Talking Maps Here!

The last couple of weeks we have been playtesting a few new maps that will release in a map pack shortly after the starters and boosters. I figured a little education regarding the map could be in order this week.

Games of Monsterpocalypse are played on battle map. The map allows for placement of buildings and provides a variety of features that drive the game in different ways, including spawn points, neutral spawn points, Negative Zones, and Power Zones. Placement of these features along with the placement of the buildings really shapes the way the game develops and gives certain monsters or play styles an advantage.
At the beginning of the game, players roll to see who places the first building and takes the first turn. This can be a valuable roll to win. However, the player that does not win this roll chooses the map for the game. If that player chooses the right map, he can mitigate the difference between going first and going second, which is small, but still an advantage.

Foundation placement can play a vital role in the game. Buildings separated by only a couple of spaces are easier to secure with fewer units. If you place three units between two buildings and end up adjacent to both, you secure them both. That means more Power Dice when you Power Up, which means more potent attacks and power attacks for your monster to perform. Having buildings adjacent to one another also creates potential damage-boosting hot spots. If you can drop a monster on two buildings at once, you can deal two to four damage in one attack, depending on whether or not those buildings create hazards. Remember to pay attention to where you leave your monster. Don’t get baited into moving to a place where you can get thrown into a pair of buildings.

Spawn points are locations on the map where your units come into play. At the beginning of the game you are designated as the Red player or the Blue player and use the spawn points and monster starting locations based on that designation. The number of spawn points on the map can drive the speed of the game. A map with four spawn points per player means fewer units can come into play each turn and thus you can secure fewer buildings and hold fewer objectives early on. Further, attacking your opponent’s units can have a greater impact, on a percentage basis, since the number of units that can come into play each turn has been reduced. Obviously a map with six spawn points per player means more units will come into play each turn. The downside to spawning six units is that you cannot do as much with those figures each turn, since you spent at least one Action Die to put each figure on the board. (Remember you only have 10 Action Dice in your Unit Pool, and moving and attacking each cost one die per unit). Units that cost you two or more Action Dice to spawn will more likely see play earlier in games on maps with fewer spawn points.

Neutral spawn points usually lie toward the center of the map. By dedicating a unit to hold the activator, you gain access to another spawn point. However, after you pass the threshold of five spawn points, the law of diminishing returns kicks in. Having access to spawn points deeper into the map, however, can provide your units with further tactical options when playing aggressively against your opponent, such as spawning units away from areas of conflict or spawning, moving, and attacking with a unit in the same turn.

Negative Zones ding your opponent for Power Dice when you Power Up. If you destroy the buildings on your opponent’s side of the map, suppress his units, and prevent him from taking Power Zones, you can greatly reduce his ability to gain Power Dice. When he does gain a few Power Dice from destroying your units or taking down buildings, you can hamper him further by holding Negative Zones and then Powering Up. Your opponent will lose one Power Die for each Negative Zone your units hold, and this can keep the balance of Power Dice tipped in your favor.

Power Zones are the best locations on the table for gaining Power Dice. One non-flying unit sitting on a Power Zone gets you one Power Die every time you Power Up, a better ratio of figures to Power Dice than you get anywhere else on the table. We tend to place them in locations that drive conflict in the game. Two aggressive players can spark an all-out war in certain parts of the map as they engage one another to hold these valuable objectives.

Additionally some spaces feature terrain like water, trees, or rubble that affects the game in a different way. Placement of one rough terrain space (like rubble) or one impassible terrain space (like water) near an objective can really make you wish you had some hover or jumping units (which ignore features like that) so you can get to that Power Zone quicker. Some terrain spaces offer cover, which increase a unit’s defense against blast attacks. This can provide a place to plant your units to allow a little more protection or to counterattack anything trying to drive you off an objective.

The map you choose to play on can have as much effect on the game as your monster, units, and buildings. Choose your maps carefully and customize your force to the map you play on. It’s like baseball in that regard: You play half of your games on your home field, so make sure your team is equipped to win those home games!

Bookmark It

Hide Sites