Map design. What are the factors at play?

Hi LordRooster,

I have approached this issue a couple of different ways in the past with mixed results, but some of these ideas may help your design.

I usually start by taking my map and stripping off the grid or "territories". This leaves me with a landscape full of rivers, mountains, deserts, etc. I then ask myself if it makes sense that people would fight over this land. Are there natural high points or valleys? Is there a defensible river? Would a dangerous trip through the desert allow for a surprise flank attack? and so on... Once I am happy with the land, I usually overlay a standard grid pattern that has the number of spaces I think I need (in your case 5x4 or 3x7 would give you about 20 territories). I then start evaluating the landscape under the grid to decide how I think it might affect movement or how hard it would be to control the area. Depending on the landscape, I will usually combine 2 or more grid spaces into a single space or may divide a single space in smaller, individual spaces. For example, open plains might be best represented as being twice as large as a standard grid space (easy to move across, but attacks can come from any direction) whereas something like a jungle might be lots of little spaces (difficult to traverse and impossible to control more than the immediate territory)

Although I try to apply logic to the design, this still amounts to a lot of trial and error! However, I believe the more "hands on" time you spend with your map, the more likely you will have something that is well balanced and believeable.

Throughout the process, I check for things like "fastest route to point X" or "how many moves to the other side" as a way of determining if one starting location is inherently superior to the other.

A couple of other thoughts...

If the map is the "centerpiece" of the game, I would suggest a map that really "pops" when printed out. Something like a satellite photo has great realism, but your players may end up sqiunting at the board saying "Is that a command bunker or a Taco Bell?" A large, colorful map (even if it is a touch cartoonish) is attractive and more likely to catch the eye of potential game players when they walk by a demo table.

If your map isn't the focus of the game, or if the objectives are randomly placed on the map, you may be better off with a grid approach. It's not as interesting, but it is very easy to create, print and balance for play.

Well this was a much longer post than I intended - good luck with your design!