The Beast

[bigWham]

Hi everyone, this the first of a series of ideas I am throwing out there for new maps. I am open to collaborating or letting people take these ideas, or parts of them, and run with them.

Map Name: The Beast
Mapmaker(s): bigWham and TBD (Calling out for collaborators!)
Number of Territories:Unknown
Special Features: Transformations, No terit or continent bonus, fixed deployment only, winnable by objective or round limit only
What Makes This Map Worthy of Being Made:

This uses Transformations, to implement a new game dynamic where holding certain terits will have a random effect on other terits. Additionally there is the concept of the map representing a single creature that you fight.

The Beast is a monstrous, legendary creature that has ruled its land for millennia. Many warriors, as brave as they are foolish, have traveled from afar to tackle The Beast. Its body consists of numerous concentric segments, with immense dangling tendrils attached. At the center is The Eye... smite The Eye and you kill The Beast.

Players start, separated and from a 1 way entrance, on the outside of The Beast, and have to fight their way into The Eye. The strength of defense decreases moving out from the Eye, through the segments and out into the tendrils. Each lower level terit you take provides a random transformation that reduces the inner levels of defense on your turn. The defense transformation reverts after your turn, so only the player holding the terits gets the advantage. So, as you strike the outer layers of The Beast you weaken it. Using stages, we can change the image of the beast to show it angrier as the game progresses.

It is possible for players to interact as the game plays on, as you face the choice of whether to attack the Beast on the outside more, thus weakening its inner defenses, or make a run for the Eye.

Sidenote: It may be desirable to limit the number of players in order to provide the best gameplay.

[elonpuckhog]

I like the concept, and I'm surprised no one has commented on this yet. I think having the beast become angrier as the game goes on is a fantastic idea. One thing I would be concerned about is the random weakening of territories. Is there a way to ensure that someone isn't getting better weakening than someone else?

I'm not sure limiting the number of players is necessary. I think this could work with 12 assuming there are 12 starting positions. I would think in a 2-6 player game players could have multiple starting positions. I'm not a map maker, so I wouldn't be of much help, but I like the idea.

[iancanton]

i'm imagining an octopus-like creature, but with a bigger head and shorter tentacles.

if the weakening is random, then u're taking a chance that it's to ur advantage, which is the whole point. although 12 players will work, it might prove to be too much effort for the mapmaker to produce something fitting the theme that not only plays well, but looks better than most existing maps and is also small enough to fit the standard 630 x 600, given that the legend has to explain clearly this new concept, so i see the attraction of limiting the map to 8 players.

ian.

[bigWham]

i'm imagining an octopus-like creature, but with a bigger head and shorter tentacles.

if the weakening is random, then u're taking a chance that it's to ur advantage, which is the whole point. although 12 players will work, it might prove to be too much effort for the mapmaker to produce something fitting the theme that not only plays well, but looks better than most existing maps and is also small enough to fit the standard 630 x 600, given that the legend has to explain clearly this new concept, so i see the attraction of limiting the map to 8 players.

ian.

i think a long-running struggle with mapmaking has been to optimize the gameplay across the massive amount of options we have. Since the advent of exclusions that has no longer been necessary... I would rather produce a great map, for some settings, than an average map at all settings. Having said that I have no idea how this particular idea would evolve, so there's no need to close it off from the get-go.

Also, another use of Stages that I've heard comment on is for help/instructions/legend... so that might be possible here.

[psxws]

This sounds like a good idea; I particularly like the idea of the beast getting angrier. The only issue I see is the random element; it seems like it could be fun, but randomness from the dice can already be frustrating, do we need more?

Also, do the outside territories revert after your turn? Or only the lowering of the inside ones? That is, does the player keep their gains? And, if a player takes a territory from another player instead of from the beast, does it still weaken the beast? (this might be the player interaction you're talking about, conquer a few outside territs from another player to weaken the beast, then fight to the eye. Or buff up your own outside territ as much as possible to prevent another player from taking it and getting the bonus, etc. This sounds like a fun mechanic).

Also, this is definitely how I'm picturing the Beast, based on your description.

[bigWham]

This sounds like a good idea; I particularly like the idea of the beast getting angrier. The only issue I see is the random element; it seems like it could be fun, but randomness from the dice can already be frustrating, do we need more?

Also, do the outside territories revert after your turn? Or only the lowering of the inside ones? That is, does the player keep their gains? And, if a player takes a territory from another player instead of from the beast, does it still weaken the beast? (this might be the player interaction you're talking about, conquer a few outside territs from another player to weaken the beast, then fight to the eye. Or buff up your own outside territ as much as possible to prevent another player from taking it and getting the bonus, etc. This sounds like a fun mechanic).

Also, this is definitely how I'm picturing the Beast, based on your description.

lol, well i'm not sure how to that melange of beastly color work in a map, but outside of that if you want to give it a swing i'm all for it. the circles (suction cups?) on this octopus like creature are definitely made to be map territories!

as for your questions, really i'm open on all the dynamics of how it works. there are 100 steps or so along the path, including play testing to see what actually works well, so i'm not so hung up now on an exact specific approach.

[owenshooter]

i don't think i'd play this map, but it sounds really cool and like the type of map that could def get a following on this site... be interesting to see who steps up to this one... sounds very innovative and "fresh"... you may need to go knock on some members doors...-Jésus noir

p.s.-i'm lying... i'd totally try this map out until i lost all my points on it!! i suck at objective maps! ha!

[Assassin07]

I like the idea

[JBlombier]

It's an insane idea and therefore I love it.