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This is what I was going for with this map, that's an actual picture from one small section of Yellowstone that I visited a few years back. The grey dungeon tiles represent the sulfur and calcium covered landscape while the road tiles are the park constructed pathways used for the tourist foot traffic. The water is the hot springs themselves but I never played with any special rules. I figured they were hot but not so hot as to wound any of our heroes since I was trying to encourage the use of water based units rather then discourage them, plus superheroes are pretty tough.
Is everyone okay with the map name as is, or do you want a more generic Hot Sulfur Springs or something? I'll work on a bio once we have agreed on a name, a real place location or a generic could be anywhere name.
I was thinking more Jellystone Park...hey Boo, Boo. It looks like a solid map though. I only have one BftU set of terrain but I did make some trees recently so I may be able to proxy something resembling this.
Actually this made me think about the difference of us having a map dept as opposed to what the BOV do.
Our 1. goal of this group is "To have a collection of archetypal maps that are designed for competition, fun, and/or casual game play with Super Heroes, and each map should have a Super Hero theme."
Actually this made me think about the difference of us having a map dept as opposed to what the BOV do.
Our 1. goal of this group is "To have a collection of archetypal maps that are designed for competition, fun, and/or casual game play with Super Heroes, and each map should have a Super Hero theme."
Not impossible to write a "superheroes go to Yellowstone" situation, but it's definitely not archetypal or iconic as a spot for super-throwdowns. I'd err on the generic side for the name.
I'm fine with the Yellowstone name, but not with the full title - I mean, the entire park isn't represented on this map alone. "Yellowstone Throwdown" or something, that suggests a small venue within that setting, would be better.
Wolverine spends like 6 months out of the year fighting dudes in the woods, so I'm fine with it being superheroic.
Map looks fine but we'd have to see how it plays naturally.
Bio - Scientist have long know that the supervolcano under Yellowstone National Park posed a dire threat to humanity. Luckily it is not expected to erupt within our lifetime, but what kind of self respecting supervillian sits around and waits for calamity to strike? Villainous plots have been hatched to turn this dormant threat into an active one. Can our heroes intervene in time to prevent Armageddon?
- OVERALL LOOK/THEME TEST/ Let us know if the map’s theme comes across effectively or not, how visually appealing it is or is not to you, etc. Pass, looks great!
- STABILITY TEST/Any issues you find with the map’s ability to hold together during game play and/or the feasibility to moving the map around from table to floor or from car to event. Pass, no issues that I could see.
- BUILD DIFFICUTLY/ Was it hard to follow the directions or figure out where pieces go? No issues building it.
- SIZE IMPACT/ How big is the map when fully assembled in comparison to other maps you enjoy playing on? Does the map’s size have any negative or positive ramifications? Medium to small in size, the various movement obstacles (water, rocks, trees, etc.) do lead to a quite a bit of play area as you move around to different parts of the map by necessity.
- FUN TEST/ Consider whether or not the map was fun to play on. Pass, I had a lot of fun using this map for my tests.
- COMPETITIVE TEST/ Consider whether or not the map would best be a competitive, casual, or scenario based map (more than one option can be listed). Please explain why you feel that way. A competitive mirror map with both LOS blockers and shadow tiles that can help protect figures as they move around the map from those who find a spot on high ground.
- STRATEGY TEST/ Consider whether or not the map offers any real strategy or interesting tactics to the overall game. Yes, as you come out of your start zone you need to decide if you want to move left or right with any figures that can’t easily by pass the water tiles. That decision then plays into how they rest of your game plays out as you jockey for the best tactical position presented to you on each side of the map. You can change directions and cross back over if needed but you can also block off an opponent’s retreat since the cross over point is also a choke point.
-Unit types positively affected: Any units that gain boosts from water tiles likes the options they have here. The changing levels of elevation for those water tiles can make a water on water battle quite interesting. Figures that can fly, leap, jump, swing, or otherwise cross the water without stopping like the tactical options the water divide offers them. Ranged attackers like the fact that they might get off a few shots before being engaged, depending on who they are facing. The many LOS blockers really help those who are trying not to be targeted as well as those who are trying to hide for some reason, Black Panther comes to mind first in that department. The shadow tiles also help him out, but also everyone with a defensive power based on the outcome of defense dice roll. An extra die can really help make guys like the Flash, Blob, US Agent shine.
-Unit types negatively affected: A unit without any special movement powers that is both slow and large could struggle on this map as they would be unable to take advantage of the LOS blockers to help them navigate their way around the board.
-Key areas on the Map: Shadow tiles, high ground, & water tiles were all key areas in my games.
-Areas not used much or at all: I actually didn’t use the road tiles very often, but the option to use them does offer some tactical flexibility.
_____________________________________________________________ Army Test 1
- Does it pass, Yes or No? yes
Units: Snake Eyes@240, Capt. America (C3G), Stalker, Roadblock, Comedian, Bucky (1000) vs. Tiger Shark, King Shark, Abe Sapien, Sub-Mariner, Wizard (1000)
Spoiler Alert!
How did the game play out as it relates to the board layout? What a great game! I believe everyone got in on the action and dealt out some wounds, the lone exception might have been Stalker but his support skills were very helpful even if he didn’t wound anyone. CA boosting Snake Eyes up was certainly a powerful combo and they jumped out to what felt like an early lead. Team Water made taking down Stalker a priority and managed to do so but only after he healed Roadblock. Soon after Stalker went down, Namor started looking close to dead himself and so he was just trying to put wounds on as many different figures as he could, setting up King Shark for a feeding frenzy, and ended up popping off 3W on Snake Eyes and then taking down CA before finally falling. King Shark made short work of the bloody Snake Eyes, then took out Roadblock too and it looked like an easy team Water win, but the Comedian wasn’t giving up the fight. Comedian took down King Shark, leaving just him and Abe Sapien in play. He started out putting wounds on Abe as well before Abe finally found his defense dice and began to fight back to secure the win. As for the board itself, the water tiles were certainly key to Team Water’s performance, while the high ground was well utilized by all the ranged attackers, and then the shadow tiles were also popular destinations as they provided additional protection when trying to move around into position. Who won and how many wounds did they have? Abe Sapien w/2W won.
_____________________________________________________________ Army Test 2
- Does it pass, Yes or No?yes
Units: Storm Shadow@225, Snake Eyes@235, Azrael, Huntress (800) vs. Wrecking Crew (800)
Spoiler Alert!
How did the game play out as it relates to the board layout? The Wrecking Crew wrecked shop in this one. After not hitting the d20 for any extra turns in the opening round, the d20 heated up later when the battle was raging for a serious beat down. They all had some big attack rolls mixed in, allowing them to make short work of their opponents. Storm Shadow rolled poorly on defense and was taken out before he could really do anything, his only two attacks were both blocked. Snake Eyes was the last man standing and tried to avenge his fallen comrades by quickly taking out the wounded Thunderball and Piledriver when his own attack dice got hot and they didn’t roll well on defense, but that was as far as he got. The Wrecking crew had a run of 4 turns in a row that put him down with the help of some poor def. rolls. As far as how the board came into play, the shadow tiles were heavily used by both sides and much of the battle took place in them. The Wrecking Crew were certainly not hindered by the map lay out and lack of ranged attack options, they were able to move around behind the rocks for some cover and used the shadow tiles to help keep them safe. Who won and how many wounds did they have? Bulldozer & Wrecker at full life won.
FINAL THOUGHTS – Fun map with lots of interesting decisions to make in order to best navigate its layout. Plenty of good spots you can take advantage of, but also plenty of good spots to avoid being taken advantage of from those spots.