killercactus' maps-5/28/2010 - Over Drudge It (1x SotM)

[killercactus]

I've got a few maps made nowadays, so I figured I'd start a map thread. Comments are always welcome.

5/28/2010
Over Drudge It:

Spoiler Alert!

Over Drudge It (1x SotM)

My first attempt at a 1x SotM map came out kinda bland, so I spiced it up a bit by adding a different dynamic: swamp water on high ground... a lot of it. All of those turrets are - you guessed it - within at most 5 spaces of each other, allowing the Drudge to Swamp Water Tunnel all over the place AND get their +1/+1 bonus on the high ground. If the Drudge don't excel on this map, I don't think they ever will. This would also be a great map for Microcorp Agents, Water Elementals and Marro Warriors. I'm pretty excited about this as my first 1x SotM map, and I can't wait to try the Drudge on it!

5/22/2010

Riverbed Plateau:

Spoiler Alert!

Riverbed Plateau (1x RotV)

This map tries to do everything to deny commons the ability to replenish their ranks quickly, with both a water barrier and a steep height change in the middle of the map. I think this could be a pretty solid 1x RotV tourney map.

4/28/2010

Eldwyn Forest:

Spoiler Alert!

Eldwyn Forest (1x RotV, 4x RttFF)

This is yet another road + trees map relying on the trees to block sightlines and roads to help melee make it to the fight. I like the look the bridge over the middle gives to the map. It should be high enough for most Small and Medium figures to fit under it, except the really tall ones. That bridge might give Large and Huge non-Fliers some fits with a ranged figure on the other side. There are definitely some issues with double-hex figures and ranged figures on the bridge, but hey, life ain't fair. Don't draft double-hexers on this map unless you plan to have more Points worth of figures than your opponent at the end of the game when it matters.

4/27/2010

The Fire Swamp:

Spoiler Alert!

Watching the Cavs in my new recliner, inspiration hit me to put a map together. I haven't seen a lot of Swamp/Lava maps, so I reached into one of my favorite movies:

The Fire Swamp (1x SotM, 1x VW, 2x TJ)

This is another map, similar to Elien's Magma Cave and Decline of Sight, that should favor Hero armies over squads. There are some really tough choices to make when moving through the swamp (hey, no one has ever made it through alive, except Westley and Buttercup), and not a lot of safe hexes (and nearly all of the safe hexes are on low ground). The Flame Spurts (molten lava spaces) are strategically (or evilly, I guess) placed to force the action up onto the lava fields and Lightning Sand. Plus, those 4 Treasures out there (the Glyphs of Thorian are again face-down, random Treasure glyphs) are just screaming to be picked up by some heroes, if they can shake off the Rodents of Unusual Size:

Rodents of Unusual Size
When your figure springs the trap of Rodents of Unusual Size, choose an opponent. That opponent may attack your figure with 4 attack dice. You may roll defense dice normally. The attack is considered to come from a Large figure.

Also, there is, of course, a special rule for the sand spaces, which are the Lightning Sand:

Lightning Sand
When your Small or Medium figure without either the Flying or Stealth Flying Special Power moves onto a sand space from a non-sand space, roll the twenty-sided die. If you roll a 1, that figure is destroyed. If you roll a 2-5, that figure receives one wound and must end its movement on that sand space. If you roll a 6 or higher, nothing happens.

I'm considering moving those 2-hex lava pieces on top of the sand next to the Treasures closest to the Starting Zones back adjacent to the 7-hex lava tiles, so that a non-flier that wants the Treasure has to go through the Lightning Sand or way around over the lava, since you have to go through Lightning Sand to get the other 2. I'll decide after some playtesting (either by me or others) is done on it. I definitely think lava is my favorite terrain to use - I have to find a way to get my hands on some more.

4/20/2010

Dune Buggy:

Spoiler Alert!

Dune Buggy (1x Marvel, 1x RotV, 1x RttFF, a bunch of extra Sand tiles)

This map and Decline of Sight were made for my upcoming tournament (just as Underground Oasis was). I found that, after I seperated out the terrain for the first 7 maps I needed to make, I had quite a bit left over, including a ton of sand and rock 2-hexers from buying expansions. Using my 50 (!) extra sand 2-hexers, I came up with Dune Buggy. The materials needed listed here are estimated - you can see exactly what you need to build this map in the download. For instance, all of the Marvel set used is covered over, so that could be substituted with anything. The glyph on the road is Gerda, in an attempt to get some players using that part of the map (and because my tournament requires each map to have one glyph equidistant from each starting zone).

Decline of Sight:

Spoiler Alert!

Decline of Sight (1x Marvel, 1x SotM, 1x RttFF (trees only), a bunch of extra Rock, Grass and Sand tiles)

After I made Dune Buggy, I found that I still had a bunch of extra stuff, including ruins, trees, the Marvel Wall and a Hive, so I decided to try and take advantage of all those LOS blockers. That's how Decline of Sight was born. Using basically all of the rest of my extra terrain (except snow - I still have a ton of that left over),I came up with this narrow, frustrating map. It's symmetrical (except for the Marvel Wall - the other side has a makeshift wall built out of 2-hexers and a road wall at the top, with 2 molten lava tiles covering half of the hexes, since the Marvel Wall only has 2 accessible hexes on top), so this look down the corridor is what you should see from the other side as well. Squad-based armies should find it pretty difficult to maneuver here, and ranged squads should be especially frustrated since they can't see much. Hero-based armies would, in theory, be better equipped to traverse this obstacle course of randomness. Deathreavers might pose a problem here with all the chokepoints, though I think it would be tough for what's behind them to get off clean shots. Raelin obviously loves the perches on the 2 walls.

3/28/2010

Oldin's Hall:

Spoiler Alert!

Oldin's Hall(1x RotV [only uses about 2/3 of the terrain, and none of the 24-Hex Grass], 2x FotA, 1x RttFF [I didn't count, but I probably didn't need this])

Here's Oldin's Hall, which uses about half an RotV and 2 Castle sets (mostly for the 2 doors). The map is meant to be played without the doors on. I forgot to mark the starting zones here, but they're the obvious 24-hex Rock tiles. The Glyph of Brandar is a custom glyph - the Glyph of Stone Melding, which reads:

Stone Melding
When you control this glyph, all figures you control not standing on a glyph that are on a Rock hex or adjacent to a Castle Wall may roll up to 2 additional defense dice.

Elien's Magma Cave:

Spoiler Alert!

Elien's Magma Cave (1x BtfU, 2x VW)

EDIT: This map has been updated from its original version to include 6 more shadow tiles

I'm excited about trying this map out. The glyph of Brandar is a special glyph, the glyph of Lava Resistance, which reads:

Lava Resistance
When you control this glyph, all figures you control not standing on a glyph never roll for Lava Field or Molten Lava damage.

3/14/2010

Grognack's Wasteland

Spoiler Alert!

Grognack's Wasteland (1x BtfU, 2x TT)

I envisioned this map to be played with normal snow and slippery ice, allowing fairly easy access to the movement glyphs on each side while making traveling through the center of the map slow, but protected from view, and rewarding by finding a Wound glyph that has some nice cover around it. If used in a tournament, I might suggest making the ice normal (and maybe the snow heavy) as I could see this much slippery ice and that much cover taking quite a bit of time to play through. I haven't played any games on it yet though, so maybe I'm wrong and the 2 movement glyphs make up for it.

Now that I've made Elien's and Oldin's maps, I might change the map to Heavy Snow and Slippery Ice, and change the glyphs so that the middle glyph is a Brandar that acts as the glyph of Winter Speed, which reads:

Snow and Ice Enhanced Movement
When you control this glyph, all figures you control count Heavy Snow and Slippery ice hexes as 1 Movement instead of 2.

3/12/2010

Leakways and Creekways:

Spoiler Alert!

Leakways and Creekways (3x BtfU + 21 Water Tiles [which is exactly one RotV's worth])

3/2/2010

Underground Oasis:

Spoiler Alert!

Underground Oasis (2x BtfU - Thorian Glyphs are Random Treasures)

update:

Thanks to pauldragon's input, I've made a couple modifications that should improve the map. I made the glyph in the middle of the oasis a static Astrid glyph. I think that glyph is strong enough to move some play onto the oasis. Also, the 2 shadow tiles that used to be on level 0 adjacent to the starting zones have now been moved up onto the cave plateau area. I think I need to make another small revision, as the red side seems to have easier access to the Shadow tiles and high ground. That might unbalance it a little - I'll see what I can do to fix that. It's probably just a matter of flipping the 3-hexer on the Blue side around.

Original:

I started experimenting with 2x BtfU maps because I needed one for my May, 2010 tournament. I came up with these 2 quickly, and am using Underground Oasis:

Thanks to Sujoah for these zoomed pics!

2/27/2010

Dark Corridors:

Spoiler Alert!

Dark Corridors (2x BtfU)

2/5/2010

Durgueth Swamps (SotM Edition):

Spoiler Alert!

Durgueth Swamps (1 SotM and 2 TJ) This is a remake of the RotV Master set map using swamp and jungle terrain. Works well as a race-to-the-glyph scenario (like it is in the RotV rulebook).

 

[Sport351]

Re: killercactus' maps

Great maps KC!

 

[killercactus]

Re: killercactus' maps

Great maps KC!

Thanks!

This is hopefully just the beginning, as I've been playing around with the D&D set quite a bit. They'll get more creative....

 

[Killometer]

Re: killercactus' maps

Leakways and Creekways looks like it would be a blast to play a Viper army on. Too bad I only have 1 BtfU. I bet I could build a mod of it with RotV x1+TJ x2= some extra water tiles, though...


Edit: I threw it into VS using all grass tiles and putting bushes and trees in place of the rocks and it looks pretty good. I'm not sure what to do about the shadow tiles, though.

 

[Commander GD]

Re: killercactus' maps

They look nice! In the future though, could you zoom in more though? I am having some trouble seeing the details of them map (it may just be my computer though)

 

[killercactus]

Re: killercactus' maps

They look nice! In the future though, could you zoom in more though? I am having some trouble seeing the details of them map (it may just be my computer though)

Yeah - I've been playing heroscape for a long time, but I'm very new to VS. I'm just learning how to get some better pictures.

Underground Oasis has some much nicer images for it linked on it's download page. I'll try to get them up on the front page.

EDIT: Done

 

[killercactus]

Re: killercactus' maps

Leakways and Creekways looks like it would be a blast to play a Viper army on. Too bad I only have 1 BtfU. I bet I could build a mod of it with RotV x1+TJ x2= some extra water tiles, though...


Edit: I threw it into VS using all grass tiles and putting bushes and trees in place of the rocks and it looks pretty good. I'm not sure what to do about the shadow tiles, though.

Swamp water?

 

[Darkmage7a]

Re: killercactus' maps

Leakways and creek ways look like neat adaptation. Like Killometer said it would be fun to play with slither, flying or watersuit armies.

I wonder though, how many neat trails you could create if instead of adding the 21 water from RotV you added the 34 swamp from a SotM? Sounds like something worth experimenting with.

Either way good spin on a classic creation.

 

[Arrow Grut]

Re: killercactus' maps

I really like The Dugerth swamp remix I never got why it was in RotV and not SotM.

 

[Commander GD]

Re: killercactus' maps

They look nice! In the future though, could you zoom in more though? I am having some trouble seeing the details of them map (it may just be my computer though)

Yeah - I've been playing heroscape for a long time, but I'm very new to VS. I'm just learning how to get some better pictures.

Underground Oasis has some much nicer images for it linked on it's download page. I'll try to get them up on the front page.

EDIT: Done

Awesome! The map is so cool up close!

 

[Sujoah]

Re: killercactus' maps

They look nice! In the future though, could you zoom in more though? I am having some trouble seeing the details of them map (it may just be my computer though)

Yeah - I've been playing heroscape for a long time, but I'm very new to VS. I'm just learning how to get some better pictures.

Underground Oasis has some much nicer images for it linked on it's download page. I'll try to get them up on the front page.

EDIT: Done

Awesome! The map is so cool up close!

I know! I can really tell you because I took the pictures!

 

[killercactus]

Re: killercactus' maps - update 3/14

Thanks, Sujoah!!!

Added Grognack's Wasteland today, which I hope to be the first of many Summoner Wars-inspired maps.

 

[Arrow Grut]

Re: killercactus' maps - update 3/14

I really like Gornak wasteland because of the LoS blockers, but I cant tell what the glpyh in the middle is.

 

[rym]

Re: killercactus' maps

They look nice! In the future though, could you zoom in more though? I am having some trouble seeing the details of them map (it may just be my computer though)

Yeah - I've been playing heroscape for a long time, but I'm very new to VS. I'm just learning how to get some better pictures.

Underground Oasis has some much nicer images for it linked on it's download page. I'll try to get them up on the front page.

EDIT: Done

kc, one of the things that may help you get some better closeup shots is to remove the tabletop that the map rests upon when you render the 3D image. If you go into "configuration" (along the top as one of the drop down menu choices)and then to "preferences", you will see a box in the upper right hand corner that says "Show table top".

Unclick that and then render your 3D image. You'll end up with a lot closer map view and sometimes you can get a really nice angle of your map without having that tabletop in the way.

Hope that helps.

 

[killercactus]

Re: killercactus' maps - update 3/14

I really like Gornak wasteland because of the LoS blockers, but I cant tell what the glpyh in the middle is.

It's Wannok. I almost made it something really strong like Jalgard, but I just don't like using that glyph, even if it's really tough to get to.

Wannok is strong enough that it should bring some players there.

 

[killercactus]

Re: killercactus' maps

I really like The Dugerth swamp remix I never got why it was in RotV and not SotM.

Probably just because SotM didn't exist when it was first made. I like it a lot better with the swamp and jungle terrain. I made that one especially for my Betrayals of Utgar campaign (which I've been really slacking on - darn tax season).

Also, thanks for the VS tip, rym - I'll be trying that!

 

[killercactus]

Re: killercactus' maps - update 3/14

Just wanted to link my small battle report on Underground Oasis - it was a really fun map to play and presented some interesting challenges.

 

[killercactus]

Re: killercactus' maps - update 3/28/10!

I added 2 maps to the front page today - Elien's Magma Cave and Oldin's Hall. I just need to make a map for Sneeks' Hideout, and I'll have one for each SW faction. I'm thinking SotM + BtfU + TJ for Sneeks' place.

 

[rym]

Re: killercactus' maps - update 3/28/10!

Nice Summoner War maps for the Summoners.

I also noticed you took out the tabletop in the display for Oldin's Hall and Elien's Magma Cave.

 

[killercactus]

Re: killercactus' maps - update 3/28/10!

I also noticed you took out the tabletop in the display for Oldin's Hall and Elien's Magma Cave.

Yes - good call. That did make it easier to get some better pics. Thanks!

 

[MegaSilver]

Re: killercactus' maps - update 3/28/10!

3/28/2010
Elien's Magma Cave (1x BtfU, 2x VW)

I'm excited about trying this map out. The glyph of Brandar is a special glyph, the glyph of Lava Resistance, which reads:

Lava Resistance
When you control the glyph, all figures you control not standing on a glyph never roll for Lava Field or Molten Lava damage.

This map is beyond awesome! It forces you to fight for height on the lava, and to go to the glyph to gain Lava Resistence!

MegaSilver

 

[killercactus]

Re: killercactus' maps - update 3/28/10!

I just realized that I could actually use 6 more shadow hexes on Elien's Magma Cave. The left side (to the player) is pretty much devoid of any safe shadow spaces - I might add a couple more in there.

EDIT - done. Added 3 more Shadow tiles spaced out on the left side of the map leading to the center, so now there are a couple of safe spaces no matter which road you take. I think I'm more excited about this map than any I've made so far, and I can't even build it (only own VW x1).

 

[killercactus]

Re: killercactus' maps-4/20/2010: Dune Buggy & Decline of Si

Update with 2 new maps - Dune Buggy and Decline of Sight!

 

[MegaSilver]

Re: killercactus' maps-4/20/2010: Dune Buggy & Decline of Si

Update with 2 new maps - Dune Buggy and Decline of Sight!

Dune Buggy's link doesn't work. It looks cool as it is but I want a closer look.

MegaSilver

 

[pauldragon]

Re: killercactus' maps-4/20/2010: Dune Buggy & Decline of Si

We got to play your Underground Oasis today, and I wanted to let you know how it went. For starters, the map looks great and I like the name. I can’t believe you got all that out of BftU x2. It was a fun map to play, with some cool features. I like the two “zones” to fight in. Either go to oasis to get glyphs, or go straight for the enemy through the cave area.

The armies we played: Taelord, x3 Omni Snipers, and Water Element vs. Charos, Fen Hydra, x3 Greenscales. Both armies = 510.

First game, snipers and Taelord moved together toward enemy’s start zone (ignoring glyphs). My friend didn’t realize how important Thorian glyph was against the snipers, so he flew Charos into snipers for some kills (bonding with Charos is sweet). He left Charos exposed though, and lost initiative. Charos got blasted by all the snipers with Taelord’s +1 (kept them all close). After Charos was gone, Greenscales were pretty much worthless. Hydra put up a fight, but too little, too late. Snipers win. The top part of the map was hardly used, but I think it was because we both wanted early action.

Like I said, the oasis part of the map was barely touched, but my friend learned from the mistake though. Next game, he sent Charos to sit on Thorian glyph. Completely shutting down Snipers, I sent everything up toward Oasis part. He had some Greenscales in good position by Charos by time I could hurt him. Charos took down Taelord, and some omnis, before taking a fatal blow from Water Elemental! Hydra cleaned up what was left of the snipers. Greenscales win.

We had some cool line of site in the cave part of the map. Pretty cool setup. One funny thing, the Water Element was a throw in to get the army to 510. I was starting on left side of map with the single water spot 4 spaces from start zone. Water Element sat there awhile, but when he moved he went to that single water tile, then 4 spaces up to water. Then he picked up glyph (poison), went to water, and got next to Charos on Thorian glyph. He ended up delivering final blow to Charos.

One suggestion, why not put two more water tiles at the top of oasis to even it out? Or is there a reason those spaces are empty around island?

Disclaimer: We are not tournament players, don’t know if those are tournament quality armies, and are not even sure if we play the game right, but we had a blast with Underground Oasis. Thanks!