Steve Jackson Games Forums - Triplanetary-Style Map?

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Re: Triplanetary-Style Map?

I've been making some maps and producing them on actual game boards that have been working well for us. Most are arenas or rooms.

Re: Triplanetary-Style Map?

Quote:

Originally Posted by philreed (Post 2305920)

Have you tried using the dry-erase megahex tiles that are included in the Legacy Edition box?

Yes I have, and that's kind of the issue I had. They are a bit fiddly to be setting up on the go while my players are waiting. That's why I thought a big triplanetary-style map with megahexes on it would be cool.

Just a thought. Love the game.

Re: Triplanetary-Style Map?

Quote:

Originally Posted by PeteC (Post 2306086)

My personal preference is to not put everything out at once. Reveal bits at a time as they explore, which makes it easier to pull out two or three tiles at a time and place them to extend the playscape.

Re: Triplanetary-Style Map?

Yes; that is what I was getting at in my post above. I will add though that it is very helpful to plan ahead by pulling any MH tiles that have terrain or other features printed on them, so you don't have to hunt and peck through the box to find them.

Re: Triplanetary-Style Map?

The megahex tiles are wonderful. The only advantage a big dry-erase mat has over them is that it is more stable. I wish there were someway to make the megahex tiles less prone to shifting on the table. The rubber playmats are superb in that respect, but they are not tiles and they are not dry-erase. I think I'd be happy giving up the dry-erase capabilities of the megahex tiles if that's what it took to make them non-skid.

Re: Triplanetary-Style Map?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shostak (Post 2306122)

I wish there were someway to make the megahex tiles less prone to shifting on the table.

If you're not using a tablecloth, tiny bits of poster tack do the job. Just be sure to clean the stuff off of the tiles at the end of each game session.

Re: Triplanetary-Style Map?

Good idea. Thanks for the tip, Phil!

Re: Triplanetary-Style Map?

Quote:

Originally Posted by larsdangly (Post 2305966)

And there is one respect in which the tiles are actually better than DF-style set ups: you can lay them out piece by piece, gradually revealing (and re-concealing) only those things that can be seen by the players as they move through a labyrinth. [snip] When the players move I simply lay down the new tiles that correspond to what they can now see and remove those that correspond to spaces they can no longer see. This approach introduces a level of mystery and spookiness when they hear or smell something that is out of range of their vision!

A thousand times, yes. At least that's how I do it. The big map or play mat showing too much at once is a spoiler, compromising the players' sense of mystery.

The tiles don't have to be MH though, nor do they have to be squares instead of hexes at the combat scale like DF and others, although it's dang near impossible to find rectilinear tiles with hexes printed on them. I know because I searched high and low before publishing my own tile kit, and found only one set (and those were non-uniform pieces which doesn't really help much when planning your map).

Re: Triplanetary-Style Map?

Getting ITL hex grids, particularly those based on labyrinth scale megahexes, to merge seamlessly with rectilinear spaces is notoriously difficult. The only approach that seems to work is to create your map without any kind of grid and then drop it on top of a clear hex grid. But my favorite approach these days is to simply surrender to the MH system, and do your best within that design to create visually appealing spaces. The roll-up rubber mats are a nice example of this approach.

Re: Triplanetary-Style Map?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve Plambeck (Post 2306374)

The tiles don't have to be MH though, nor do they have to be squares instead of hexes at the combat scale like DF and others, although it's dang near impossible to find rectilinear tiles with hexes printed on them. I know because I searched high and low before publishing my own tile kit, and found only one set (and those were non-uniform pieces which doesn't really help much when planning your map).

Steve's solution is superb, BTW. His tiles are definitely worth taking a look at.