Geoboards - ideas wanted

Yuri0352

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We don't have good Russian, enough Normandy, Korean, or PTO boards - but do have a lot of generic, too busy, inauthentic looking boards.
This!

Personally, I would be pleased to see future ASL products released with Fort-style boards instead of the usual 'geo-board' layouts. I understand that the SL/ASL board system had to start in some fashion, but isn't it about time the system moved away from the 'same old, same old'?

The (non-river) geo boards are too generic for my tastes, with their plethora of roadways entering from all edges of the playing area. Is it too much to expect to play on a multi-map playing area which doesn't resemble a Thomas Guide? In the PTO?
 

DWPetros

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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
Righto. Small hamlets - good idea. I have a few of those too. Here's a cutout from a Normandy board. 4 buildings only!
By the way, these little sketches look pretty crappy until Tom Repetti does his magic on them when needed! Then, they work :)


1547674645572.png
 
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Ric of The LBC

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I've seen some third party maps where small buildings are clustered so some straddle a hexside preventing bypass. More of those for a crossroads hamlet?

SoCal ASL club had one day where we played a bunch of Lone Canuck maps that had these.
 

DWPetros

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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:

View attachment 6810
Yes, OK I see what you mean. I've sketched a few Fort-style hill boards; Italian village, Ukrainian village, etc..
But for some reason, this style doesn't seem to have caught on much. Not sure why. It has some definite advantages like you point out. Maybe the odd orientation?
As for maximizing the board to make good hills, the standard board configuration seems generally OK but does cause certain design problems. Personally, I like the double-wides when it comes to hills. But let me play with the above idea - which I like also.
 

Ric of The LBC

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DWPetros

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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.
Don't already have a 1 hex wide canal type board (B23?) What is lacking with this board that you want to see improved?
 

DWPetros

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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.
That's right. We need scenario designers to step up - guys who can prepare stuff that MMP will publish. This isn't to disparage the great TP design guys like Chas Smith or Evan Sherry, but just to say that if we want new geoboards that will see high publication standards and a lot of use, they need to go through MMP, who requires scenarios to go with them too.
 
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DWPetros

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This!

Personally, I would be pleased to see future ASL products released with Fort-style boards instead of the usual 'geo-board' layouts. I understand that the SL/ASL board system had to start in some fashion, but isn't it about time the system moved away from the 'same old, same old'?

The (non-river) geo boards are too generic for my tastes, with their plethora of roadways entering from all edges of the playing area. Is it too much to expect to play on a multi-map playing area which doesn't resemble a Thomas Guide? In the PTO?
Yes, more variety. I don't think we need to move away from the standard geoboard layout, but instead either go with new board types: Fort, Double-wide, non-geomorphic. And as you say, ditch some of the roads that enter from the side - something that is already done with many boards. But I get your drift - too many roads prevent the design from looking realistic - such as with Russian or PTO terrain.

One angle I like - forget altogether the short-side roads that come in at A5/A6 and GG5/6. We rarely play with boards that stretch for 2+ boards. Use those sides to show the entrance of small streams, ridge lines, etc.. Forget trying to use them with other boards on the short side.
 

DWPetros

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I've seen some third party maps where small buildings are clustered so some straddle a hexside preventing bypass. More of those for a crossroads hamlet?

SoCal ASL club had one day where we played a bunch of Lone Canuck maps that had these.
It's a good idea - that is modifying the artwork but staying within the rules. That's the key. The other good idea is to not have the building artwork in the centerdot, giving more space, but still using the Building rules for that hex. Don't get me started on using more 'design for effect' artwork :)
 

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Justiciar

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Think the road would go I10-I15 then link to your road at K16. The sharpe turn in the road is not engineer like. And from I9 to the NW where it runs along the hill, it is probably too close, rock slides, earth slides, etc from the hill onto the road. A6-I10.

But* that said the concept is very good.
Don't already have a 1 hex wide canal type board (B23?) What is lacking with this board that you want to see improved?
The setting is amid a major city...these canals were found in 1) rural areas, 2) outskirts of villages or 3) hamlets... those are all missing. Further the canals in situations 1 and 3 might not show/have a bridge...there are 3 on the board we have already as befits a major city. The battle quoted upstream the canal was along its length of the attack in 1-3 above...not* B23.

Some data for you about canals...

https://www.french-waterways.com/practicalities/canal-depths/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narrowboat
 

Justiciar

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That's right. We need scenario designers to step up - guys who can prepare stuff that MMP will publish. This isn't to disparage the great TP design guys like Chas Smith or Evan Sherry, but just to say that if we want new geoboards that will see high publication standards and a lot of use, they need to go through MMP, who requires scenarios to go with them too.
I will make the battle on the Canadians for MMP if there was a board. Also canal overlays would be a good thing too. Like RR overlays with the long lazy arc to allow change of course...
 

Justiciar

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Yea, I guess, but what battles would necessitate this? Not that it wouldn't be nice, but if you had one board to do, would you do that one?
The Canadian 7th Bdge battle I mentioned up stream... (also in the fighting for Holland the recapture of stretches of canal was a military objective, as these were forms of MSRs...)
The German capture of the 4 bridges over the Albert Canal in 1940 ...Vroenhoven, Kanne, ??, and ??. Kanne was blown, but the other 3 were taken.
 
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Ric of The LBC

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I see what you mean now. I'm not sure that the artwork is 'legal'. For instance - if the building art is both separate from other building art and straddles the hexspine, then what is happening here? Is it simply a LOS obstacle that prevents Bypass? I assume it's not a Location of any kind?
SSR for that map 1547678145813.png
 
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