Nomad - We performed a total of six play-tests on Durgeth Swamps. In general, using two sets of Jungle on a tournament map is something I try to avoid (there is only so much of the precious commodity to go around), but then again it only uses Swarm of the Marro for terrain, so that frees up other terrain. The central plateau only saw extensive action in two of the six battles and mostly with melee based armies. When I build the map, I switch the four 7-hex sand tiles from the start zones with the four 7-hex swamp grass tiles that have height toward the middle of the map to provide more contrast - but that is just something I prefer. I would recommend including a statement that the Hive base is used as swamp water in the build of the map. All of that being said, the map plays solid and meets all of the criteria I consider when selecting tournament maps. I think the glyph placement and slight height of the rock on the edges of the map is solid. Flow across the map and side-to-side is fair with many options. The map did not seem to favor one type of army build over another. The Ravagers really like this map. I vote
for Durgeth Swamps.
Sir Heroscape - I really like this map. It's going to be an
for me.
This map is open and the flow is beautiful. The height pockets on the sides really become a focus for range trying to get height attacks, but are by no means an easy position to maintain. Glyphs are well placed allowing height attacks and figures to move around them with ease. I love the quick development out of the startzone and the free moving aspects of this map. This map makes it really hard for armies to cut themselves off, and a pod army almost has to hunker in the middle, which isn't that great of a position anyway. I will say that I was crying for a little more height variation, maybe like a 1-hex or 2-hexer in the middle, but that alone is not enough to give it a downvote. It's got great aspects to it that lend itself to open and free play and I don't see many concerns on this one. I've loved the games I've played on it, and never felt like the map was detracting from gameplay.
Biggabullfrog - Swamp and jungle is a combination seen a lot, and Durgeth Swamps definitely has the aesthetic appeal of such a map. The dense jungle creates a fun story during play that makes the players feel like they are actually fighting in the middle of a dense, swampy jungle which adds a lot to the play. However, the map does get congested. Having two Jungle sets on a single Swamp map isn’t necessarily bad by itself, but on this map there is so much jungle so close together that it restricts a lot of movement. This is particularly noticeable in the areas by the glyphs where jungle, glyph and height all halt/slow movement. A lot of cover is also given to figures on high ground instead of those advancing on low ground.
As far as balance goes, the typical range vs melee game was generally close, though I found range to have a slight advantage with all of the pockets of high ground, especially the 7-hex right outside of the start zone on the right (a figure with 7 or more range can even shoot the glyph on the other side of the map from that position). Melee also struggled to engage en masse due to the congestion issues I mentioned, often letting range pick off figures to their pleasure. However, the games were often close, as I mentioned.
In more typical games (not just straight range/melee) I found the high amount of jungle next to high ground to feel more like a bug than a feature. Vital ranged heroes or, more importantly, cheerleaders were protected easily both from melee due to congestion/friendly figures, and from ranged snipers due to the jungle-covered height. This made a lot of cheerleader-based armies too strong for my taste. I also felt that most of my games just played out the same on the map. Any range would go to the right to take the 7-hex there, and melee would go left to counter the range that would inevitably go for the 7-hex on the other side. I felt that the overall strategy on the map was limited with such a strong point so close to the start zone.
Overall, this wasn’t an easy decision, but I felt the issues that I found were just too much to warrant my vote for the map. That said, it was close, and the map has many merits, so I wouldn’t be surprised by (or against) seeing it pass.
I vote
to induct Durgeth Swamps
Robber - Here are my random thoughts on Durgeth Swamp, in no particular order:
- I think the map is pretty balanced.
- I really like the edges of the map. The placement of the lv 3 height, glyph, and jungle in this area is solid and makes gameplay interesting.
- I'm not sure whether or not I like the center of the map. I don't feel like there's any incentive for either player to use the area when the sides of the map are so much more desirable. I'd really like to see some more lv 3 height to break up all of the flat lv 2 terrain. Still, there are some unique aspects of this area, especially the choke points caused by the water and the jungle.
- The area just outside of the starting zone is definitely my least favorite area of the map. The pathing is mediocre and it feels like a lot of the area is just filler. I don't feel that the area offers much in terms of gameplay, and it seems like some of the tiles were placed without a lot of consideration.
- The dense jungle is awesome thematically and for melee units, but I feel like it covers too much of the map. Almost every tile is next to jungle.
My overall impression of Durgeth Swamps that it's a pretty balanced map on the cusp of tournnant-worthiness, but it's lacking in a couple important areas. Specifically, the map doesn't do a good job of offering interesting strategic options and tradeoffs to the player. Instead, many parts of the map feel flat and uniform.