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Dilemma concerning game board size

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Joska Paszli
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Joined: 05/25/2012

I have a dilemma which i have not solved yet. I am working an a fantasy wargame which uses hexes of 4.3-4.5 cm wide (heroscape size) from flat to flat. Normal units are flat hex tokens and characters are placed on stands. Average army has about 20 units and 6 cgaracters. The ideal mapsize is 100by70 cm. 100% i would stick to the hexes on the map as for me hexes are best way for modern wargaming.
I want to make it a kickstarter project.

Now i see the beautiful artwork of my artist making the units and such i wanted to keep the hex size of the tokens to 4 cm. I dont want to make it smaller.
A large board like battlelore is about 56 by 82 cm which feels a bit to small for all tactical movements and such.

I have a few options please discuss them with me...:

1) as a gamemap i provide with a high quality poster or which is folded in the box. advantage is low cost and small weight = low postal costs. Disadvantage looks cheap and not sturdy if not glued on something by the buyer
2) as a gamemap i stick to the battlelore size and even reduce the size of the tokens. Advantage is that i stick to the game standard of quality folded maps. Disadvantage is that the tokens and stands artwork get not into full glory.
3)or i produce the same as above but for a size of 50*70 cm and deliver 2 of these maps.
4) or i deliver durable hex stencils which buyers can use themselves to create their own hex based maps. advantage is low postal costs but i requires some work from the buyer.
5) or i deliver downloads of maps which buyers could use to make prints themselves or send to a photocopy service in their own country. Advantage is save much money (no manufacturing of map and postal costs due less weight, and smaller box since the tokens and cards themselves are relativly small).

Solution could also be to make some stretchgoals on kickstarter but what would u consider the best stretchgoal order?

And what options do u see for this mapdilemma?

chris_mancini
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Joined: 05/01/2015
I'd say do whatever will make

I'd say do whatever will make for the best game...if you feel that the artwork will suffer at a reduced scale, keep it larger. I'm sure your manufacturer can work with you to maintain a standard or desired box size containing a larger fold-out map. As this is your game board, I don't think you'll want to cut corners/costs on this!

I would absolutely NOT require the buyer to make their own hex grid maps using a stencil, nor would I require them to print anything extra.
Everything needed to play the game should come in the box.

Stretch goals could be a fabric/vinyl game mat or chipboard tiles that fit together...but the basic paper map should be quality enough to enjoy the game for years with proper care.

Soulfinger
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Joined: 01/06/2015
I'd like to see a sample of

I'd like to see a sample of the artwork before making a suggestion. There is a condition called Kennel Blindness, where dog breeders fail to see the faults in their own dogs. Game designers are prone to a similar condition, in which they fail to see the shortcomings of their own games, especially when it comes to commissioned artwork. Although beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, an objective consensus on the visual appeal of the artwork may be more helpful in answering your question.

That said, #2 and #3 are your only real options. Requiring that your customer make their own maps severely reduces your potential audience, and poster maps are indeed perceived as super cheap by everyone other than grognards and Battletech fanatics.

MattPlays
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Joined: 04/12/2015
definitely

make sure everything required is already in the box, but you could have alternate maps etc to be printed off

Joska Paszli
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Joined: 05/25/2012
Good addition, i am for

Good addition, i am for several years reinventing things in the game... i have no final version of teh tokens as we agreed with artist that when he finished 2 armies he will help to place them best on the tokens...

would u like to see a token or how the tokens would look on a battlellore sized map?

wombat929
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Joined: 04/17/2015
I will not make my own board

chris_mancini wrote:
I would absolutely NOT require the buyer to make their own hex grid maps using a stencil, nor would I require them to print anything extra.
Everything needed to play the game should come in the box.

Agreed.

Have you thought about modular sections that players put together to make the board, like in KINGDOM BUILDER?

If I were looking at a kickstarter that had anything other than an actual board or segments like the ones above, it would be a big turn-off for me. Absolutely do not ask people who are buying your game to make or print additional pieces to be able to play.

Additional maps downloadable for free is another story.

Soulfinger
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Joined: 01/06/2015
Soulfinger wrote:I'd like to

Soulfinger wrote:
I'd like to see a sample of the artwork before making a suggestion.

I want to apologize. Looking over my earlier comment, it seems more dickish than even my typical posts. It was not intended to be.

Joska Paszli wrote:
would u like to see a token or how the tokens would look on a battlellore sized map?

Probably best to see something that hasn't been scaled to get the best idea of what size would best fit and how it can be scaled. One problem I've seen with a lot of fantasy tokens, and which I've encountered myself, is with things like drawn arrows, lances, spears, etc. The temptation is to leave the artwork intact on the token, but sometimes the best solution is to crop portions off that aren't integral to the viewer's appreciation of the piece. The biggest pain I've had is when the art looks great as-is but doesn't scale properly to fit within the design layout.

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