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GenCon 2025 Map Contest - Congrats to Halushia's Grove & Iced Cider!
- Thread starter MegaSilver
- Start date
Fast commentary:
Aegis:
Solid jungle map. To make a minor nitpick, not quite sure what that level 1 rock is doing to the right of either start zone at the map edge. I feel like that space will never get used. The pair of swamp water tiles by the start zone are 6 spaces from the swamp water adjacent to the glyph instead of 5, poor drudge/water elemental. But there's some nice Drudge tunneling points elsewhere, not that they're allowed in Renegade's format lol.
Halushia's Grove:
As a point of personal preference, I prefer when glyphs can be hit from height from melee, (especially when you're also giving the glyph space the Jungle ranged defense buff), otherwise, I really like the map drawing the player toward the center.
Taiga: Snowy trees are pretty. It's just nice too look at. The only bland part is the two large 24-hex (well, 20-hex exposed) grass plains, which is mitigated by half of that being the start zone. I like it.
A Country Mile: The split start zones is a neat idea, the map overall is kind of a sensory overload. Not sure if many Renegade 2-hex figures can find places to stand here, but it does look fun to play.
Kinsland Spring: I appreciate what you achieved with LoV, WoV, and jungle. It's hard to stand out against the rest of the field here when pine trees, laur walls, and rock outcrops are also in play for visual appeal. No real complaints from me.
Haukeland Isle Skipping; Too many big water areas.
Oasis No more: Similar to Kinsland in some respects, but the jungle gets to be more dense thanks to 2x Wellspring bringing mroe trees. I like what you've done withthe limit parts, I just wish that those 3 dangling hexes of the start zones could be placed a bit differently, but that's a limit of the 24-hex we have.
Iced Cider: I like it.
Volcan Shards: Nice mirror symetry. It looks like the LoS blockers generally protect the start zones from the middle, neat.
Tuff Tropics: Mine. I like what i accomplished here, but wish I could have had the start zones be grass with the central area being rock/sand. Curse you parts limits! @caps you said you don't hate it but don't like. Without any particular point of complain, I consider that high praise. Give it a go sometime!
Nimhe: Four different high points, I like it generally. It certainly looks like a water synergy playground, (which for Renegadescape I think just means Ewashia right now). But Drudge, Water Elemental, Microcorps, Vipers, would have a field day here, and that's fun.
Sunny Villa: The two glyphs are too close to one another. I've commented a bit on your personal map thread too. Movement through the middle with most Renegade 2-hexers seems quite difficult too (which is supposed to be a limitation, but only to a point).
Convection: Same parts used as my Tuff Tropics, I appreciate teh different execution here. The central sand being a safe zone is a neat idea compared with mine having the central being all lava field. I like it.
Vapor: Snow/Ice/Lava Mix, I like the VS render at least. Aside from the lack of Laur walls, it certainly has a similar design philosphy to your Convection. I like it too.
Ruins at Barrenspur Foothills: The rivers make it not good for competitions, and the LoS pieces feel too clumped toward the middle.
Bunkered: Range seems heavily punished, the middle, and the middle feels rough to navigate. Also the glyph has jungle protecting from range it without melee being able to hit it from height, which I already complained about in Halushia's Grove.
Cavern of Wonders: 10/10 perfection
But really, I think I did really well here making a crazy overhang map as nearly competetive as possible, just enough height for most units to explore the cave, etc. Really, as long as a Wannok glyph is on top to prevent the final units of one army from hiding in the cave from a big figure, I think it would be fine.
Hedge Maze: Too tight for 2-space figures to fit anywhere. Just filling some water might help.
Rhombus: It wins for simplicity. Again, very few spaces for 2-hexes to fit in the central area, and looks a bit boring visually, but that's due to your choice of set. The world needs more 1x AoA comp maps.
Liquefy: Pretty with mirror symmetry. Glyphs are close to the action, which could be neat. I like it.
Vitrify: Weaker than Liquify imo, all the molten lava seems quite excessive, and the lack of cover is rough.
Charmed Ridge: Nice and big, but major choke points due to the ruins and water.
Alone: Doesn't overdo it with the lava. Neat. It's a limitation of the set, but the single rock hex being the same level as the 3-hex lava filed part is an odd choice to me as a small safe zone.
Voices: Visually appealing for sure with the snow trees. Maybe.
Forgotten Thaw: Fully uses the AoA Laur ruins, credit there. Not sure what's up with the central spot being a start zone. I'd drop treasure glyphs near there and move the start zone back.
1000 Frozen souls: Level isn't high enough to fit a bunch of major AoA characters, but I appreciate the attempt at an overhang map. I'd play it in a side event.
Ruins fo Silaria: That's a lot of snow. Chilly. Too wide from glyph to glyph, and uneven glyph distance from each start zone (12 v. )
Lost Alloy: Simple lava field map. Others have said it, but lava start zone? I need to pass.
Hidden: Straightforward, three lanes to choose, I like it.
Resonance: Too tight in the middle for a bunch of 2-hexers. It might just need the walls paced out a bit.
Sandbar Skirmish. 10/10 visually. But too much water for a comp map outside of a niche format where each army is granted a few Oceanstrider Amulets or somesuch.
Quandary: Small format is neat. Nearly mirror symmetry too. I think I like it. But why not swap the off-center tree with the on-center bush for closer symmetry?
Caldera Swamp: The edge glyphs are not equidistant from each startin zone, that high sand adjacent to the starting zone is odd, also the 2-hex rock being higher than most of the lava. I think it needs work.
Healing Roots: Glyph looks slightly uneven from either start zone, or maybe I'm counting wrong. No real complaints beyond that, but I'd need to study it more. Given the name it implies you want it played with Wellspring Water? Interesting.
Brimstone: Just feels big and flat, the asymmetric choice is interesting. Like Roots, I need to study it more.
Aegis:
Solid jungle map. To make a minor nitpick, not quite sure what that level 1 rock is doing to the right of either start zone at the map edge. I feel like that space will never get used. The pair of swamp water tiles by the start zone are 6 spaces from the swamp water adjacent to the glyph instead of 5, poor drudge/water elemental. But there's some nice Drudge tunneling points elsewhere, not that they're allowed in Renegade's format lol.
Halushia's Grove:
As a point of personal preference, I prefer when glyphs can be hit from height from melee, (especially when you're also giving the glyph space the Jungle ranged defense buff), otherwise, I really like the map drawing the player toward the center.
Taiga: Snowy trees are pretty. It's just nice too look at. The only bland part is the two large 24-hex (well, 20-hex exposed) grass plains, which is mitigated by half of that being the start zone. I like it.
A Country Mile: The split start zones is a neat idea, the map overall is kind of a sensory overload. Not sure if many Renegade 2-hex figures can find places to stand here, but it does look fun to play.
Kinsland Spring: I appreciate what you achieved with LoV, WoV, and jungle. It's hard to stand out against the rest of the field here when pine trees, laur walls, and rock outcrops are also in play for visual appeal. No real complaints from me.
Haukeland Isle Skipping; Too many big water areas.
Oasis No more: Similar to Kinsland in some respects, but the jungle gets to be more dense thanks to 2x Wellspring bringing mroe trees. I like what you've done withthe limit parts, I just wish that those 3 dangling hexes of the start zones could be placed a bit differently, but that's a limit of the 24-hex we have.
Iced Cider: I like it.
Volcan Shards: Nice mirror symetry. It looks like the LoS blockers generally protect the start zones from the middle, neat.
Tuff Tropics: Mine. I like what i accomplished here, but wish I could have had the start zones be grass with the central area being rock/sand. Curse you parts limits! @caps you said you don't hate it but don't like. Without any particular point of complain, I consider that high praise. Give it a go sometime!
Nimhe: Four different high points, I like it generally. It certainly looks like a water synergy playground, (which for Renegadescape I think just means Ewashia right now). But Drudge, Water Elemental, Microcorps, Vipers, would have a field day here, and that's fun.
Sunny Villa: The two glyphs are too close to one another. I've commented a bit on your personal map thread too. Movement through the middle with most Renegade 2-hexers seems quite difficult too (which is supposed to be a limitation, but only to a point).
Convection: Same parts used as my Tuff Tropics, I appreciate teh different execution here. The central sand being a safe zone is a neat idea compared with mine having the central being all lava field. I like it.
Vapor: Snow/Ice/Lava Mix, I like the VS render at least. Aside from the lack of Laur walls, it certainly has a similar design philosphy to your Convection. I like it too.
Ruins at Barrenspur Foothills: The rivers make it not good for competitions, and the LoS pieces feel too clumped toward the middle.
Bunkered: Range seems heavily punished, the middle, and the middle feels rough to navigate. Also the glyph has jungle protecting from range it without melee being able to hit it from height, which I already complained about in Halushia's Grove.
Cavern of Wonders: 10/10 perfection
But really, I think I did really well here making a crazy overhang map as nearly competetive as possible, just enough height for most units to explore the cave, etc. Really, as long as a Wannok glyph is on top to prevent the final units of one army from hiding in the cave from a big figure, I think it would be fine.Hedge Maze: Too tight for 2-space figures to fit anywhere. Just filling some water might help.
Rhombus: It wins for simplicity. Again, very few spaces for 2-hexes to fit in the central area, and looks a bit boring visually, but that's due to your choice of set. The world needs more 1x AoA comp maps.
Liquefy: Pretty with mirror symmetry. Glyphs are close to the action, which could be neat. I like it.
Vitrify: Weaker than Liquify imo, all the molten lava seems quite excessive, and the lack of cover is rough.
Charmed Ridge: Nice and big, but major choke points due to the ruins and water.
Alone: Doesn't overdo it with the lava. Neat. It's a limitation of the set, but the single rock hex being the same level as the 3-hex lava filed part is an odd choice to me as a small safe zone.
Voices: Visually appealing for sure with the snow trees. Maybe.
Forgotten Thaw: Fully uses the AoA Laur ruins, credit there. Not sure what's up with the central spot being a start zone. I'd drop treasure glyphs near there and move the start zone back.
1000 Frozen souls: Level isn't high enough to fit a bunch of major AoA characters, but I appreciate the attempt at an overhang map. I'd play it in a side event.
Ruins fo Silaria: That's a lot of snow. Chilly. Too wide from glyph to glyph, and uneven glyph distance from each start zone (12 v. )
Lost Alloy: Simple lava field map. Others have said it, but lava start zone? I need to pass.
Hidden: Straightforward, three lanes to choose, I like it.
Resonance: Too tight in the middle for a bunch of 2-hexers. It might just need the walls paced out a bit.
Sandbar Skirmish. 10/10 visually. But too much water for a comp map outside of a niche format where each army is granted a few Oceanstrider Amulets or somesuch.
Quandary: Small format is neat. Nearly mirror symmetry too. I think I like it. But why not swap the off-center tree with the on-center bush for closer symmetry?
Caldera Swamp: The edge glyphs are not equidistant from each startin zone, that high sand adjacent to the starting zone is odd, also the 2-hex rock being higher than most of the lava. I think it needs work.
Healing Roots: Glyph looks slightly uneven from either start zone, or maybe I'm counting wrong. No real complaints beyond that, but I'd need to study it more. Given the name it implies you want it played with Wellspring Water? Interesting.
Brimstone: Just feels big and flat, the asymmetric choice is interesting. Like Roots, I need to study it more.
Last edited:
Appreciate the thoughts, I don’t always think that glyphs need to be in heavily disadvantaged places but I get your concern. Interesting thoughts on Bunkered, I do still think that 3-hex rock and level 2 areas not adjacent to any height are great spots for range, and the middle plays more open than one might expect! Always love hearing feedback, I’ll keep those thoughts in mind.Fast commentary:
Aegis:
Solid jungle map. To make a minor nitpick, not quite sure what that level 1 rock is doing to the right of either start zone at the map edge. I feel like that space will never get used. The pair of swamp water tiles by the start zone are 6 spaces from the swamp water adjacent to the glyph instead of 5, poor drudge/water elemental. But there's some nice Drudge tunneling points elsewhere, not that they're allowed in Renegade's format lol.
Halushia's Grove:
As a point of personal preference, I prefer when glyphs can be hit from height from melee, (especially when you're also giving the glyph space the Jungle ranged defense buff), otherwise, I really like the map drawing the player toward the center.
Taiga: Snowy trees are pretty. It's just nice too look at. The only bland part is the two large 24-hex (well, 20-hex exposed) grass plains, which is mitigated by half of that being the start zone. I like it.
A Country Mile: The split start zones is a neat idea, the map overall is kind of a sensory overload. Not sure if many Renegade 2-hex figures can find places to stand here, but it does look fun to play.
Kinsland Spring: I appreciate what you achieved with LoV, WoV, and jungle. It's hard to stand out against the rest of the field here when pine trees, laur walls, and rock outcrops are also in play for visual appeal. No real complaints from me.
Haukeland Isle Skipping; Too many big water areas.
Oasis No more: Similar to Kinsland in some respects, but the jungle gets to be more dense thanks to 2x Wellspring bringing mroe trees. I like what you've done withthe limit parts, I just wish that those 3 dangling hexes of the start zones could be placed a bit differently, but that's a limit of the 24-hex we have.
Iced Cider: I like it.
Volcan Shards: Nice mirror symetry. It looks like the LoS blockers generally protect the start zones from the middle, neat.
Tuff Tropics: Mine. I like what i accomplished here, but wish I could have had the start zones be grass with the central area being rock/sand. Curse you parts limits! @caps you said you don't hate it but don't like. Without any particular point of complain, I consider that high praise. Give it a go sometime!
Nimhe: Four different high points, I like it generally. It certainly looks like a water synergy playground, (which for Renegadescape I think just means Ewashia right now). But Drudge, Water Elemental, Microcorps, Vipers, would have a field day here, and that's fun.
Sunny Villa: The two glyphs are too close to one another. I've commented a bit on your personal map thread too. Movement through the middle with most Renegade 2-hexers seems quite difficult too (which is supposed to be a limitation, but only to a point).
Convection: Same parts used as my Tuff Tropics, I appreciate teh different execution here. The central sand being a safe zone is a neat idea compared with mine having the central being all lava field. I like it.
Vapor: Snow/Ice/Lava Mix, I like the VS render at least. Aside from the lack of Laur walls, it certainly has a similar design philosphy to your Convection. I like it too.
Ruins at Barrenspur Foothills: The rivers make it not good for competitions, and the LoS pieces feel too clumped toward the middle.
Bunkered: Range seems heavily punished, the middle, and the middle feels rough to navigate. Also the glyph has jungle protecting from range it without melee being able to hit it from height, which I already complained about in Halushia's Grove.
Cavern of Wonders: 10/10 perfection
Hedge Maze: Too tight for 2-space figures to fit anywhere. Just filling some water might help.
Rhombus: It wins for simplicity. Again, very few spaces for 2-hexes to fit in the central area, and looks a bit boring visually, but that's due to your choice of set. The world needs more 1x AoA comp maps.
Liquefy: Pretty with mirror symmetry. Glyphs are close to the action, which could be neat. I like it.
Vitrify: Weaker than Liquify imo, all the molten lava seems quite excessive, and the lack of cover is rough.
Charmed Ridge: Nice and big, but major choke points due to the ruins and water.
Alone: Doesn't overdo it with the lava. Neat. It's a limitation of the set, but the single rock hex being the same level as the 3-hex lava filed part is an odd choice to me as a small safe zone.
Voices: Visually appealing for sure with the snow trees. Maybe.
Forgotten Thaw: Fully uses the AoA Laur ruins, credit there. Not sure what's up with the central spot being a start zone. I'd drop treasure glyphs near there and move the start zone back.
1000 Frozen souls: Level isn't high enough to fit a bunch of major AoA characters, but I appreciate the attempt at an overhang map. I'd play it in a side event.
Ruins fo Silaria: That's a lot of snow. Chilly. Too wide from glyph to glyph, and uneven glyph distance from each start zone (12 v. )
Lost Alloy: Simple lava field map. Others have said it, but lava start zone? I need to pass.
Hidden: Straightforward, three lanes to choose, I like it.
Resonance: Too tight in the middle for a bunch of 2-hexers. It might just need the walls paced out a bit.
Sandbar Skirmish. 10/10 visually. But too much water for a comp map outside of a niche format where each army is granted a few Oceanstrider Amulets or somesuch.
Quandary: Small format is neat. Nearly mirror symmetry too. I think I like it. But why not swap the off-center tree with the on-center bush for closer symmetry?
Caldera Swamp: The edge glyphs are not equidistant from each startin zone, that high sand adjacent to the starting zone is odd, also the 2-hex rock being higher than most of the lava. I think it needs work.
Healing Roots: Glyph looks slightly uneven from either start zone, or maybe I'm counting wrong. No real complaints beyond that, but I'd need to study it more. Given the name it implies you want it played with Wellspring Water? Interesting.
Brimstone: Just feels big and flat, the asymmetric choice is interesting. Like Roots, I need to study it more.
The Final Community Poll for the GenCon 2025 Map Contest is up! Votes are due 5-30-25 at 11 PM CT.
https://forms.gle/nos4VBqujxDthoN26
https://forms.gle/nos4VBqujxDthoN26
It's okay to be scared.
