-5 are initially considered friendly to one another until any one attacks another or Player 1 is defeated. The last Player standing wins.

CAPTURE THE FLAG (2-4 Players): In this scenario, a player may declare victory by having a figure in each of the four towers with flags at the same time.

Minimum Requirements: 1 RotV, 1 SotM, 4 FotA, 2 RttFF, 1 TJ

Ah, North Nostralund. One of my favorite maps ever. It's a little more narrow and streamlined compared to the original version. Of course, the biggest change is removing the sand area to the east and replacing it with Swamp:



One of the fun little tricks I threw in with this was a couple of small bits of swamp water inside the castle. I always like to design little things for the terrain specific units, so the Marro Drudge can get into the castle by using their special move:



Beyond that, it's about the same. Very expensive terrain wise because, as always, the entire interior is paved. That's one of my favorite parts of this map, because it really gives a cool feeling for melee units inside. Being fast with the huge pillars gives them a lot of cover and mobility:



The main focal point is the side walls. There's always a bit of a battle for these as they are the primary height of the map, but the way up is incredibly restricted. The only way up is through the ladders in the middle of the map. The walls are just far enough apart that ranged units can't shoot at each other, so fighting for both walls is pretty important:



The top area is always a major battleground as well. It tends not to dominate anything other than the walls themselves though. Units can hide underneath and you need to be at least 8 range to reach the edge of the map here as well. Generally, it turns into a great striking point for flying units, who use it to avoid ranged fire until they move in close. One of my friends thinks Concan is broken on this map :



So, that's it for day 1 of this project. Check back in tomorrow as I reveal the first, completely new map of the project: The Zudeth Lookout.



EDIT: It occured to me that the Master Set requirements were absurdly based on the number of little 2 hexers I used. For the most part you can make this with 1 SotM and 1 RotV, as long as you have a few booster hexes, or, simply, don't mind if something that's sand here is grass in your version. You might be able to get away with fewer castle or road sets with a few minor alterations, but it requires at least 4 castle sets, obviously.

[quadraphonic]

That looks spectacular! I'm nowhere near able to build it, but it looks like an incredible map to play on.

[Eclipse]

Zudeth Lookout (DOWNLOAD)



To the north, great mountains rise from the land. These snow capped peaks stretch all the way north to Wyrmtail Bay and the Dragon's Head Sea. This frozen barrier marks the natural border between Nostralund and it's western neighbor Laur. As the mountain range thins near the path that marks the Northern Checkpoint, the mountains become, for the first time, passable by hearty warriors.

Few attempt to bypass the checkpoint through this area as roaming tribes of Dzu-Teh are known to ambush those foolishing enough to try. Nevertheless, Jandar maintains a constant guard in the nearby lookout tower not only to watch for anyone attempting to bypass the checkpoint, but also to protect anyone who catches the attention of the mountain savages.

SPECIAL RULES: Treat all Snow Tiles as Heavy Snow and all Ice Tiles as Regular Ice. See pg 2 of the Thaelenk Tundra rulebook for rules.

Minimum Requirements: 2 RotV, 1 FotA, 2 RttFF, 4 TT
Size - 20x21 hexes

First of all, credit where credit is due. The basic design of this map is mostly the brainchild of philip918, a great friend of mine who just doesn't post enough. We've played variants of it to death so this mostly contains tweaks to make it fit with the rest of the project.

Probably the area we've focused on the most is getting the start zone JUST right. There's a lot of counting specifics here. The first snow passage is actually not nearly as attractive as it may seem. With the Heavy Snow, it ends up taking 3+ turns minimum to get a guy up there. By then, your opponent may be well on their way to claiming the Lookout post. Also, special consideration was given (even between the preview pic and this final shot) to ensure that Zelrig can't quite make it up there on his initial move:



Of course, the towers tend to be a major focus. The most direct route is through ladders on the side. They provide reasonable amounts of cover on the way up, but can be a little unsafe on the approach:



Once up top, there's a little bit of high ground to fight for, but its not particularly good for the rest of the map. The edge of the balcony gives ranged units a great view of the battlefield though:



Another way up is to hide underneath the Balcony:



This actually becomes a staircase to get around back. It can be a little bit safer, and generally the only way some double hex units can get up there:



This map has a couple of neat tricks when it comes to linking with the Checkpoint. It essentially connects and creates the northern wall:



As I said before, I like giving terrain units a trick. Here the Duz-Teh are capable of using the little Glaciers to get to the Checkpoint wall through their own specialized path. Also, other units can get into the castle (though only at ground level) by making use of the water tile that's a part of the castle itself. It JUST so happens to connect to the edge of the wall here, giving units a safe landing if they jump from the wall:



Hope you enjoyed this one. Check back tomorrow when I unveil the map that this is all fought over: The Wellspring of Laga!

[S1R_ART0R1US]

Cool idea. I like the multiple battlefields.

[LongHeroscaper]

That is what I am talking about, baby!!! More pictures with different angles!
I can build North Nostralund, but not Zudeth (4TT). BTW, Zudeth is a nice name coming from Dzu-teh .
It would be great if I can see this gorgeous map in person! I don't think I can ever though , because I am not Weird .

[Eclipse]

Wellspring of Laga (DOWNLOAD)



Deep within the forests of Nostralund, near the border with Laur lies the fabled Wellspring of Laga. Despite the harsh northern climate, the waters of the spring bring life to the surrounding area, sustaining the forest through the harshest of winters. Jandar has committed considerable resources to protect this shrine, for it is said that all the waters of Nostralund flow from this source. Should the defenders fall, Utgar would not only claim another Wellspring, but potentially the power to destroy Nostralund once and for all!

OPTIONAL SPECIAL RULES AND SCENARIOS:

POWER OF THE WELLSPRING - A unique hero may use the Wellspring to summon additional reinforcements. Instead of taking a turn with a hero on one of the six spaces adjacent to the center of the Wellspring, you may choose to summon. Roll the 20 sided die; if you roll a 16 or higher, place 1 cards worth of previously destroyed, common figures adjacent to the center of the Wellspring. A figure may not be summoned if its Homeworld is Valhalla.

TAINTING OF THE WELL - Player 1 begins by placing their figures anywhere on the road tiles within the Wellspring. Player 2 may place figures in any starting zone space on the map. In this scenario, Player 2 may claim victory by moving a single Marro figure into the center of the Wellspring. Player 1 must defend this space until all of Player 2's figures are destroyed.

Minimum Requirements: 3 RotV, 6 RttFF, 1 FotA
Size - 17x34 hexes

This was a nice reminder how much harder it is to fill a map with forest trees than jungle sets. Still, from the very start it does a pretty good job putting you in a massive forest:



The design of the map has both players moving through the forest to meet at the entrance to the shrine. There's actually two paths at this point that run alongside the waterfalls. One goes directly up to the center, while the other goes back and around to the side:



Once up top, the map is a mix of roads, water and small pillars to block LOS. For the record, I only use sparkly water here, and save my dull water for a few other places. And yes, I'm aware it's not legal to leave the walls without a top, but frankly, it's unbalancing, looks more ruined, and... I ran out of road tiles



There's a little bit of an ability to use the fountain as a fortress to defend, but the wall blocks a fair amount of shots against the opponent's starting zone. The trees do a reasonable job of blocking things from there:



Overall it's one of my more style first maps, though I think I managed to ensure quite a bit of playability at the same time:



Connection wise, there's not a whole lot of secrets or tricks to talk about. I think the checkpoint is a little better balanced with this part added on, simply because it's easier to run from units on the walls. Also, it's sort of fun adding the second start zone as a different direction (though some rock areas already fill this niche if you so prefer):



The central crossing remains fairly tight no matter the configuration. The bridgeway does look a little more natural though:



Oh, and if you haven't noticed yet, the maps are designed so that, when put together, they grant 4 players each a large set of starting spaced from their corner. Connecting the 3 so far (Zudeth, Laga, and Checkpoint) completes the Blue starting zone:



Tomorrow I'll post the map that first started this project. We've done castle, snow, and forest. Check back tomorrow and see how I bleed your pocketbook dry with lava!

[Eclipse]

Going to take a break tonight. Busy day and just haven't quite gotten the post together in the way I'd like.