I prefer to take an actual aerial photo or map and try my best to recreate it.
Isn't always possible, and for Stargrunt it requires some scaling, but it can
be fun to set up something based on local terrain that someone else might
recognize. "So, my Kra'vaks advanced from the cover of the Starbucks, through
the drainage ditch, up to the corner of
the Wal-Mart. There's no way that your APC could have seen them from
behind that McDonalds!" But seriously, real life can always kick the butt of
"imagined" terrain, and has a much more realistic feel than heaps o' trees
clumped together every 12". Even if it isn't balanced in terms of cover and
concealment, the real world never is, either. Some
real-world examples --
This motel is about two minutes' drive from my house:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=99201&ll=47.751898,-117.400927&s
pn=0.002536,0.006781&t=k
There's tons of different terrain in just that little patch of ground.
Dense neighborhoods on the left with trees intermixed; low-density
commercial on the right, with some wide-open parking lots to provide
danger zones and fields of fire.
Here's my battalion's motor pools at my last duty station when in the
Army (Note the lack of tanks -- they've been in Iraq for many, many
moons now):
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=98433&t=k&ll=47.066051,-122.5891
13&spn=0.002412,0.006695&t=k
Another example of open fields of fire interspersed with hard cover (vehicles,
buildings), soft cover (trees and brush), and linear engagement areas (streets
and tank trails).
Here's my alma mater:
http://chrismilian.info/cornell.htm
Again, a good mix of cover and concealment, danger zones, avenues of approach,
and so forth.
Maybe it's my inherent laziness (okay, it's *probably* my inherent laziness!),
but I find it best just to look to the world around me when setting up terrain
on the tabletop.
HTH, Andreas
> Date: Wed, 01 Mar 2006 07:42:20 -0800
So Fort Lewis? 2-77 AR?
[quoted original message omitted]
_______________________________________________
Gzg-l mailing list
Gzg-l@lists.csua.berkeley.edu
http://lists.csua.berkeley.edu/mailman/listinfo/gzg-lOn 3/1/06, Andreas
> Udby <javelin98@lycos.com> wrote:
I have done this exact same thing with several Dirtside games I've run in the
past few years. But in addition to aerial photos, I went and took my own
photos of places I was vacationing then tried to get terrain pieces to match.
Taking one's own photos helps pick out terrain features that might not be
evident from aerial or satellite images.
Of course it helps to get to high ground in these cases, and not have
intervening terrain features. :-)
> Maybe it's my inherent laziness (okay, it's *probably* my inherent
No, it's not your inherent laziness. It's actually more difficult to lay out
terrain based on real world locations than it is to randomly plop down pieces
on the board and call it 'good'. Also, doing the real world emmulations helps
one avoid the table from looking like a copy of a WH40K
game. ;-)
Mk
From: Indy <indy.kochte@gmail.com>
> pieces on the board and call it 'good'. Also, doing the real world
Or Flames of War...
--
Damo
--NextPart_Webmail_9m3u9jl4l_10233_1141244987_1
Content-Type: multipart/alternative;
boundary="----=_Part_5103_14750143.1141244246002"
------=_Part_5103_14750143.1141244246002
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Content-Disposition: inline
> On 3/1/06, Andreas Udby <javelin98@lycos.com> wrote:
I have done this exact same thing with several Dirtside games I've run in the
past few years. But in addition to aerial photos, I went and took my own
photos of places I was vacationing then tried to get terrain pieces to match.
Taking one's own photos helps pick out terrain features that might not be
evident from aerial or satellite images.
Of course it helps to get to high ground in these cases, and not have
intervening terrain features. :-)
> Maybe it's my inherent laziness (okay, it's *probably* my inherent
No, it's not your inherent laziness. It's actually more difficult to lay out
terrain based on real world locations than it is to randomly plop down pieces
on the board and call it 'good'. Also, doing the real world emmulations helps
one avoid the table from looking like a copy of a WH40K
game. ;-)
Mk
------=_Part_5103_14750143.1141244246002
Content-Type: text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Content-Disposition: inline
<br><br><div><span class=3D"gmail_quote">On 3/1/06, <b
class=3D"gmail_sende=
rname">Andreas Udby</b> <<a
href=3D"mailto:javelin98@lycos.com">javelin9=
8@lycos.com</a>> wrote:</span><blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote"
style=3D=
"border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex;
padd=
ing-left: 1ex;">
I prefer to take an actual aerial photo or map and try my best to recreate
it. Isn't always possible, and for Stargrunt it requires some
scaling, but it can be fun to set up something based on local terrain that
someone else might
recognize. </blockquote><div><br>
I have done this exact same thing with several Dirtside games I've run in the
past few years. But in addition to aerial photos, I went and took my own
photos of places I was vacationing then tried to get terrain pieces to match.
Taking one's own photos helps pick out terrain features that might not be
evident from aerial or satellite images.<br>
<br>
Of course it helps to get to high ground in these cases, and not have inter=
vening terrain features. :-)<br>
</div><br><blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote" style=3D"border-left: 1px
solid=
rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left:
1ex;"><br>May=
be it's my inherent laziness (okay, it's *probably* my inherent laziness!),
but I find it best just to look to the world around me when
setting up terrain on the tabletop.</blockquote><div><br>
No, it's not your inherent laziness. It's actually more difficult to lay out
terrain based on real world locations than it is to randomly plop down pieces
on the board and call it 'good'. Also, doing the real world emmulations helps
one avoid the table from looking like a copy of
a WH40K game. ;-)<br>
<br>
Mk<br>
</div><br></div><br>
------=_Part_5103_14750143.1141244246002--
--NextPart_Webmail_9m3u9jl4l_10233_1141244987_1
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Content-Disposition: inline
_______________________________________________
Gzg-l mailing list
Gzg-l@lists.csua.berkeley.edu
http://lists.csua.berkeley.edu/mailman/listinfo/gzg-lOn 3/1/06,
> damosan@comcast.net <damosan@comcast.net> wrote:
I try to address the same in FoW. ;-) Guys whom I've played against who
are more interested in historical battles tend to prefer that way. The
munchkins
who are doing wannabe 40K WWII-substitution stick with the 40K terrain
set up flavoring.
Mk
> Indy wrote:
> On 3/1/06, *Andreas Udby* <javelin98@lycos.com
> in the past few years. But in addition to aerial photos, I went and
> world emmulations helps one avoid the table from looking like a copy
Wow, just like in my other hobby (waterfowl hunting), my geography degree
comes in handy again. It seems I'm destined to work maps into every hobby I
have.
_______________________________________________
Gzg-l mailing list
Gzg-l@lists.csua.berkeley.edu
http://lists.csua.berkeley.edu/mailman/listinfo/gzg-l
> On Mar 1, 2006, at 11:29 AM, Andreas Udby wrote:
Hum, I'll be in that neighborhood sometime soon..... Have a pending funeral
down in Pullman here before long. Long story, but it will draw me north.
Evyn infojunky@ceecom.net
A map is a surrogate of space.
-Robinson, A.