Slopes, love 'em or hate 'em?

[Blackcloud6]

Fort's post on the slopes in his newboard thread prompted me to make this poll. It seems some folks really dislike slopes. I'm sort of one of them as I think they are a bother... but they should not be as they actually make terrain a bit more realistic. Just another rule, right?

So do you love 'em or hate 'em? Tell us why.

 

[sswann]

I would just SSR them out. I used to use them in designs, but they just caused too many questions.

 

[Honza]

I quite like them and find them quite simple to use and understand too.

 

[pward]

Hate em.

Too easy to overlook. I don't think the rules are that bad generally speaking, but not noticing the killstack/AFV has LOS to where you want to move because you missed the "eyelashes" 10 hexes away on a higher level is a real pain...

That and the logic that it gives enough height advantage to see over stuff, but not enough to block things in it's own right (except in some circumstances where it grants a TEM of sorts...). You're either above the normal level or you're not. Seems to me that the slope hexside should count at least as well as the half level obstacle to LOS it can let a unit see over.

It's like the little lines are the stilts that the units are using to see over the walls and hedges, without having the actual ground obstructing LOS...

 

[Dave Lamb]

I heard some grumbling about using them during the Hell's Bridgehead playtest, because several people had to look up the rules for clarification several times during play. I found them pretty straight forward and simple to use. I would not hesitate to use them in an HASL game.

 

[Jazz]

I heard some grumbling about using them during the Hell's Bridgehead playtest, because several people had to look up the rules for clarification several times during play. I found them pretty straight forward and simple to use. I would not hesitate to use them in an HASL game.

I think it is difficult, if not impossible to model real terrain on an ASL map without them.

I wish someone would put together some (Optional SSR type) rules about gaining certain defensive benefits (like hull-down-ish sorts of things) for being behind a slope.

 

[jrv]

I think it is difficult, if not impossible to model real terrain on an ASL map without them.

I wish someone would put together some (Optional SSR type) rules about gaining certain defensive benefits (like hull-down-ish sorts of things) for being behind a slope.

That's called a "hillock".

JR

 

[Pitman]

I don't think slopes make logical sense the way they are portrayed in the rules. Perhaps it is because the name is misleading. They seem to be depressions more than anything else.

 

[Faded 8-1]

They afford LOS over walls and hedges. How is that a depression more than anything else?

I don't mind them. The worst thing about them is that they don't appear on geo-maps, so I have to spend a few minutes re-acquainting myself with the slope rules when I play a HASL that uses them.

 

[Jeff Sewall]

Love 'em! But most of my play is VASL, where a click of the mouse takes away the counters and allows you to easily see the slope hexes. I can see that they might be a pain in FTF play.

I agree with Mark that they're poorly named.

 

[Faded 8-1]

So what name would you give them that would be more fitting?

I'm thinking that you and Mark's complaints stem from their effects on units that are downslope to multiple slope hexsides, thereby forming a bit of a 'pocket'. Not sure what you could call them that would better describe them though.

 

[Jeff Sewall]

So what name would you give them that would be more fitting?

swale?

 

[Faded 8-1]

Well, a swale would be a depression.

I don't think that really describes them either, considering they do afford LOS over half-level obstacles and block fire-lanes that run into them.

Do you really see a depression in your mind's eye when you see a slope marking? I see a small, gentle rise in the terrain.

 

[rdw5150]

Hi!

I think someone did a similar thread about a year ago and the voting at that time was about as it is now (about an equal number of people like and dislike them, and the rest are "whatever" on them).

To me, they are not worth the effort. I am fine with ASL's "step" elevation. I am getting used to them but continue to miss them on LOSs and inadvertantly move stuff into enemy LOS and get it shot. On large map, I will miss them completely.

<SHRUG>

Like I said I deal with them, but they are just not worth it (to me anyway).

peace

Roger

 

[tekay44]

Lose them, along with bocage.

 

[Blackcloud6]

So what name would you give them that would be more fitting?

"Rise."

"See them bad guys on that little rise over there? I want them taken out!"

 

[Khill]

Being one of those who do not see very well, the map art depicting slopes REALLY bothers me. Could we do something different with the way slopes are depicted? The worst (for me) is the RR map.

 

[trevpr1]

This is a horribly racist thread and should be stopped immediately!

 

[tim bunce]

Like it Trev

 

[WaterRabbit]

Used sparingly and for effect they are good. When too many are on a board they are a pain.