The Return of The Mapmaster Battlemaps Official Thread!

[Mapmaster]

Heyo! I'm back, baby!

Before I get started, I would like to offer a big thanks to the guys up top that very kindly allowed me to do this. I'm sure there was some thought and discussion on their end, and I'm very happy that they decided to help out the fans who contribute back to this community.

I will be using this thread to post images, details, and even information on how to buy these amazing maps for your local game.

Let's begin with the original collection of 4x6' maps that got the Mapmaster project started:

Archipelago Assault


Badlands Highway


Capitol City


Desert Craters


Forest Battlefield


Secret Base


Hills Fortress


Mountain Facility


Ice Canyon

[Mapmaster]

And then every one had to buy bigger tables when the 4'x8' maps were released:

Drop Port:


Wastelands:


Rough Hills:


Industrial Port:

[Mapmaster]

Now, I would like to introduce the 2 newest maps in the 4'x8' Series:

River Valley:


Volcanic Fields:


You can see the whole gallery here:
http://imgur.com/a/OOQyH#0

Or just check them out on the website (the newest maps have not been updated to the website yet):
http://mapmasterbattlemaps.com/

Now, I will return later to post some awesome pricing options for those interested in buying the whole collection or just picking some great bundle deals!

[Snake Eyes]

 O0 very impressive.......

[wwwjason]

I've always been very impressed by these. Question: is the terrain marked (rough, levels, depth, etc.)?

[Manticore]

Blast and frag you, mate... get busy with the details( like how much, when, and how fast do I get 'em? ) [drool]

Very nice work, those- a 4 x 6 map that has consistent details is awesome. got 3 sheets of plywood that are crying out for some of that 
got the sawhorses, and the basement, working on the fellow addicts

[Shin Yodama]

Beautiful work. If only the shipping to UK wasn't so ridiculously expensive!

[I am Belch II]

So awesome. Nice job!!,

[Mapmaster]

Thanks, thanks. Yes, let me get on to the details:

The maps are printed on heavy duty scrim vinyl - the same material used for outdoor banners (waterproof!). They are 1.25" hexes, each hex covering 30 meters of terrain, marked for elevation, light & heavy woods, rough terrain (Rough Hills is probably 40% rough terrain), etc.. I have done my best to properly scale them to at least appear to be Battletech scale. In some cases, the terrain on the map actually covers miles (using lunar and mars images).

4'x6' maps are $60 and 4'x8' maps are $75. These prices include shipping to US residents. I will update this thread with costs for larger purchases shortly.

My apologies to you folks outside the US. I will ship them to you, but international shipping rates are pretty hefty. Orders to Canada can usually be filled at no additional cost, but vary from province to province. Shipping to the UK or most of the rest of Europe is usually around $100. I haven't checked the prices to Australia.

Let me know if you have any other questions. I will be back shortly with some additional pricing for bigger orders.

[Manticore]

hmmm, price breaks for quantity? say, 3 to 5 maps at a time? US resident, so no issues there, but how/ who do you ship with?
(sigh) goodbye, wallet stock........

[Mapmaster]

Alright, here are the price breakdowns for large quantity orders:

Buy 2 or more 4'x6' maps for $50 each.
Buy all NINE 4'x6' maps for $420.

Buy 2 or more 4'x8' maps for $70 each.
Buy all SIX 4'x8' maps for $400.

and FINALLY, the MOTHER of ALL BUNDLE DEALS:
BUY ALL FIFTEEN MAPS FOR $750

So, you won't see these prices on the web page. This deal is only if you deal directly through me. You may contact me through the website or PM me here. I use FedEx and UPS for shipping. For international orders, I will use USPS (seems to be the cheapest).

[Mapmaster]

By the way... I don't think this has been mentioned, but these images are actual aerial photography that has been warped and transformed to fit a hex grid. These aren't just images with a hex grid laid over them. They all actually conform to Battletech terrain values.

If that ain't realistic, I don't know what is.

[Manticore]

By the way... I don't think this has been mentioned, but these images are actual aerial photography that has been warped and transformed to fit a hex grid. These aren't just images with a hex grid laid over them. They all actually conform to Battletech terrain values.

If that ain't realistic, I don't know what is.

Tell me about it... the second one up from here looks about like the terrain around where I live. rolling hills, lotsa trees, a big river, and farms(cows included/unavoidable.. ;D)

[beachhead1985]

How would you best print this for game use?

[Weirdo]

They are 1.5" hexes...

Is it possible to get them smaller, so the hexes match those of standard maps? That would make them compatible with hextiles, and terrain that is sized for the published maps.

(Also, probably easier on folks with smaller tables.)

[0700]

Mapmaster hexes are identical size to fasa/catalyst maps, must be just a different reference (flat-to-flat vs. corner-to-corner)

[Weirdo]

Sweet...

[Mapmaster]

How would you best print this for game use?

The way I print them now... on scrim banner vinyl. It's durable and waterproof. I really can't think of a better way. These will last longer than any of the old FASA maps on cardboard.

[Mapmaster]

Is it possible to get them smaller, so the hexes match those of standard maps? That would make them compatible with hextiles, and terrain that is sized for the published maps.

(Also, probably easier on folks with smaller tables.)

Yeah, what 0700 said. I have heard people refer to the hexes by many different sizes, and I thought most people associated 1.5" with standard Battletech hexes. That's the only reason I said that. They are the exact same size as all the official BT maps. I made sure when I started this project a long time ago so I could use standard maps alongside these.

I never liked the idea of units being able to just *dissappear* by running off the map. I wanted to be able to always throw an old FASA map onto the table if a unit ever needed it, which is why I made sure they would be compatible.

As a matter of fact, here is an image a customer of mine posted showing some of the new hex tiles placed on one of my maps:

[Shigure]

I'll throw my endorsement into the ring despite that fact that i'm spoiled and actually game with Mapmaster regularly.

First a story:

My former group got notice from our local shop manager that a guy new to the area was looking for a group to play with. We agreed to give the new guy a try and within the hour Mapmaster had shown up to play. We had an ongoing campaign in progress and were in the process of laying out map sheets for the days battle when he arrived. He offered the use of alternate maps and I, as GM, agreed to take a look. I'm not sure what I expected as i'd never seen his products before but what he rolled out sure wasn't anywhere near what I thought i'd get. It was, in fact, far FAR better. After ogling them for a good while we ended up using only a portion of Rough Hills which was actually his latest creation at the time.

I can say with complete honesty that I have only played a single game since that day on any standard map sheets...and that was a teaching game for a couple friends. Its been over a year now with an average of two large games a month and every single one of them has been on Mapmaster maps.

A few observations:

1) Terrain on his maps tend to be much more dense then that of standard BT maps. When you get forest you get a ton of it. When you get hills you get high ground and lots of it. Capitol City, one of the three maps I own, is so densely packed i've only actually used about half of it in actual combat simply because there's so much of it. It can be intimidating at times but it certainly isn't a bad thing.

2) Not all of his maps have hex numbers. This can make things difficult for hidden units, artillery, minefields, etc but personally I feel its a minor set back and something that can be worked around.

3) You can't have just one. They are just that good. No exaggeration. I have three now and plan on getting more eventually. Till then I get to play test them all.

4) They work equally well for Leviathans. Archipelago Assault is especially well suited for it.

[Bedwyr]

Just a clarification for everyone. Mapmaster has administrative approval to advertise the maps. This is all kosher.


Carry on y'all.

[Mapmaster]

Just a clarification for everyone. Mapmaster has administrative approval to advertise the maps. This is all kosher.


Carry on y'all.

And for that I am very thankful. These maps represent roughly 6-8 months in 40 hour workweeks of toiling away at Photoshop. That doesn't include the time spent haggling with printers to get the cheapest prices so that I can bring them to the community in an affordable way. The small amount of profit made from their sales is only a dent in the time investment I have made.

When I got back into Battletech about 6 years ago, I quickly remembered how much I didn't care for the old maps. I should rephrase that; I loved the old maps. I used to spend hours arranging them to make different battlefields for my gaming group. It's just that I didn't feel they represented realistic terrains. Woods were always in small clumps, no significant terrain feature ever stretched more than 17 hexes in any direction due to the constraints of the size of the maps. I knew I could do better.

Strangely enough, my first map, Desert Craters, was made with the intent of having as much open ground as possible. I wanted to have tactics prepared for fighting in formations. I realized that there was no point in it since none of the current maps ever featured that much open terrain. That was the catalyst for making the first map. The rest is non-canonical history.

[DelevanGuardsCO]

These are just awesome!

[Stormlion1]

 [drool]

My poor wallet. I just made an IWM order then I saw this. Oh well down the road...

[Bosefius]

These are gorgeous, truly gorgeous

[Peter Smith]

Did I see one of these at GenCon this year?

[Charlie Tango]

Did I see one of these at GenCon this year?

You likely saw a number of them.  One of the Demo Agents owns several of Mapmaster's fine products and he allows us to use them on the tables primarily for Grinder events at major conventions like Origins and Gen Con.

[ActionButler]

I am a professional cartographer and this is, without hesitation, the best BT-related thread ever. 

[8-Ball]

I can attest to the beauty and durability of these maps.  They're nothing short of spectacular.  Oh, and the hex size is 1.25", which jibes with the standard Battletech hex map and, just as importantly in my case, the Leviathans hex bases.  I own a bunch, and plan on buying more.  The 4'x8' port and drop-port maps look too good to pass up.

[Mapmaster]

Someone earlier asked me if these were CGL endorsed products. The answer is no. The forum mods have allowed me to advertise here, but CGL and Topps have yet to officially endorse the product. I've made requests, but so far have not received a reply.

The person that made the inquiry wanted to update the Battletech Wiki to include them. Wouldn't that be awesome?? Well, if you happen to know a guy that knows a guy, please give them my thanks in advance for putting in a good word for me.