Broken Ground Design Thread

[Barking Monkey]

As one project nears completion....

View attachment 31111

Ugh. Why can't we ever have a decent looking Stalingrad map? Ever since Avalon Hill made the bizarre and unfortunate decision to put Red Barricades on Volga Planitia on Mars we've been stuck with some version of horrible, inexplicably-salmon colored Stalingrads. I actively shunned Red Barricades for DECADES b/c the map was such an eyesore. Finally they toned it down just enough for Red Factories that I could hold my nose and buy it. They remain the worst maps in my ASL collection, it's fortunate the Stalingrad modules are otherwise so good or I'd never play them. It's not like they can't make a rationally colored, attractive urban map, just look at Festung Budapest. If MMP ever reissued just the Stalingrad module maps with the colors corrected I'd rebuy every one of them.

 

[Actionjick]

Ugh. Why can't we ever have a decent looking Stalingrad map? Ever since Avalon Hill made the bizarre and unfortunate decision to put Red Barricades on Volga Planitia on Mars we've been stuck with some version of horrible, inexplicably-salmon colored Stalingrads. I actively shunned Red Barricades for DECADES b/c the map was such an eyesore. Finally they toned it down just enough for Red Factories that I could hold my nose and buy it. They remain the worst maps in my ASL collection, it's fortunate the Stalingrad modules are otherwise so good or I'd never play them. It's not like they can't make a rationally colored, attractive urban map, just look at Festung Budapest. If MMP ever reissued just the Stalingrad module maps with the colors corrected I'd rebuy every one of them.

Lol have you ever seen the Rogue boards? There was a thread recently about them.

 

[BattleSchool]

Ugh. Why can't we ever have a decent looking Stalingrad map? Ever since Avalon Hill made the bizarre and unfortunate decision to put Red Barricades on Volga Planitia on Mars we've been stuck with some version of horrible, inexplicably-salmon colored Stalingrads. I actively shunned Red Barricades for DECADES b/c the map was such an eyesore. Finally they toned it down just enough for Red Factories that I could hold my nose and buy it. They remain the worst maps in my ASL collection, it's fortunate the Stalingrad modules are otherwise so good or I'd never play them. It's not like they can't make a rationally colored, attractive urban map, just look at Festung Budapest. If MMP ever reissued just the Stalingrad module maps with the colors corrected I'd rebuy every one of them.

Me thinks you're barking up the wrong tree.

I don't pretend to speak for Alan, but I think his map is intended to meld with existing Stalingrad maps. Perhaps a better ask would be whether Alan could repaint all Stalingrad maps in something less fishy.

 

[von Marwitz]

Ugh. Why can't we ever have a decent looking Stalingrad map? Ever since Avalon Hill made the bizarre and unfortunate decision to put Red Barricades on Volga Planitia on Mars we've been stuck with some version of horrible, inexplicably-salmon colored Stalingrads. I actively shunned Red Barricades for DECADES b/c the map was such an eyesore. Finally they toned it down just enough for Red Factories that I could hold my nose and buy it. They remain the worst maps in my ASL collection, it's fortunate the Stalingrad modules are otherwise so good or I'd never play them. It's not like they can't make a rationally colored, attractive urban map, just look at Festung Budapest. If MMP ever reissued just the Stalingrad module maps with the colors corrected I'd rebuy every one of them.

If you really want to play Stalingrad and only the colors are turning you off:

How about this?

• Go to a copy shop and have the maps scanned.
• Load the scan-files into some picture-editing software at home.
• Switch "bizarre salmon" to " real Stalingrad mud color".
• Have the edited files printed at the copy shop.

These days, I don't think that printing of two large color mapsheets in a copy shop is very expensive.

von Marwitz

 

[Vinnie]

If you really want to play Stalingrad and only the colors are turning you off:

How about this?

• Go to a copy shop and have the maps scanned.
• Load the scan-files into some picture-editing software at home.
• Switch "bizarre salmon" to " real Stalingrad mud color".
• Have the edited files printed at the copy shop.

These days, I don't think that printing of two large color mapsheets in a copy shop is very expensive.

von Marwitz

I got the Dinant maps printed at Costco on glossy heavy paper, A2 or A1 for £20 when it was in play test.

 

[Actionjick]

If you really want to play Stalingrad and only the colors are turning you off:

How about this?

• Go to a copy shop and have the maps scanned.
• Load the scan-files into some picture-editing software at home.
• Switch "bizarre salmon" to " real Stalingrad mud color".
• Have the edited files printed at the copy shop.

These days, I don't think that printing of two large color mapsheets in a copy shop is very expensive.

von Marwitz

I wonder if a sheet of lightly tinted plexiglass would work as well.

 

[von Marwitz]

I wonder if a sheet of lightly tinted plexiglass would work as well.

The drawback of this approach is that it would affect all (other) artwork as well.
Furthermore, I don't know if plexiglass is readily available with "custom" tints.
My best bet is that the scan/exchange color/print variant might be easier and cheaper.

von Marwitz

 

[Gordon]

Get Ray on the horn, I'm sure he could have something whipped up by the weekend.

 

[footsteps]

Ugh. Why can't we ever have a decent looking Stalingrad map? Ever since Avalon Hill made the bizarre and unfortunate decision to put Red Barricades on Volga Planitia on Mars we've been stuck with some version of horrible, inexplicably-salmon colored Stalingrads. I actively shunned Red Barricades for DECADES b/c the map was such an eyesore. Finally they toned it down just enough for Red Factories that I could hold my nose and buy it. They remain the worst maps in my ASL collection, it's fortunate the Stalingrad modules are otherwise so good or I'd never play them. It's not like they can't make a rationally colored, attractive urban map, just look at Festung Budapest. If MMP ever reissued just the Stalingrad module maps with the colors corrected I'd rebuy every one of them.

Well, that's a first. I never expected my work to be criticized because of decisions AH/MMP made.

 

[von Marwitz]

I wonder if a sheet of lightly tinted plexiglass would work as well.

The drawback of this approach is that it would affect all (other) artwork as well.
Furthermore, I don't know if plexiglass is readily available with "custom" tints.
My best bet is that the scan/exchange color/print variant might be easier and cheaper.

von Marwitz

 

[Actionjick]

The drawback of this approach is that it would affect all (other) artwork as well.
Furthermore, I don't know if plexiglass is readily available with "custom" tints.
My best bet is that the scan/exchange color/print variant might be easier and cheaper.

von Marwitz

Personally I don't have an issue with the colors of the RB map. One is hanging on my bedroom wall. The cats haven't mentioned that it bothers the either.

But then again we used the original Rogue boards so that may have desensitized me.

 

[Gordon]

Ugh. Why can't we ever have a decent looking Stalingrad map? Ever since Avalon Hill made the bizarre and unfortunate decision to put Red Barricades on Volga Planitia on Mars we've been stuck with some version of horrible, inexplicably-salmon colored Stalingrads. I actively shunned Red Barricades for DECADES b/c the map was such an eyesore. Finally they toned it down just enough for Red Factories that I could hold my nose and buy it. They remain the worst maps in my ASL collection, it's fortunate the Stalingrad modules are otherwise so good or I'd never play them. It's not like they can't make a rationally colored, attractive urban map, just look at Festung Budapest. If MMP ever reissued just the Stalingrad module maps with the colors corrected I'd rebuy every one of them.

Don't think of it as "salmon-colored" think of it as stained with the blood of all those souls lost there.

 

[clubby]

Well, that's a first. I never expected my work to be criticized because of decisions AH/MMP made.

I think the criticism was extended more toward AH/MMP and their original color choices. Nobody can fault you for making a map that matches the original. A lot of people don't share that opinion of the original RB map, so take that with a grain of salt.

 

[pensatl1962]

Alan’s map is very nice work. But I would agree that the original color palette choice for RB was beyond putrid.

 

[Gordon]

"Beyond Putrid" is going to be the name of my next band.

 

[clubby]

"Beyond Putrid" is going to be the name of my next band.

What's the name of your current band?

 

[Gordon]

"Salmon-colored Open Ground." It doesn't seem to be a hit with the kids these days. "Beyond Putrid" will probably work better.

 

[footsteps]

"Beyond Putrid" is going to be the name of my next band.

I might use that as inspiration for my next geoboard design.

 

[pensatl1962]

Board id = BP
Or

 

[Barking Monkey]

Lol have you ever seen the Rogue boards? There was a thread recently about them.

I'm actually not sure. I have a board 11 I bought at a local shop decades ago that's decidedly dodgy - the features are all in the same places as my 'proper' board 11 but there are tiny differences in the shapes of woods & fields - they are a lot more 'blobby' than on a regular board, and all the colors are slightly off. It's missing the boxy ASL logo in the corner as well. I was never sure if it was a pirated copy or what. I thought the deal with the rogue boards was they were supposed to be left/right flipped? (Mine isn't.)
Regardless, it's much less ugly and surreal than the Stalingrad boards.