After a great deal of flaffing about with maps, scales, hex sheets and my table, I decided that there had to be a better way. Not only was I starting to spin some mental tires, there was also a metaphorical smell of burning brain cells.
What I wanted to end up with, was a hex map with terrain and troop deployments marked on it. I had been attempting to compare, combine and transfer by hand to a printed sheet of hexes, variously scaled ( and not scaled) maps. My Chromebook and I are both a little behind the latest technology and lacking in CPU power these days and we won't talk about the various (censored) android devices available. I don't want to change my technology, except for an overdue but planned upgraded replacement for my Chromebook before summer, but do want to exercise my brain without straining it to the break point as I weaken the rust in the cogs.
So there I was staring at a sheet of hex paper and various maps including the American Battlefield Trust one which had regimental positions marked on it and at last the light bulb came on. Instead of trying to trace it, why don't I just crop my downloaded copy, scale it and print it onto one of the sheets of hexes that I had printed?
Easy peasy. Lets see how it goes...Oh..ummh...., I set up the battlefield with the Yanks against the wall Didn't think about that. Should have just put the Rebs against the wall. ...Sorry!
Now my head really hurts. I was expecting the Yanks to appear in the back left hand corner, no wonder I was having trouble getting the battle field to fit on the table. Rotating the battlefield by 90 degrees to do that would have cut the room for the battle lines by 1/3.
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| Not perfect but good enough for my purpose. Did I mention that I need more trees? I wonder if I could get away with a mere 2 dozen more for now? That should give me 1 tree per woods hex. In the meantime I'm also using 2d woods hex markers. |
Ross, I always enjoy reading of your thought process as you prepare for a game. If not for these peeks behind the curtain, we would think your work and was without fault. You are human like the rest of us!
ReplyDeleteSometimes, on a good day, I rise that high!
DeleteOne way that I have done similar is to print off a hex sheet and the put the map I want to copy up against a window and then put the blank hex sheet on top of it. The whole thing gets backlit through the window and allows you to move the hex sheet around to get the best positioning and then draw onto the hex sheet, sort of tracing against the map that is underneath it.
ReplyDeleteThe ink on the map was really faint with contours and woods overlapping and the paper quite thick but I was starting to do when I realized that I could print it faster.
DeleteSuch a gorgeous terrain...and preparation!
ReplyDeleteOne has to keep the brain wirking or it will stop :)
DeleteI feel your pain, I seem to spend half my life peering at dreadful maps in books and trying to transfer them to grids. Tracing paper helps.
ReplyDeleteWhen trying to turn badly printed maps into useful terrain models, I follow the advice of my trusty military map reading manual. Mark out the watercourses, watersheds, areas of bad going and major roads. The watersheds and watercourses give you the high and low points and you can fudge the contour gradients in between, as you captured the militarily significant terrain. I often just play around with hex configuration s on my Memoir 44 boards until it is about right.
The 2 tiny streams that appeared in one of the period sketch maps by an army engineer were the only things that let me get the sense of the hatching. They don't appear on newer maps.
DeleteDid bring back memories of tromping through the woods and mountains of BC 50 yrs ago, soaking wet with compass and soggy map in hand... I wonder if they let them use GPS these days?
I love seeing the background that leads to the game.
ReplyDeleteI have a fairly low-tech method of doing the same thing, using Google Drawings. I import the map image and then copy and paste squares or hexes over it, adjusting the squares/hexes to fit my table. It's free and runs in the browser, so there's nothing to install. Plus you can bring up the map on your phone or other device when you're waiting at the dentist office and such.
Sounds like a lot more work and less fun! (esp on this old chromebook).
DeleteUntil I decided to go hex, I preferred pencil and, if a special event, controlled washes of acrylic paint.