What's on your table right now?

[Barthheart]

Always wanted to try that version.
Is it very different from Ah's Third Reich other than the combat system?
What's different about your map?
Have you played the Pacific version?

[bayonetbrant]

Bring it to Origins!  Let's all play :)

[Barthheart]

I don't have a copy......  :(

[Rekim]

great looking map.

what was the problem with the original map? I seem to recall there being a big seam between the mounted boards.

[bayonetbrant]

I don't have a copy......  :(

I was talking to Gary ;)

[GJK]

great looking map.

what was the problem with the original map? I seem to recall there being a big seam between the mounted boards.

There was a number of issues.  The hexes on the original map were also 1/2" so it was very congested in central Europe.  Yes, big seams between the boards and they had an extra hexrow graphic super-imposed in Russia (printing error).  Mostly though, the original graphics were just horrendous (IMO).  *Very* green and *very* busy and it would just give you a headache to look at it.  I'm *o.k* with my version but have already started to do a more traditional mercator projection instead the projection that was originally used (I think it's mercator also but it's tilted so that it fits more fully on the mapsheet). 


But yeah - somebody fly me out to Origins and let's party!

[bayonetbrant]

But yeah - somebody fly me out to Origins and let's party!

I'm not sure any of us are flying.  We're all bringing too many games! :D

[Barthheart]

But yeah - somebody fly me out to Origins and let's party!

I'm not sure any of us are flying.  We're all bringing too many games! :D

In both directions!  :D

[GJK]

Missed this earlier-

Always wanted to try that version.
Is it very different from Ah's Third Reich other than the combat system?

Similar enough but uniquely different is how I'd classify it.  It's not as "chess-like" as the original in that you can make a bonehead error and not lose the entire war over it.  Of course if you make enough boneheads like I tend to do, then you'll lose the war irregardless. 

What's different about your map?

See next post.

Have you played the Pacific version?

I have not.  I have the player's guide for this game and I'm very seriously contemplating on picking up the Pacific game.  The question for myself though is will/would I actually every play it.  I'm kind of waiting for my opinion on the ETO game first though I know a PTO game will always be vastly different than it's ETO cousin just because of the scale.  Also, and it's very unfortunate, but there's not a lot of reviews on this series on BGG because I think people have just shied away from it for the reasons that I mentioned previously.  I'd be tickled almost pink if this really turns out to be a hidden gem.

[GJK]

Ok, so I'm going through the evolution of map design here.  I like the map (redo) that I did for this game some 8 or 9 years ago.  But I'm not creaming over it.  That sounds gross...I'm not thoroughly thrilled with it.   So here's where I'm at now on redesigning it yet again:


Ok - here's the original map (which I redrew keeping faithful to it another lifetime ago):





You can see how I've rotated it to give it the landscape of Europe that I think we're more used to in our games.  I want a printed version of this map that does the same.  In my mind and with my OCD'ness, I keep wanting to rotate the map that I have on my table because it's bugging the crap out of me that it's not "straight".  So I'm going to "fix" that....


So I've rotated it to a position that I like and I've started to redraw it again:







What I've also done is I've redrawn the coastlines.  That's another thing with the JP3R map - my freakin' cat could make a more professional looking drawing of the coastlines than the artist for this map did.  So I'm using the original 3R map (also one that I redrew) to give me some guidance on how to draw the continents of Europe and N. Africa.  Here I have the 3 maps layered together:







And this is where I'm at now.  And no, the mountains aren't going to look like little chocolate candies when it's all said and done  :)




Kinda cool.  Very fun in a geeky sort of way. 

[Staggerwing]

This may sound like an odd question but, by rotating the hexes to point-side up in certain spots on the map could gameplay be affected, adding or taking away or re-orienting choke points or what not?

[GJK]

This may sound like an odd question but, by rotating the hexes to point-side up in certain spots on the map could gameplay be affected, adding or taking away or re-orienting choke points or what not?

Yeah...probably.  Maybe.  Dunno.  Easy enough (and fun enough) to print off a set and see how differently it plays.  Good question though.

[Staggerwing]

Gary,
Another question: do you scan the original paper maps yourself or do you take them somewhere that can scan large maps but not fuss about whether they are copyright or not? I tried scanning a game map a while back on the flatbed part of my MF printer. The result: not only are there obvious seams after stitching the scans together but the color values vary slightly from scan to scan. I was hoping to drive out to the nearest Fedex/Kinkos but they are not close and I've heard they are very copyright-shy about what they will scan. I emailed the game's publisher with a request to allow me to scan for personal use in creating a VASSAL mod but never heard back. I even offered to turn over the mod to them afterwards but heard nary a peep.

[GJK]

Yeah brother, I just scan them in and then stitch them together within Photoshop.  That creates my template that I then draw upon.

[Staggerwing]

I don't have PS so I used GIMP. The map looked pretty craptacular when done. I do know next time I'll have to scan bigger overlaps since my scanner is just about 8 2/3 inches wide.