Geoboards - ideas wanted

jrv

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Artistic license since rubble fills the entire hex anyway?
The point of filling the hex is so that players realize the terrain fills the hex and to make the terrain very apparent. If units are on top of the mound in the center, a player may not realize that the hex is actually rubble. It happens all the time with non-inherent terrain. I don't see any benefit to increasing the cases where that happens. Why be coy? Fill the hex with your nice artwork.

JR
 

Gordon

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The point of filling the hex is so that players realize the terrain fills the hex and to make the terrain very apparent. If units are on top of the mound in the center, a player may not realize that the hex is actually rubble. It happens all the time with non-inherent terrain. I don't see any benefit to increasing the cases where that happens. Why be coy? Fill the hex with your nice artwork.

JR
I don't know. I think if all inherent terrain completed filled its hex the boards would lose a lot of their visual appeal. I know back when I was locked away in the VASL Map gulag we struggled with how best to represent ETO woods to PTO jungle. If you filled the hex entirely with the woods pattern it looked really bad.
 

jrv

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I don't know. I think if all inherent terrain completed filled its hex the boards would lose a lot of their visual appeal. I know back when I was locked away in the VASL Map gulag we struggled with how best to represent ETO woods to PTO jungle. If you filled the hex entirely with the woods pattern it looked really bad.
My Suicide Creek looks pretty good. My Edson's Ridge looks pretty good. If you want to leave a fleck here or there with inherent terrain as they both do, no problem. If you make rubble look like a small mound around the hex center, then I have to study the hex to figure out what terrain it is. In my mind the best map depiction first describes the play of the terrain that is represented and only as a secondary consideration looks nice. I am a player, not a collecter. I don't see these two conflicting in this case if the artwork extended to the hex edge. It would still look nice, but it would also imply how the terrain should be played. But do with it what you will.

JR
 

von Marwitz

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I don't know. I think if all inherent terrain completed filled its hex the boards would lose a lot of their visual appeal. I know back when I was locked away in the VASL Map gulag we struggled with how best to represent ETO woods to PTO jungle. If you filled the hex entirely with the woods pattern it looked really bad.
Well, some feedback here: The solution you came up with for Jungle in VASL is excellent!

von Marwitz
 

Tuomo

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When I draw inherent terrain (Rubble, Debris, Scrub, Hammada, etc.), I always worry about little bits sticking over the hexside. I know somebody's gonna have a LOS that crosses some of that artwork outside the original hex, and there's gonna be a regrettable debate.

At that point I usually think, "Well somebody's gonna learn something about what a jerk their opponent is". Sometimes I fix the artwork, sometimes I don't.

Reading that, I guess I'd better be more disciplined about it, because who needs the map presenting issues? I'm not talking about huge discrepancies here, but things on the order of 1/3 of a Debris plank, one brush of Scrub, one piece of Rubble. The way I've got my Brushes set up to scatter these pieces of artwork around the hex, sometimes the scatter goes over the hexside. I could set up a clipping mask for each hex to ensure nothing strays over the edge, but it might look pretty artificial. Hmm.

Anyway.
 

von Marwitz

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For some reason, city boards don't have any particular appeal to me. I don't feel that any number of these do not play very differently beyond certain limits.

The only issue there is IMHO is that you might have memorized the best path to approach certain buildings from a certain direction if a board has been played many times. But there are enough city boards around that this is not really an issue except for very prolific players.

I believe time and precious 'board space' in newly published products is better spent to give us what we are yet lacking rather than to give us more of what we aready have.

von Marwitz
 

DWPetros

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For some reason, city boards don't have any particular appeal to me. I don't feel that any number of these do not play very differently beyond certain limits. The only issue there is IMHO is that you might have memorized the best path to approach certain buildings from a certain direction if a board has been played many times. But there are enough city boards around that this is not really an issue except for very prolific players. I believe time and precious 'board space' in newly published products is better spent to give us what we are yet lacking rather than to give us more of what we aready have. von Marwitz
I think there are various and not-yet-covered city scapes that we would benefit from. The current mix has either been overused (esp. B1), some used a lot (B20-23, B45), and some not used much at all (B51). Given that ASL games are largely about 'taking the ground' - cities and buildings provide that objective.
I'm from the school of 'more goeboards are better' because:
  • we have all the Rules we need
  • we have all the Counters we need
  • the only other component type that remains renewable in terms of 'hey, new stuff!' - are mapboards which stimulates scenario design, sales, and general continued interest
I don't agree that we've reached the end of anything, that time or space is precious. We have all the time in the world to do more with ASL.

What board types do you think are lacking? I'd be glad to give them a whirl :)
 

von Marwitz

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Here's the VASL version of Don's RR board above. If anybody wants it for playtest purposes, just ask. (Steve, I'll get it to you since you asked upstream). But let Don know too, please.

View attachment 7635
Just a thought for the hive-mind to comment on:

Would you think it would make sense to define the RR hexes in the station area as hillocks due to the platforms?

von Marwitz
 

Gordon

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Out of interest: What kind of picture is this?

von Marwitz
It is a picture of a burning railroad trestle bridge with rail cars on it. I believe it ultimately collapsed.

Not from the American Civil War, but see this article:


But apparently the Union's U.S. Military Railroads would give the Seabees a run for their money.
 
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