Geoboards - ideas wanted

Mister T

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I like the Port board - but what actions took place (St. Nazaire, yes, but others?) Have thought of it but wasn't sure there were enough battles. Railroad yards and RR stations - yes to that.
Canal board - again, can you give some historical battles where this happened? I don't doubt it, just am not familiar.
FrFA? Not sure what that is.
As to ports, i think about what Yuri suggested, plus maybe Calais 40, Lorient/Brest 44, Heraklion 41, Novorossiysk 43, Riga/Tallinn 41/Konigsberg 45 on the eastern front. This list is probably a very rough approximation.

For canals, i thought primarily about France/Belgium/Netherlands 40, where the front briefly coalesced along canals. Probably some action took place along canals during the British push in Northern Germany in 45, around Anzio'44, and in northern Italy in Spring 45.

FrFA is the sole board issued by Friendly Fire. It's a pity it is not used in MMP scenarios so i suggest you have a look and maybe you get "some inspiration" from it.
 
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Justiciar

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Canal board - again, can you give some historical battles where this happened? I don't doubt it, just am not familiar.
Canadian 7th Inf Bgde, 3rd ID, at the Leopold Canal Oct 1944, comes immediately to mind. The action I note saw AE placing kapok footbridges and there were Wasps working the enemy line while the assault went across...be a very good action for ASL. I am sure Michael Dorosh can come up with some other Canadian actions where canals were involved...

Mr. T is correct about these being common, and such sites pose nature obstacles to maneuver warfare so had to be dealt with.
 
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Justiciar

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As to ports, i think about what Yuri suggested, plus maybe Calais 40, Lorient/Brest 44, Heraklion 41, Novorossiysk 43, Riga/Tallinn/Konigsberg 41 on the eastern front. This list is probably a very rough approximation.
Crimea
 

62nd Army

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Don

My thoughts Suggestions below:

#1) A board like board 25, except with "green" or non-DTO colors. Does not have to be exact, but something similar
#2) I like the dock idea, but I suggest on a river board if this is possible?? Not sure scale would look right??
#3) Some more -1 or -2 level valley boards, these type of boards are few in number. Perhaps some with small villages/ urban areas in them?
#4) Some boards with small village hamlets, 1 to 4 buildings tops, usually wood, but some stone would be cool. A board with 2 to 4 of these would be nice.
#5) A few heavily wooded boards (Like 52), but with lots of paths, would be good for partisan scenarios ( I have a few in the development stage :) )
#6) Some boards with larger ponds or lake like features, perhaps 3 to 4 hexes wide, this would make for some interesting rout, attack paths, maybe even a building on shore?
#7) A few boards with level 1 or 2 hills with orchards, wheat fields on them. Many hills just barren, maybe some buildings like barns, etc on these as well
#8) A Polder board
#9) A board with a horizontal river, the length wise river boards are fine, but a board (or series) with horizontal a river would be great!! We kinda of have this w/a fort board, but not the same . (IMO)
#10) Boards with the printed features, Shell holes, trenches, rubble, pillboxes, etc probably not going to happen, but would be nice!
#11) Many more Normandy boards!!! I kid of course :)

Thanks
Joe
 

von Marwitz

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Fort boards - agreed. Not sure what you mean by diagonal - do you mean to run the terrain along the hexrow diagonally?
Yes, exactly. "Diagonal" terrain is nearly absent from the normal geo-boards due to the dimensions of the physical board layout, with bd18 being one of the few notable exceptions.

The dimensions of Fort boards offers better opportunity to represent "diagonal" terrain of all sorts.

von Marwitz
 

Tuomo

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For canals, i thought primarily about France/Belgium/Netherlands 40, where the front briefly coalesced along canals. Probably some action took place along canals during the British push in Northern Germany in 45, around Anzio'44, and in northern Italy in Spring 45.
Apparently the canals and streams around Shanghai were characteristic elements of the conflict there. Fighting centered around crossings, and general movement was channeled by them.
 

DWPetros

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As to ports, i think about what Yuri suggested, plus maybe Calais 40, Lorient/Brest 44, Heraklion 41, Novorossiysk 43, Riga/Tallinn 41/Konigsberg 45 on the eastern front. This list is probably a very rough approximation.

For canals, i thought primarily about France/Belgium/Netherlands 40, where the front briefly coalesced along canals. Probably some action took place along canals during the British push in Northern Germany in 45, around Anzio'44, and in northern Italy in Spring 45.

FrFA is the sole board issued by Friendly Fire. It's a pity it is not used in MMP scenarios so i suggest you have a look and maybe you get "some inspiration" from it.
OK. Would a standard 'River board' (4 hex wide - length of board) work for a canal? Seems we have something like this already with one of the 20 series boards? I don't mind sketching it, if we don't have anything like it.
As for the FrFA - I'd like to see it. Do you have a copy of it?
 

DWPetros

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Don

My thoughts Suggestions below:

#1) A board like board 25, except with "green" or non-DTO colors. Does not have to be exact, but something similar
#2) I like the dock idea, but I suggest on a river board if this is possible?? Not sure scale would look right??
#3) Some more -1 or -2 level valley boards, these type of boards are few in number. Perhaps some with small villages/ urban areas in them?
#4) Some boards with small village hamlets, 1 to 4 buildings tops, usually wood, but some stone would be cool. A board with 2 to 4 of these would be nice.
#5) A few heavily wooded boards (Like 52), but with lots of paths, would be good for partisan scenarios ( I have a few in the development stage :) )
#6) Some boards with larger ponds or lake like features, perhaps 3 to 4 hexes wide, this would make for some interesting rout, attack paths, maybe even a building on shore?
#7) A few boards with level 1 or 2 hills with orchards, wheat fields on them. Many hills just barren, maybe some buildings like barns, etc on these as well
#8) A Polder board
#9) A board with a horizontal river, the length wise river boards are fine, but a board (or series) with horizontal a river would be great!! We kinda of have this w/a fort board, but not the same . (IMO)
#10) Boards with the printed features, Shell holes, trenches, rubble, pillboxes, etc probably not going to happen, but would be nice!
#11) Many more Normandy boards!!! I kid of course :)

Thanks
Joe
Joe,
This is what I was hoping to see. Details! I've copied this and will see what sort of ways these can be done (if not already - because some have already been sketched). #5, #7, #8, and lots of #11 already. When you say 'hamlet' - do you mean on a small hill?
Good feedback.
 

DWPetros

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Yes, exactly. "Diagonal" terrain is nearly absent from the normal geo-boards due to the dimensions of the physical board layout, with bd18 being one of the few notable exceptions.

The dimensions of Fort boards offers better opportunity to represent "diagonal" terrain of all sorts.

von Marwitz
OK. I see. I like the idea, and am taking it that due to the ability to lay out a long line of terrain on one long hexrow, this is what you are saying? The standard geoboard allows this, but not for a long of a line. Is this what you mean?
 

DWPetros

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Apparently the canals and streams around Shanghai were characteristic elements of the conflict there. Fighting centered around crossings, and general movement was channeled by them.
Well, Tom, looks like we have some Canals to do :)
 

sswann

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How about a RR Station at/in a Small Village.
The BFP RR Boards are good, but are in a highly urbanized location.
A lot of actions took place around small stations to ensure the continuation of the supply lines.
 

DWPetros

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How about a RR Station at/in a Small Village.
The BFP RR Boards are good, but are in a highly urbanized location.
A lot of actions took place around small stations to ensure the continuation of the supply lines.
Steve,
I've done a RR Station for a (industrial) City (below), but not a small town. You know, it would not be completely geomorphic, and that's OK with me. I think there are a lot of standard geoboard ideas that could be used, but which would also not be perfectly geomorphic - especially along the short side which is rarely used anyway.
I like the small town idea and will sketch it out. You sure like RRs !
1547667762686.png
 

62nd Army

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Joe,
This is what I was hoping to see. Details! I've copied this and will see what sort of ways these can be done (if not already - because some have already been sketched). #5, #7, #8, and lots of #11 already. When you say 'hamlet' - do you mean on a small hill?
Good feedback.
Don

Nice on #s 5, 7 and 8!! Hamlet to me is very small village, (roughly 2 to 4 buildings) a number of these "scattered" on map would be nice!

Thanks
Joe
 

von Marwitz

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OK. I see. I like the idea, and am taking it that due to the ability to lay out a long line of terrain on one long hexrow, this is what you are saying? The standard geoboard allows this, but not for a long of a line. Is this what you mean?
I think so.

The normal geo-boards (even if you butt them together) tend to array the terrain - especially hill masses - either at 0° or 90°. As they are only 10 hexes wide each, this is probably mainly due to the physical limitations of the boards. Bd18 is an exception insofar the line of ridges of the hills is running diagonally across the board. However, these hills are very small and only level 1. Not much more can be done on a board that is only 10 hexes wide in this regard.

The Fort board dimensions offer 16 hexes for the purpose. Something like this very roughly - disregard the "real" 4a terrain:

1547669173905.png
 

Justiciar

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OK. Would a standard 'River board' (4 hex wide - length of board) work for a canal? Seems we have something like this already with one of the 20 series boards? I don't mind sketching it, if we don't have anything like it.
As for the FrFA - I'd like to see it. Do you have a copy of it?
I do not believe most canals were that wide...they would be two canal boat widths plus in width...(not there are not such the Albert Canal is wider than 2 canal boats in certain areas). I think 1 hex.
 

Yuri0352

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And therein may lie the rub. If we don't have enough battles that designer guys would try to prepare scenarios for, then there is the risk of having the port board, but have it sit on the shelf because, though cool, wouldn't stimulate design. This is an issue. What do you think?
I couldn't have said it better myself.
As much as I would love to see some of these suggestions actually created, unless scenarios are designed for their use, these boards will likely only have an appeal limited to the DYO crowd.
 
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