Overlays to get more use from seldom-used boards?

Would you purchase a scenario pack that included overlays instead of boards?

  • Hell yeah.

    Votes: 14 82.4%
  • Meh

    Votes: 3 17.6%
  • Hell no.

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    17
  • Poll closed .

jrv

Forum Guru
Joined
May 25, 2005
Messages
21,998
Reaction score
6,206
Location
Teutoburger Wald
Country
llIceland
I don't find terrain SSRs all that problematic either. I take some removable tape, write the change with a marker, add another layer of tape on top, then put that on the terrain as a reminder. This works great for things like tracks in the desert too. But agreed it's not as elegant as an overlay or the perfect board.

JR
 

Gordon

Forum Guru
Joined
Apr 6, 2017
Messages
2,488
Reaction score
2,940
Country
llUnited States
I don't find terrain SSRs all that problematic either. I take some removable tape, write the change with a marker, add another layer of tape on top, then put that on the terrain as a reminder. This works great for things like tracks in the desert too. But agreed it's not as elegant as an overlay or the perfect board.

JR
I've done something similar using Post-It (tm) flags, especially good when the color of the flag somewhat represents the new terrain (green for open ground, yellow for wheat, blue for water).
 

BattleSchool

Elder Member
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
5,110
Reaction score
1,924
Location
Ottawa GMT -5/-4
Country
llCanada
When using a plexiglass or similar top, I find it easier to write/draw SSR terrain changes directly on the surface. (I use OHP markers that can be "erased" with isopropyl alcohol.)

This method also works well for fortifications such as roadblocks.
 
Last edited:

jrv

Forum Guru
Joined
May 25, 2005
Messages
21,998
Reaction score
6,206
Location
Teutoburger Wald
Country
llIceland
When using a plexiglass or similar top, I find it easier to write/draw SSR terrain changes directly on the surface. (I use OHP markers that gave be "erased" with isopropyl alcohol.)

This method also works well for fortifications such as roadblocks.
The only thing I would be concerned about is that the marker would rub off onto the counters as they slide over. For that reason I put a second layer of tape over the marker on the first layer of tape (I use sharpies to mark, which isn't coming off with alcohol). It may be unnecessary, but it's what I do.

JR
 

BattleSchool

Elder Member
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
5,110
Reaction score
1,924
Location
Ottawa GMT -5/-4
Country
llCanada
The only thing I would be concerned about is that the marker would rub off onto the counters as they slide over. For that reason I put a second layer of tape over the marker on the first layer of tape (I use sharpies to mark, which isn't coming off with alcohol). It may be unnecessary, but it's what I do.

JR
I agree that there is a risk of this with water-soluble markers. I haven't had a problem with the "permanent" STAEDTLER markers, but I think I might start "sealing" these annotations with removable tape as a precaution. Thanks for the tip. (No shortage of removeable tape in my ASL overlay box.)
 

Eagle4ty

Forum Guru
Joined
Nov 7, 2007
Messages
6,913
Reaction score
5,094
Location
Eau Claire, Wi
Country
llUnited States
I agree that there is a risk of this with water-soluble markers. I haven't had a problem with the "permanent" STAEDTLER markers, but I think I might start "sealing" these annotations with removable tape as a precaution. Thanks for the tip. (No shortage of removeable tape in my ASL overlay box.)
I've used permanent markers on plexi for close to 30 years and never had a problem with a rub off on counters IIRC (certainly none were so apparent that it comes to mind anyway). If it makes you believe it's a safer path to persue to put additional tape over the annotations, by all means do so as it one less thing to cause stress during a game and frees your mind for more "important" matters at hand.?
 

DWPetros

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 27, 2016
Messages
218
Reaction score
502
Country
llUnited States
Late to the table here, but here goes.

Agreed that there are current boards that could be rehabilitated with some good overlays. Think of board 14 with the large unused airfield. Easy choice - could drop in some wheat fields or woods and viola - another useful board. There are other obvious examples.

Where possible, the boards should be designed with somewhat minimal specialized (ie. airfield) terrain, and use overlays to provide those specialized bits of terrain. That seems logical.

Some overlay ideas (there are many more):

Coverups:
  • board 14 airfield
  • board 6 chateau
  • board 38 airfield
Large overlays:
  • span the Hills for boards 2, 11 and 15
  • small village for board 57
  • sunken Normandy village for board 6
  • railroad yard / station for board 1
standing ready - pencil in hand..
 

BattleSchool

Elder Member
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
5,110
Reaction score
1,924
Location
Ottawa GMT -5/-4
Country
llCanada
Late to the table here, but here goes.

Agreed that there are current boards that could be rehabilitated with some good overlays. Think of board 14 with the large unused airfield. Easy choice - could drop in some wheat fields or woods and viola - another useful board. There are other obvious examples.

Some overlay ideas (there are many more):

Coverups:
  • board 14 airfield
  • board 6 chateau
See post 2 above, or here. MMP has addressed boards 6 and 14 to some extent. Agree that board 38 could benefit from an overlay that terraforms the dirt airstrip. However, given the sheer number of boards now available to designers, I wonder if creating overlays for the old-school boards (1-52) is worth the effort.

Personally, I'd rather see new and/or more innovative overlays. For instance, how many lumberyard overlays do we have? What about tower overlays? And how about some combination overlays that include a mix of different terrain types, e.g. brush, woods, paths, and grain?
 

BattleSchool

Elder Member
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
5,110
Reaction score
1,924
Location
Ottawa GMT -5/-4
Country
llCanada
Way, way back, many centuries ago...

My very first foray into overlays created connections between 'mountain' boards 2, 15, & 50.

View attachment 11745
Looks great on VASL, but probably a bitch to line up and secure with removeable tape or blustick.

I'd prefer one or two pairs of doublewides like boards 64 and 65 instead. Now, get back to work! :)
 

footsteps

Just visiting
Joined
Oct 19, 2007
Messages
7,379
Reaction score
3,532
Location
Ontario
Country
llCanada
Looks great on VASL, but probably a bitch to line up and secure with removeable tape or blustick.

I'd prefer one or two pairs of doublewides like boards 64 and 65 instead. Now, get back to work! :)
Each board-pair of overlays are independent of each other, and unique to each board, so lining up is no less onerous than between regular boards.

Board 2
11746

Board 15
11747

Board 50
11748
 

DWPetros

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 27, 2016
Messages
218
Reaction score
502
Country
llUnited States

DWPetros

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 27, 2016
Messages
218
Reaction score
502
Country
llUnited States
See post 2 above, or here. MMP has addressed boards 6 and 14 to some extent. Agree that board 38 could benefit from an overlay that terraforms the dirt airstrip. However, given the sheer number of boards now available to designers, I wonder if creating overlays for the old-school boards (1-52) is worth the effort.

Personally, I'd rather see new and/or more innovative overlays. For instance, how many lumberyard overlays do we have? What about tower overlays? And how about some combination overlays that include a mix of different terrain types, e.g. brush, woods, paths, and grain?
I think it is worth the relatively little effort to design and produce them. Agreed that there could be some very interesting new OLays.

Maybe the problem is - guys just don't like to fuss with Olays much. ('where are they?, do I have them?, they look weird', etc.) I get it.
But I still like em.
 

footsteps

Just visiting
Joined
Oct 19, 2007
Messages
7,379
Reaction score
3,532
Location
Ontario
Country
llCanada
And because I'm trying to avoid the work I should be doing, specific overlays for the other half...

Board 2r
11752

Board 15r
11753

Board 50r
11754

With all overlays applied, the boards are still geomorphic with each other!
 

bprobst

Elder Member
Joined
Oct 31, 2003
Messages
2,532
Reaction score
1,437
Location
Melbourne, Australia
First name
Bruce
Country
llAustralia
These are great. They should be published by MMP. This is just what I'm trying to say - that large overlays like these can stretch our board mix with little downside (cost, lack of demand)
I made some overlay proposals to MMP many years ago (more conventionally shaped than the interesting proposals above) with the express purpose of getting more use out of hard-to-use boards like bd14. The response was, shall we say, politely disinterested. I think MMP's current policies of making sure older boards (and overlays) are as difficult to get hold of as possible while putting out multiple new boards a year make it clear that "rehabilitating older boards" is way down on their list of priorities.

Of course I never believed that they'd reprint and expand the DASL boards, either, so who knows? Miracles may yet occur.
 

BattleSchool

Elder Member
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
5,110
Reaction score
1,924
Location
Ottawa GMT -5/-4
Country
llCanada
Liking the saddle on board 2, although something about the road network where boards 2 and 50 join at the Q Row seems forced. Not your fault. It's due to the original roads. My brain wants to connect 2Q1 with 50T9 (and possibly convert the road in 50Q9 to a path, eliminating the road in 50Q10 at the same time).

It just occurred to me that there aren't any road overlays, overlays that could be used to alter an exisitng road or create a new one. Wonder if there is any value in having a few of those.
 
Top