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

[Eclipse]

Scorian Peak (DOWNLOAD)



In the years since the initial erruption that left the checkpoint abandoned, it's become quite clear the magma from the mountain now known as Scorian Peak is not a natural geological event. For years now, lava has continued to flow from the summit, pouring down into the valley below. The heat of this molten stream has proved so intense, the southern landscape has completely melted, flooding the valley into what appears to be a small lake. Even more mysterious is the lava's source, which pours endlessly despite the fact the interior is completely hollow; emptied out years ago to serve as a store room in the castle. This store room has become a weakpoint, as the back walls were completely destroyed, making Scorian Peak an alternate, if treacherous means of entering the castle unhindered.

OPTIONAL RULES AND SCENARIOS:

TREASURES OF THE VAULT - Place the Glyph of Brandar in one of the spaces beyond the door. In this scenario, when a Unique Hero lands on the Glyph of Brandar, it is immediately placed on their Army Card. If that Hero is destroyed, the Glyph is immediately placed on the space they occupied prior to being destroyed. The first player to retreive the Glyph and return it to their start zone is the winner.

DAMSEL IN DISTRESS - Add a 5 segment ladder to the top most Molten Lava tile at the peak of the mountain. Place two single hex tiles behind this ladder to keep it grounded. At the top of this ladder, place Kyntela Gwyn. Player 1 may place their units in either start zone. Player 2 may place their units anywhere within the Rock or Lava tiles on the map. At the end of each round, move Kyntela Gwyn down one segment of the ladder. Player 1 wins by moving a figure into a space adjacent to Kyntela Gwyn. Player 2 wins if Kyntela Gwyn moves into the Molten Lava before Player 1 may rescue her.

Minimum Requirements: 2 RotV, 1 FotA, 1 TJ, 7 VW
Size - 20x21 hexes

This is another map based heavily on ideas worked on with philip918. There's a few major changes, mostly related to the lack of a road based bridge in the middle, but the general idea is roughly the same. The hardest thing to get a good shot of is the area behind the lava falls. It's one of the more protected paths across the pond, and also the central path into the castle when connected:



Beyond that, there are two main fronts to fight over here. One is the the water itself. It's certainly the slowest path for anything but snakes, but the island makes for an interesting if compact battleground:



The other main battleground is the lava bridge where magma hits the water. This is fairly elevated all the way across. It's of course, a really fun spot for Jotun or the lava units:



The most dangerous place to get ranged units to, however, is the peak itself. From here a ranged unit has a pretty clear shot at most of the map, though how long they can stay there is always a bit of a question:



As far as connections go; there's not much new here. This is the southern wall of the castle, though there's very little wall involved:



The door is a major entry point into the castle. Once opened, it's a pretty direct passage to the ground floor:



Also, much like the Tundra to the north, there's a set of molten lava tiles here to give the Obsidian Guards a shortcut to the castle walls:



One more day of new maps to go. Tomorrow I'll reveal the hidden monster in the Laurian Thicket. Let me know what you think

[S1R_ART0R1US]

I think this whole series is a really cool idea.

[quadraphonic]

You acheive what I've always thought maps should have. They're not just battfields of varied height and LOS. You create a world to go with the maps and scenarios that comes through beautifully! This thread is nothing short of inspiring to say the least!

[Eclipse]

Laurian Thicket (DOWNLOAD)



The land west of the checkpoint is nearly unrecognizable these days. The land, once barren and dotted with the abandoned camps of failed invasions, has became damp and marshy. The water that once flowed pure from the Wellspring is now tainted, murky and dark. The soil, once cracked and broken, has become overrun with trees and brush, creating a dense jungle that obscures the once prosperous roadway.

The unnatural change poses a great threat to Jandar's fortress. The boggy soil undermines the castle walls, threatening to collapse the barrier into the mire. Knowing full well the forces of Utgar are responsible for the change in the terrain, Jandar sends his forces to confront the monsters of the thicket. What they find, however, may far more terrifying than anyone imagined!

OPTIONAL SPECIAL RULES AND SCENARIOS:

MARRO MOTHER HIVE - The collection of Marro Hives in the center of the map can be utilized a number of ways. In a standard battle, each Hive can be treated as a single Life point for the Marro Hive card and all 6 may be treated as individual Common Heroes. When played in this manner, remove each Hive from the battlefield when destroyed.

EXTERMINATION (2-3 players) - In this scenario Player 1 controls 6 Marro Hives. Track each Hive as it's own Unique Hero for Life and Wound Markers, but as Common Heroes for the purpose of Order Markers. When activating an Order Marker on any Marro Hive Army Card, you make take a turn with any other remaining Marro Hive, even if the initial Hive has already been destroyed. Player 2 and optionally Player 3 achieve Victory by destroying all 6 Marro Hives. Player 2 and Player 3 may split the Rock spaces to use as starting zones. Player 1 may place their units in either the Red or Yellow starting zones initially.

Minimum Requirements: 6 SotM, 7 TJ
Size - 17x34 hexes

Sorry for the delay. Once I missed a day Friday sucked me into a long weekend and I never got a chance to post. So, at long last the Wellspring of Laga is complete!

This map basically started as just the centerpiece. I loved the idea of an almost Scarlac-like Marro Hive, with the big, pincher looking things raised up to form something like a gaping maw. Sadly, there's no way to align them perfectly, but after playing with it for literally days, I found something I'm happy with.

From there, I set out to make a jungle that's as thick as possible built around it. Here's what you look into from the starting zone:



The other thing I really toyed with was the Drudge tunneling ability. You'll find a lot of Swamp tiles that are ~5 hexes away from each other at several different heights here.



Of course, the main attraction is the huge Marro Hive in the center. It makes for a pretty impressive display and works nicely as a combat zone as well. The map is designed, however, so that most of the height advantages are gained by venturing in the jungle, to keep the fight from being limited to just the hive itself:



As for the connections, again there's not a whole lot of tricks here. It's mostly about expanding the battle to a larger scale:



Also, it makes for an intimidating site for the castle:



So, that's Laurian Thicket. Hopefully you can get a good idea from the screenshots. Aw, who am I kidding. Virtualscape is great for a lot of things, but showing off Jungle maps isn't one of them. Luckily for all of you, this was the last map I designed and I happen to still have it up. Hopefully these shots give a better idea what this looks like:









Enjoy!

[NecroBlade]

Man, I would lose/forget so many figures in there mid-battle! Great maps, if a bit requirement-intensive.

[Shades fan]

I really love Scorian Peak, if only it didn't take 7 VW's!

[mr.potato]

cool map, but did u get 6 sotm mastersets for that map?
and how much ticalla jungle did u need?

[Eclipse]

Originally Posted by mr.potato

cool map, but did u get 6 sotm mastersets for that map?
and how much ticalla jungle did u need?

The idea of a Sarlac style maw in the center of a map probably drove the purchase of at least a couple of those SotM maps, but I had most of it beforehand. I think I used 7 TJ on it, but I'm not sure on that.

EDIT: I just realized its been a whole year since I last updated this thread. I should really do something about that...

[ProtoFury]

Well, these battlefields are cool nonetheless--a year old or not. Makes me wish my disposable income was more... disposable.

[Eclipse]

Sorta musing on a new map. Similar concepts to the checkpoint with a few twists. Smaller scale too with a ton of optimization to ensure it fits under 3 MS, 2 Road, 2 Castle. The idea I'm toying with is to let people place the start zone as a 24 hexer (or 2 if needed) along the edge anywhere they want to shake up the map a little each time. Most people will probably either take flyers or pick a side though. Anyway, preview pic:



Slightly concerned with Zelrig on the top of the door. I could add a piece to make that impossible, but I'm not sure if it matters as much anymore with the Protectors messing things up. I need to play it and see, I might just leave it open and ugly looking for balance reasons. The bridges are actually JUST high enough to let the small figures (minus the Repulsors) through, so there's an option for a dwarf sneak attack there.

Anyway, planning on running it over the holidays when people are around (though more towards Christmas than Thanksgiving). I'll probably have more to say about it after a few games. Enjoy!

[ProtoFury]

Eh, the protectors don't mess things up as much as people seem to worry about. I have a friend that loves the PoU (as in, I have a ton of Dividers now since he has no use for them), and yeah they can be annoying, but they only have a move of four, so even with flying, they're still slow. Zelrig is more of a problem. I'd add the piece over the door.

But as it stands, I like it so far! And I like the idea of letting people decide where they want their start zones. Maybe (if you have the terrain left over) you can give them more than just a 24-hexer--give them the 24-hex and the maybe a seven-hex, a three-hex, two two-hexes, and two one-hexes (to be used only on their 24-hexer of course)--just so they can add a little spice to their start zone, and maybe add a little extra flair to the map.

[Eclipse]

Originally Posted by ProtoFury

Eh, the protectors don't mess things up as much as people seem to worry about. I have a friend that loves the PoU (as in, I have a ton of Dividers now since he has no use for them), and yeah they can be annoying, but they only have a move of four, so even with flying, they're still slow. Zelrig is more of a problem. I'd add the piece over the door.

Good advice. Now I just have to figure out where to take two pieces from...

Probably going to need to add ladders as well now that I think of it. Really leery of that, but more afraid of keep away.

But as it stands, I like it so far! And I like the idea of letting people decide where they want their start zones. Maybe (if you have the terrain left over) you can give them more than just a 24-hexer--give them the 24-hex and the maybe a seven-hex, a three-hex, two two-hexes, and two one-hexes (to be used only on their 24-hexer of course)--just so they can add a little spice to their start zone, and maybe add a little extra flair to the map.

There's actually quite a few unused 24 hexers here. The hills just slope up too gradually to make good use of them, so I had to use all the 1,2,3,7 hexers there instead. 24 hexers to build up the start zone are definitely not a problem.