Playmat Variations

[totalfailure]

I have to admit, too much, too soon helped burn me out after the first three mats already. Thus, I really would not be interested in variants, either. Winter doesn’t really make any difference besides aesthetics, and to a fair extent existing maps can be altered if you have the designer’s countersheets. I’m not even sure GEV maps would pull me back in at this point. There’s been a lot of talk of the game industry ‘treadmill’; and I think Ogre crossed over that line for me, as much as I like it. I want to see the game survive, but I think there’s been too much packed into too little space, with everything that’s been Kickstarted the last few years. Need to find a better balance; it’s not working currently for me, for the amount I get to play.

[Cat]

I expect to pretty well wrap up the first batch of neoprene scenarios I'm working on in the next month or so. (Playtest games tomorrow morning here at Huzzah Con in Maine!) The next batch of scenarios I've started sketching out will will indeed be winter scenarios in northern Canada with frozen water. However, I am not interested in investing in an extra set of duplicated winter mats.

I would be happy to have another GEV neoprene mat with maximum connectivity options to existing mats.

Very happy to see that O2 is in the works! I think that more Ogre type mats would be the most useful to get to next. I've been running games at primarily miniatures conventions this year, and got some players to pick up their own Battle Boxes and jump in with the minis. A regularly repeating conversation (including just this morning) is why is there not an O1 map available outside of 6th Edition for those of us who play with miniatures and not cardboards.

More neoprene Ogre options would help a lot. And for the love of mercy, please release on O1 pdf at the very least. Consensus in every one of the map conversations is that a Combine flavoured Battle Box with O1 included as the paper map would be the most sensible option. (None of us in these conversations have been able to fathom why O1 wasn't the map in the Pan-Euro Battle Box.)

Not so much a variant as just a re-do: for future printings of M2, adjusting the mountain areas so that ridgelines that fall primarily, or close to primarily, along hexsides are illustrated as actual Ridge Hexsides would give a lot more flexibility in creating variant rules for using the mountains. Sometime in the near future I'm likely to just take a magic markers to my M2s and add them.

[ColBosch]

Originally Posted by Cat

(None of us in these conversations have been able to fathom why O1 wasn't the map in the Pan-Euro Battle Box.)

This I can explain, as Phil or Drew explained it to me. G1 was in the Battle Box because, effectively, that product is the current edition of G.E.V., and there is no other place to get a copy of that basic map outside of expensive out-of-print products or having your own printed. The latter also assumes that you know of the SJ Games website and can find the .pdf of the map, and have access to a printer large enough.

[sparky00]

General answer: One can never have too many maps. I love maps.

Specific answer: I like maps that introduce specific challenges to solve - the orange maps have the craters & ridges, GEV maps have the varied terrain, raods, rails, etc. The existing 7 playmats offer a good variety of GEV terrain & can be assembled into quite a large field, if desired. Each of the current maps appears to stand well on its own, in terms of interesting terrain features (my M4 & 5 are shipping w/ Battlefields, & I haven't pulled the trigger on M6&7 yet, so only speculating based on photos of those).

As a result, I don't think a winter duplicate would be a priority for me if the only difference was graphical.

I would definitely be interested a winter map that presented specific challenges, such as Icepick. With snow, tundra & ice terrain types, it need not be visually boring either.

There are many types of geographies that haven't been explored yet - the first that comes to mind is a river delta, mostly streams & swamp. Unsuitable for armor, GEV's, GEV-PC's & infantry rule here. Hovertrucks could shine...

IMHO, the most appealing playmat to me thus far is M2, not just for the striking graphics, but because it is part of a complete "package" of map, scenario & associated/specialty counters. This makes it accessible to the broadest range of players, both those with multiple ODE's, as well as those who have only O6E. I believe that is the best way to maintain interest in future mat releases, past the orange mats. Nightfall would be an obvious choice for a specialty playmat or 2... and clear some of those sheets out of W23.

Full disclosure - I do like the playmats, but I like the hardboard maps better. Just a personal choice. I'm really hopeful for a Battlefields II, with S4 & G4 mapboards. A reversible Icepick/Necromancer mapboard would be an awesome stretch goal. It would introduce open water, winter & desert terrain, as well as bringing these 2 classic scenarios into the current Ogreverse.

[Brad Shantz]

I always want more maps. But, would rather have new game mechanics and scenarios for the maps. Snow doesn’t interest me....I hate snow. We have plenty of overlays, and could always use more.....bigger cities, destroyed cities...missile craters...enchanted forests....molasses swamps....lollipop woods...cupcake commons....oh, wait, that’s Candy Land.

[Brad Shantz]

I would love some different terrain...desert...lava beds....

Airfields....other objectives

[Cat]

Originally Posted by ColBosch

This I can explain, as Phil or Drew explained it to me. G1 was in the Battle Box because, effectively, that product is the current edition of G.E.V., and there is no other place to get a copy of that basic map outside of expensive out-of-print products or having your own printed. The latter also assumes that you know of the SJ Games website and can find the .pdf of the map, and have access to a printer large enough.

Ah. A very meta packaging decision, which is lost on those of us who look at it as a self-contained product for folks who want to get started with miniatures. The box contains minis for a single conventional force plus an assortment of Ogres, perfect for playing classic Ogre, yet it comes with a GEV map rather than the Ogre map.

The 6th Edition box is a rather expensive way to acquire the O1 map for gamers who just want that to use with their miniatures.

[TheAmishStig]

I'll echo Cat's sentiment about the availability of O1 [even if it's just poster paper!]...6th Edition + Reinforcements + an extra O1 = 4-player demo table, or "Mini-K"...one Ogre Mk.III per side (and if players agree to not rotate chits and confuse who owns what, a small amount of conventional troops).

As far as the playmats go...new layouts trump new color schemes. They'd be absolutely beautiful...I'm thinking M7 in the fall, or M6 in Winter and the mental image is stunning...but I don't know if I can justify $40 a pop (mat + shipping, rolled) for recolors.

What would be most useful to me right now are 'glue' mats, to be able to make stupidly-oversized play areas (for multi-faction convention games, like Salvage or Exercise K) without being stuck using one mat 2 or 3 times so the hexes line up without a mountain of overlays.

You keep making them, I'll keep buying them (within reason). 2 mats twice a year is a good rate for me for the time being, but Mk.VI / Dopp + the possibility of a Set 3 + Car Wars 6E is going to make for an expensive back half of 2019, so I also wouldn't complain if 8 and 9...or 8 and O2...are the last ones we get this year.

[Cat]

And neoprene overlays please.

[Izzy_B]

Originally Posted by Cat

The 6th Edition box is a rather expensive way to acquire the O1 map for gamers who just want that to use with their miniatures.

By my reckoning for those in the US an Ogre 6e box is almost the same price as a playmat and can frequently be found with free shipping. Plus if you don’t want the counter sheets you can sell or trade them to offset the cost.