Map Art Poll

[Poor Yorek]

I also voted for FoF, with ER a close second... can't vote for Saipan or Kursk as I don't have them in hand, similarly for Pusan.

And the vote doesn't have Airborne. I actually like that map a lot!

Airborne was an oversight I suppose: I just chose boxed games with multiple boards.

Regarding the others, I determined to allow folks to choose based on APL's published images. When I raised the idea of the poll to Shad, I did mention the option of delaying until those "Fourth Age" maps were released, but the topic was timely given another thread so ...

[vince hughes]

PY,

I voted FoF and they just pipped ER to the post. I like the ER maps a lot but they lost out to FoF for one reason. There are some parts on them where light woods and normal woods meet and it is a little difficult to tell which is which. I'll check the hexes tonight and tell you them. Perhaps they are fine in full lighting, but under some of the light I played I had to get my mush close in to the play board to check.

[Poor Yorek]

PY,

I voted FoF and they just pipped ER to the post. I like the ER maps a lot but they lost out to FoF for one reason. There are some parts on them where light woods and normal woods meet and it is a little difficult to tell which is which. I'll check the hexes tonight and tell you them. Perhaps they are fine in full lighting, but under some of the light I played I had to get my mush close in to the play board to check.

Vince,

I probably should have clarified or made explicit when posting this poll that I was more interested in the artwork/playability balance as such rather than those notorious "do two trees a woods hex make." I know ER has a few of those (I've used these boards extensively playing WS) and BoB is rife with them (roads on spines much less woods vagary). Anyway, what I meant was were the style to be executed unambiguously, which game map style is most conducive to play.

PY

[JayTownsend]

Yeah Dean, its hard to vote when you don't own all the items on the poll. Personally I like the maps on Saipan the best and its not because I designed the game but I really like the ocean and jungle terrain types. I haven't seem the real Pusan maps yet either. I think the maps on 1967 are pretty nice as well.

[waynebaumber]

I went for the desert maps as they are easy to play on and the use of counters to change from hills to wadis etc is a good idea.
I like the FoF maps for play as the best balance between artwork and playabitlity.
Cassino are the best maps for historical terrain and are stunning to look at.
Worst maps Liberation.

But like all thing beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

[tlangston28]

I had to go with Elsenborn Ridge as my vote, though FoF comes in a close second. Setting aside the vagueness of several hexes on these boards, I like ER as the "summer" maps are not too dark and I really like the orthogonal perspective of the towns (the same goes for FoF and the remaining Guy Reissen maps). The "winter" maps, though hard to determine elevation lines and forest borders are also clean and put me in the proper mind frame for battles on these boards.

Other thoughts:
Cassino - best of the historical maps.
AK/DR - I think these are easy boards to play on, though they could have used a different color scheme.
EF/RtB - Very clean maps, would be the favorite if the artwork were brought up to ER level.

I don't have the newer games so can't comment on those.

[Shad]

Worst maps Liberation.

Maybe a worst maps poll would be more fun? I can only assume that Wayne:

a) has never played Beyond Normandy or...

b) is such a homer that he can't admit the maps are shit

[campsawyer]

Worst maps Liberation.

Maybe a worst maps poll would be more fun? I can only assume that Wayne:

a) has never played Beyond Normandy or...

b) is such a homer that he can't admit the maps are shit

I would have to backup Wayne's claim on Liberation maps being bad. Once again they printed too dark and the shadows block the terrain. BN are just a weird design, glad they did not make any more.

Funny thing is, that Horn of Africa has beautiful maps also made by Guy Reissen. I believe they are some of the best I have seem from APL. I cannot see why they cannot get the brightness right on the PG stuff lately.

[Hugmenot]

Ugliest? Beyond Normandy.

I like the art of the Liberation maps but as I wrote elsewhere, I find them too dark when put under plexi. They play just fine though if I don't put them under plexi.

The Kokoda Trail maps look great but I find it difficult to assess the primary terrain.

[Dean_P]

While I agree that the BN maps are ugly, I also don't like the EFD/RtB maps (from an asthetic viewpoint). The yellow is just a miss for me. And while AK/DR maps are functional, they do nothing to make me want the game.

If the poll rates how the map affects the desire to purchase a game, then Pusan and Saipan are rating high. AK/DR, EFD/RtB and BN rating low. Kursk is better than average (much better than EFD/RtB, in my opinion)