A couple questions for people who have used Geo Hex

[Cat-in-Exile]

I've been eying some of those Geo Hex sets on Ebay, but I was curious about how people handle the sloped hills, some of which slope over parts of 2 hexes before the 2nd level hexes.

I'm guessing people who have used Geo Hex just count being on any part of the hill as being on the next level?

Also, how does it handle minis being on the slant? Do they have any problems staying upright?

[BlackKat]

I pretty much only use the terrain for Alpha Strike games, so not sure yet on how to handle transition hexes.

For the slopes, there can be some stability issues for top heavy or large plastic models.  They do not slide however, as the flocking gives the base grip.
Some plastic miniatures will topple on the slopes, particularly those with those truncated, Alpha Strike bases.  For that reason it's a good idea to glue a coin or washer on the underside of the plastic hex base to make them more bottom heavy, or re-base them on normal hex bases.  All metal miniatures typically handle the slope without issues as the metal hex base and the model weight keeps things stable.

One thing you will need, when using the terrain, is some kind of border to prevent the terrain from sliding around the tabletop.  There are corner slots for card tabs that are supposed to help keep the terrain together and stable, but they are pretty useless.  So a dedicated gaming table or table topper with a raised border is pretty much required.
The typical, required size for such [for Alpha Strike as well as most tabletop games like Warhammer, etc.] is going to be 4x6 feet.  Or I suppose one could try to build an improvised border for a normal table, like a taped on cardboard frame.   The table dimensions then should be in multiples of 6" to fit the hexes.

[Cat-in-Exile]

Thanks for the reply  :)

So, the play area is still generally 6'x4'? That's a bit disappointing, as I currently use a Hotz mat of the same size with 1.75" hexes, and was hoping Geo Hex's 1.5" would allow the same hex count while taking up slightly less real estate, allowing me to move the game from the floor to our table.

[BlackKat]

Mostly you just need 4x6 feet if you are going to spend money on a well made table topper or table.  Or if you are also using the terrain for hex-less games, just ignoring the hexes, as those games almost always recommend 4x6 foot size.

As mentioned, if you have a smaller table, you can still use it.  But the terrain pieces are light weight and the bottoms are slippery, as is the surface of most dining tables.  So the pieces will be prone to fly around unless you can find a solution.
You could improvise your own version of a table topper so you have some raised borders to keep the pieces in place.  For example tape together cardboard box flaps to create a table border that you can take off  when not in use.  Another option might be some kind of high friction mat or surface you can use under the pieces on the table.
A lot of people build their own fancy, wooden toppers too, if they have a workspace and the skills to do so.  There are all kinds of plans and videos for such out there on the web.

[shadowdancer]

On the sloped hexes you can pay the movement for the height and be up or stay at the lower level. We play with movement marker dice and use them to show if you are up by putting them on the higher level or leaving them on the lower level.
Some mechs will always tip. We metal units and put them on bases but there are always some that want to tip. Again we use the marker dice on a hex side to show facing.
Our hex mat is mounted on a 4x6 piece of plywood with a raised wood edge. We carried it back and forth to the game shop and half way across the state for conventions for almost 30 years. Have replaced the mat twice. Once because somebody did not follow the rules about drinks on the table. He was required to pay for the replacement before he could play again. The second time was it had become so faded that you could not see the hexes very well anymore.
Buy a geo hex mat!! Stuff will not shift as easy.
One other thing is that the hills and the mat will not always match up on the hex lines. We use the rule that the first partial hex along the line of sight cost you but the second one is free.

[shadowdancer]

If you mount your mat on a board then you can buy a couple of the cheap plastic sawhorses that fold up to put it on and do not have to be on the floor or use the home table and keep the wife happy!