Geoboards - ideas wanted

wrongway149

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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 !
View attachment 6809
or published with an overlay to cover the non- geomorphic parts?

I agree it's time for another dense urban map -- and this would be just different enough!
 

DWPetros

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or published with an overlay to cover the non- geomorphic parts?

I agree it's time for another dense urban map -- and this would be just different enough!
I've sketched several dense city boards and agree we need more of them, including some battle-scarred ones, factory boards, transition, etc...
 

DWPetros

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I think a lot about how to design geoboards so that they will help build our system further. I go between designing boards that look like real places (there are a few of such in the mix, not many - and this is a big issue for me) but which will also be fun to play on (ie. B3). I've tried to design not only theater specific boards (Russia, Normandy, Italy, PTO, Korea) but Generic ones too, like the one below. Most of our current board mix is in the generic category, and that's a shame.

While not trying to bash other designers, some designs look very unrealistic to me. Too many buildings, too many levels, large buildings with no roads adjacent, terrain, terrain, terrain, etc. - looking like a paintball park. I could go on and on, even about the existing board mix (including ones I've done) as far as how much the boards don't look realistic.

Sometimes, less is more. Boards that don't cram so much together, boards that can mate with existing boards, boards that look like real places. That's what we need.
7412
 

Yuri0352

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I think a lot about how to design geoboards so that they will help build our system further. I go between designing boards that look like real places (there are a few of such in the mix, not many - and this is a big issue for me) but which will also be fun to play on (ie. B3). I've tried to design not only theater specific boards (Russia, Normandy, Italy, PTO, Korea) but Generic ones too, like the one below. Most of our current board mix is in the generic category, and that's a shame.

While not trying to bash other designers, some designs look very unrealistic to me. Too many buildings, too many levels, large buildings with no roads adjacent, terrain, terrain, terrain, etc. - looking like a paintball park. I could go on and on, even about the existing board mix (including ones I've done) as far as how much the boards don't look realistic.

Sometimes, less is more. Boards that don't cram so much together, boards that can mate with existing boards, boards that look like real places. That's what we need.
View attachment 7412
I absolutely agree with all of your points, especially the 'paintball park' analogy.
 

DWPetros

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I absolutely agree with all of your points, especially the 'paintball park' analogy.
There's always the sense that more is better, or that objects vs. space, are better. Not true. In fact, when you look at real photos of places you'll see that there are lots of open spaces or ambiguous spaces that don't suggest using any of the terrain types we have. We have too many boards with too much generic terrain.

Now, that said, ASL requires terrain - for lots of reasons and especially for Rout purposes. And certain boards which are both not realistic and which have a great deal of 'positive' terrain (buildings, hills, etc.) are a blast to play on. Think Board 3 for instance. Lots of great scenarios there - but the terrain layout is very unrealistic.

So, some kind of balance needs to be struck - to have terrain that's both realistic (even going so far as to resemble a particular geographic area) and fun to play on.
 

chris_olden

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Hey @DWPetros
What about a “Fort-sized” all urban board?
That way, the buildings/road network could “make sense”.
Just spitballing.
 

Paul M. Weir

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Hey @DWPetros
What about a “Fort-sized” all urban board?
That way, the buildings/road network could “make sense”.
Just spitballing.
BFP did a pair of urban boards in ITR2, DW7a and DW7b that were designed as a pair, geomorphic on 3 sides each, the other side on each matched the other's non-geo side. The resultant road network was less constrained in the "middle" of the pair. Earlier they had done DW1a and DW1b, but more in an imagined Asian urban landscape with a dense shanty town to one side.

While the "Fort" style reduces the strip effect, a pair of Double Width boards (either 8x22" or 16x11") really overcomes some of the road and layout limitations. You're not thinking big enough! ?
 

wrongway149

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There's always the sense that more is better, or that objects vs. space, are better. Not true. In fact, when you look at real photos of places you'll see that there are lots of open spaces or ambiguous spaces that don't suggest using any of the terrain types we have. We have too many boards with too much generic terrain.

Now, that said, ASL requires terrain - for lots of reasons and especially for Rout purposes. And certain boards which are both not realistic and which have a great deal of 'positive' terrain (buildings, hills, etc.) are a blast to play on. Think Board 3 for instance. Lots of great scenarios there - but the terrain layout is very unrealistic.

So, some kind of balance needs to be struck - to have terrain that's both realistic (even going so far as to resemble a particular geographic area) and fun to play on.
debris.
 

Sully

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On the flip side there are very few areas outside of desert/steppes where LOS is truly clear for 500-1000m, as it is below. Even seemingly open grass land contains inundations and the occasional bush that's going to hinder LOS.

The "clutter" on many boards is probably more "realistic" in terms of design for effect even if looks odd WRT realism.


I think a lot about how to design geoboards so that they will help build our system further. I go between designing boards that look like real places (there are a few of such in the mix, not many - and this is a big issue for me) but which will also be fun to play on (ie. B3). I've tried to design not only theater specific boards (Russia, Normandy, Italy, PTO, Korea) but Generic ones too, like the one below. Most of our current board mix is in the generic category, and that's a shame.

While not trying to bash other designers, some designs look very unrealistic to me. Too many buildings, too many levels, large buildings with no roads adjacent, terrain, terrain, terrain, etc. - looking like a paintball park. I could go on and on, even about the existing board mix (including ones I've done) as far as how much the boards don't look realistic.

Sometimes, less is more. Boards that don't cram so much together, boards that can mate with existing boards, boards that look like real places. That's what we need.
View attachment 7412
 

DWPetros

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On the flip side there are very few areas outside of desert/steppes where LOS is truly clear for 500-1000m, as it is below. Even seemingly open grass land contains inundations and the occasional bush that's going to hinder LOS.

The "clutter" on many boards is probably more "realistic" in terms of design for effect even if looks odd WRT realism.
Good points. Agreed in general - but there are various types of 'obstacles' and various but fewer types of 'hindrances'. Pete rightly points out 'Debris' - which is a good generic kind of hindrance, but unfortunately is only covered via HASL SSRs vs. Chapter B. rules. Therein lies the rub. If we could use Debris* (something MMP would need to approve) - it could be used a lot in standard geoboard designs.

*Other good terrain that is restricted to HASLs - printed Rubble, Gutted buildings, Roofless buildings
 

Sully

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If there ever is an ASLRB V3 I hope they move many of HASL terrain types into the core rules.
 

xenovin

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I guy on Boardgamegeek put up a nice rubbled geo-board. I like his rubble piles and ruined buildings digital artwork:
 

jrv

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I guy on Boardgamegeek put up a nice rubbled geo-board. I like his rubble piles and ruined buildings digital artwork:
The art is interesting, but the hexes look bypassable. I'm not sure why he left all the open ground on the edges of the hex.

JR
 

Gordon

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The art is interesting, but the hexes look bypassable. I'm not sure why he left all the open ground on the edges of the hex.

JR
Artistic license since rubble fills the entire hex anyway?
 
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