Journal #7 - or, Over the Hills and Far Away

For many people their terrain is defined by roads and/or rivers; for me, it is Hills. Differences in elevation have been the deciding factor in most open battles, therefore I think they should be the most important terrain feature (ok, they also make the otherwise flat terrain look more interesting :) ).

In Pedion™ elevations will be representing by "hills", that is, distinct rises in fixed intervals, following the logic of contours in maps. I have some ideas for more elevation change options, but for the time being, I will present to you the Pedion Hill tiles.

The Empire descending a hill on Kashyyk - miniatures from WotC, included for scale only

As with all other Pedion™ tiles, the hills will actually be part of the tile, rising seamlessly from the surrounding ground. However, keeping up with my modularity requirements, the hills consist of two pieces: the main hill tile, where the first elevation level rises, and a second, smaller "hill", which represents a second elevation level, that can be placed over the first one. So the players can either place a 2-level hill or two 1-level hills on their battlefield. The second level snaps magnetically over the main hill, staying in place. Each hill elevation rise is about 3cm (1.18").

A two-part Hill tile

The smaller, second level snaps over the main hill tile, creating a 2-level hill if so the player wishes

...or the players keep the larger, main tile with a 1-level elevation hill...

...and they can use the smaller, 2nd level hill as stand-alone on a Plain tile.

Hill Tile Properties and Variations

• For the time being there are three (3) discreet Hill tile designs: A full tile hill with an extra level piece, a 4/5 tile hill with an extra hill piece, and a 3/4 tile hill without extra levels.
• The three main hills are designed so that they can be fitted side-by-side, creating longer hill pieces, or they can be placed alone in different places across the battlefield.
• The hilltops include metal hardpoints. These can be used for the second-level pieces to snap onto, or for other magnetic terrain pieces from Pedion tiles, like trees, walls etc.
• The hills include both steep and gentle sides. Thus the players can declare sides which are unapproachable, pose a penalty to climb or have no effect on movement.

 See what I mean about these hill tile properties in the photos below:

The three different hill tile kinds can be placed next to each other to form a long hill piece. You can see the 3:1 ramps on all hill types, as well as the steep rock faces.

The "central", Full-tile Hill, with its extra, 2nd level hill piece

The "left-side", 4/5 of the tile Hill, with its own 2nd level hill piece

The "right-side", 3/4 of a tile Hill, without a second level.

In true Pedion™ spirit, the hilltops are ready for magnetized walls, creating a fortified position...

...or some tree stands, to provided aesthetic variety and cover.

 In case you are wondering how are those Hill tiles made (come 'on, I know you are!), check my progress in the following photos:

Yep, they were fun to make, but it does take a lot of effort. I also discovered I can always find a job frosting cakes, after all this practice. If anything, I am considering making the Hill tiles simpler and less realistic. They look awesome but will take too much time to mass produce...

Hope you liked my Hill tiles. Please do comment on your opinions and ideas, I am anxious to hear them. Also, rest assured that I am implementing the Pedion Kickstarter Campaign as you are reading this - so you will be able to preorder your Pedion very soon.

Good gaming all!