Heroclix Map Review: The Mental Ward

[saturnflight]

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/80851/HCRealms.com/201105/Review-Mental.jpgThe impact a map can have on a game is often overlooked. A good strategy incorporates a tactically-sound map choice. But when it comes to locale, sometimes it's hard to see the forest for the trees. We're here to help you make smart decisions when it comes to Heroclix real estate.

Official Title: Mental Ward
Commonly Known As: The Other Asylum
Map on Reverse: None
Dimensions: 24" x 36" (16x24 squares)
Set: None
Status: Unofficial

Also inside: a chance to win a GridReality (http://www.gridreality.com) map!

[saturnflight]

<img src="http://dl.dropbox.com/u/80851/HCRealms.com/201105/Map- Mental.jpg" class="imagecenter" width="700px" />

Official Title: Mental Ward
Commonly Known As: The Other Asylum
Map on Reverse: None
Dimensions: 24" x 36" (16x24 squares)
Set: None
Status: Unofficial
Availability: The Mental Ward is currently available (and at a discounted price) at www.gridreality.com.

[saturnflight]

I'll admit that I had little interest in another Asylum map when I picked up GridReality's maps. I already had Arkham Asylum (watch for that review coming up), and that map had a comic-based theme to it. What could this generic version offer that would be different?

At first glance, the map seems simple. A boxed layout, with a circle of rooms on the outside ring and two set right in the center. Long, straight hallways. A bit of hindering here and there. Basic indoor map stuff.

What I found when the Mental Ward hit the table was quite different. When the 2'x3' map became the standard, map design was leaning away from symmetry. And while that's added a whole new depth to map choice/starting area choice, there's a gameplay to symmetry that's equally enjoyable.

<img src="http://dl.dropbox.com/u/80851/HCRealms.com/201105/Mini- Mental1.jpg" class="imagecenter" width="600px" />
The long hallway gives Electro plenty of room to use his full range, but all the doorways and hallways give Rhino options to approach.

This map's hallways run a full 21 squares from 4 to 24. These are obviously perfect for long-range characters, especially those without the option for mobility. A well-placed Darkseid or Thanos can effectively lock down an entire column of the map.

For safety, a close combat figure needs to take cover through a doorway. On one side, the rooms are fire hazards: one way in, one way out. That's two Barrier figs away from permanent lockdown. On the other side are the central rooms, the number one combat areas of this map.

This is a predictable pattern: a large ranged threat will drive lesser combatants into the middle rooms. So use that to your advantage. Set the best ambush you can and make the decision tough.

<img src="http://dl.dropbox.com/u/80851/HCRealms.com/201105/Mini- Mental2.jpg" class="imagecenter" width="400px" />
This room will likely be a combat area, but it's also one of the best places for Stealth figures like Mysterio and Kraven to take cover. Enter carefully.

One of the most common powers in tournament play is Stealth. And outside of object placement, this map's hindering is entirely confined to the rooms. Just consider how this might effect a Batman team. Out of the Shadows has never been such a worthless power.

If you find yourself on this map with close combat figures, play smart and position well. You'll want to clog up the hallway with objects during the beginning of the game, and watch for those not-so-obvious lines of fire through doorways.

<img src="http://dl.dropbox.com/u/80851/HCRealms.com/201105/Mini- Mental3.jpg" class="imagecenter" width="400px" />
The hallways are clearly hazardous, but don't fall prey to the X-Zone; these long lines of fire aren't immediately obvious!

If you plan to run up in the Mental Ward, what will serve you best?

-Nemesis. You have hallways that are perfectly sized for Nemesis to completely obstruct while being free to move. These same narrow halls limit how many figures can attack Nemesis in one turn. And when you hit the Bio Blast? It's easy to predict where your opponent will be.

-Barrier lets you control where and when your opponent moves. Direct traffic exactly where you want it.

-Hypersonic Speed is about the only power that can effectively use the outer rooms. But if you're facing Barrier, be careful which rooms you use.

-Ranged Combat Expert can actually afford to take a spot and stay there. However, expect that many of your opponent will leave your hallways; you'll do more preventative control than actual attacks.

-Energy Explosion lets you reach past a front row of mooks to the important characters hidden safely behind. The hallway will keep people clustered, and the central rooms are small.

-Phasing/Teleport allows you to evacuate along a route that it'll take your opponent three turns to catch you. For figures who need their own space, the Mental Ward can allow for some solitary.

[saturnflight]

So how does the Mental Ward rate?

Theme: 3/5
There's a certain contingency of the comic book population that frequents the Mental Wards and Asylums. That makes this choice (over, say, a supermarket) a fairly thematic choice. At the same time, nothing is really done to make it anything more than generic. That wouldn't be as big an issue if this were the only nuthouse in Heroclix, but it's trying to compete with Arkham Asylum. Thematically, it loses.
Clarity: 5/5
No problems with clarity here, which is impressive when dealing with a grid laid over a checkerboard floor pattern.
Tactical Impact: 4/5
The impact of this map lies largely in how the hallways affect you. If your team has a big threat with long range, you can lock these main passages down and force opponents into the center rooms (where you can set a trap for them with the rest of your team). And if you don't? The hallways become the middle of your movement paths. Ending a turn in the hallway can be a risk.
Balance: 3/5
The map is fairly similar on either side, which is usually a good sign of balance. It's how the map interacts with team builds that determines the balance. Long range would seem to have the advantage here, but narrow arcs for attacks keep their effectiveness down. It's actually Hypersonic figures that have an unbalanced advantage here, with only Barrier clocking in at a link higher on the food chain. And that's truly what you'll find as the dominant power here. Facing a Brotherhood team with Infinity Challenge Pyro and Clobberin' Time Avalanche will ruin you, and Arkillo is impossibly difficult.
Terrain Diversity: 2/5
We have an indoor map with walls, and some Hindering. But even that isn't wildly distributed. Diversity like this drives a college to hire models for their brochures.

Overall: 3.4/5
I didn't expect much from this map, but I was pleasantly surprised with what I found. Most complaints here lie in theme and well-roundedness; in play, you'll enjoy what this map does to your game. A map worth obtaining for an unusual tactical dynamic, especially as it's available at a bargain price. And if you're a fan of the crazies from Marvel comics, this Asylum's nonspecific theme is a much better fit than Arkham.

That's it for this week! Come back next week as we transfer to a more famous home for the criminally insane.

[saturnflight]

And this week, GridReality (http://www.gridreality.com) has paired with Heroclix Map Reviews for another great map giveaway! The question this week is in three parts, so you need to get all three. Be the first to reply to this article with the correct answer and you can win this week's featured map.

Marvel Comics has an Asylum with similarities to DC's Arkham:
1. What is the name of this facility?
2. Who was its last known director?
3. In what collectible game did this facility first make an appearance?

[Ulvar]

Jeepers, thats tough

[Previously Banned]

1 - Ravencroft Institute for the Criminally Insane
2 - Dr. Leonard Samson
3 - Overpower

[saturnflight]

Arkham asylum
Alyce sinner (quincy sharp in the video game)
Overpower

Marvel has an asylum with SIMILARITIES to Arkham. But thanks for trying!

[saturnflight]

1 - Ravencroft Institute for the Criminally Insane
2 - Dr. Leonard Samson
3 - Overpower

Previously Banned, I sure hope you're in good standing now, because your answers are spot on!

Ravencroft Institute first showed up in Web of Spider-Man, and was the residence of Shreik, Chameleon, Carnage, and Vermin, among others. When its founder, Dr. Ashley Kafka, was critiqued for her questionable success rate, the position of director was given to Dr. Leonard Samson. He has since been shown in different careers, but who succeeded him at Ravencroft has never been revealed. Ravencroft has recently appeared in the pages of Moon Knight.

Ravencroft was a location card in the Overpower Card Game.

[Previously Banned]

Sweet! I always liked Ravencroft, because people actually got fired when the inmates escaped (although Arkham has a cooler history). Awesome review by the way. :grin:

[NeoShazam]

Map looks like it plays better than the official one. Neat.

[ibeatdrew]

I Like the review, and the strategic points you have made.

When I made this map, I made it cause I thought the Arkham Map stunk, It wasn't laid out like I thought it should be. To me that map is just a bunch of boxes randomly placed on the map with "themes" in each box, plus I already was designing this before Arkham came out.

I disagree with the Theme rating though. If you rating the map on a "comic" theme, you should remember and base that rating for 3rd party maps on whether or not they achieve the effect of the theme through generic accuracy. As 3rd Parties go, we have to achieve a borderline vagueness, to a comic or movie location as not to infringe on copyrights and licenses. We don't have Wizkid Dollars to obtain those licenses...or we would :)

We can't just go putting Joker Cards and Ice Rooms everywhere.

Again though very awesome review and I am glad after playing the map you enjoyed it proving that first impressions are not always the best impressions.

thanks Alex! Great review.

This is one of our best sellers and I do believe it is the theme that sells it.

[saturnflight]

Map looks like it plays better than the official one. Neat.

Just wait until I review Arkham next week! Ooh, I'm all hot under the collar just thinking about it!

Spoiler: It would take my running a team of Joker, Mr. Freeze, Mad Hatter, Riddler, Two Face, Poison Ivy, and Ventriloquist, as well as an opponent who would let me start one in each cell, to get me to choose that Asylum map over this one.

[saturnflight]

I Like the review, and the strategic points you have made.

When I made this map, I made it cause I thought the Arkham Map stunk, It wasn't laid out like I thought it should be. To me that map is just a bunch of boxes randomly placed on the map with "themes" in each box, plus I already was designing this before Arkham came out.

I disagree with the Theme rating though. If you rating the map on a "comic" theme, you should remember and base that rating for 3rd party maps on whether or not they achieve the effect of the theme through generic accuracy. As 3rd Parties go, we have to achieve a borderline vagueness, to a comic or movie location as not to infringe on copyrights and licenses. We don't have Wizkid Dollars to obtain those licenses...or we would :)

We can't just go putting Joker Cards and Ice Rooms everywhere.

Again though very awesome review and I am glad after playing the map you enjoyed it proving that first impressions are not always the best impressions.

thanks Alex! Great review.

This is one of our best sellers and I do believe it is the theme that sells it.

I always love your comments, ibeatdrew! So glad you chimed in.

You're right in saying that the theme rating was a bit harsh; I can definitely see your points. The way I rated that was, in part, a comparison to Arkham Asylum, as that's where comparisons will be drawn. That brought it to a 4. The second point came off because of my own (potentially biased) initial impression. The map didn't jump at me just looking at it. This changed radically upon playing it, so that's a debatable point loss. If I was in to doing decimals, it'd be a 3.5 for a best fit.

I'm glad to hear this is a top seller. Two weeks ago, I wouldn't have believed it, but since playing on it I've been won over.

[lancelot]

One of my favorite maps...especially how it gets darker towards the back of the room.

I've had a generic army battle the Aliens on this map...the Aliens would start on the dark side of the map, so fitting...like they created that half of the map with their nests, turning it dark.

Needlessly to say, the Marines got wiped out!

[themonkey]

This map is by far my favorite indoor map. You are right, it looks very simple but it has a very deep gameplay. You really have to watch out for unexpected lines of fire on this map. Tactics, movement, and positioning are much more important than on most of the official maps.

[ibeatdrew]

One of my favorite maps...especially how it gets darker towards the back of the room.

I've had a generic army battle the Aliens on this map...the Aliens would start on the dark side of the map, so fitting...like they created that half of the map with their nests, turning it dark.

Needlessly to say, the Marines got wiped out!

Sounds awesome, never thought of playing Aliens, or Predators on this map.

I designed this map with the intent of it getting darker the deeper you went into the Ward, hence the "padded" rooms and "Medical Room" in the back. Glad someone noticed the "insanity" I was trying to hint at with this map.

[tyroclix]

This is, in my opinion, the best map ibeatdrew has made.

It takes the best parts of the Arkham map and the Prison map and creates a map better than both. A sign of a good map is a minimization of dead space.

This asylum map has a lot less dead space than the prison and Arkham. Even the small rooms on the edges are important for advancing and are brutal as safe zones for Defend, enhancement, and Support characters.

[UndeadEnigma]

I can't wait to play on this one. The more asylums I have the better! :D

[STUimus Prime]

This is my favorite unofficial map.
Great design ibeatdrew
Great review saturnflight
& thanks to both of you for making heroclix more fun.

[Zilleonti]

The Mental Ward was the first "Must-have" map for me.

[Zilleonti]

This map is by far my favorite indoor map. You are right, it looks very simple but it has a very deep gameplay. You really have to watch out for unexpected lines of fire on this map. Tactics, movement, and positioning are much more important than on most of the official maps.

I definately have to agree about the lines of fire on this map. The first time I played on it I had alot of "I wonder if I can see ... from here" moments. More times than not I managed to sneak off an unexpected hit.

[CustomCreator]

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/80851/HCRealms.com/201105/Review-Mental.jpgThe impact a map can have on a game is often overlooked. A good strategy incorporates a tactically-sound map choice. But when it comes to locale, sometimes it's hard to see the forest for the trees. We're here to help you make smart decisions when it comes to Heroclix real estate.

Official Title: Mental Ward
Commonly Known As: HCRealms
Map on Reverse: None
Dimensions: 24" x 36" (16x24 squares)
Set: None
Status: Unofficial

Fixed. ...........

[tone123]

this map is truly one of my favorites, the league of assassins ata is really nice here. i must point out though that OotS batman can actually benefit well on this map. all it takes is proper placement and a buddy to blast some walls down.
and by the way mr. saturn flight, next week is a 300 pt game, build a team to play the wrestler event dial. hope you can make it

[ibeatdrew]

Everybody! Glad you liked the map.

[saturnflight]

this map is truly one of my favorites, the league of assassins ata is really nice here. i must point out though that OotS batman can actually benefit well on this map. all it takes is proper placement and a buddy to blast some walls down.
and by the way mr. saturn flight, next week is a 300 pt game, build a team to play the wrestler event dial. hope you can make it

Would love to, but it's the wife's and my anniversary, so I'll be busy. But I'm really hoping for the following week.

[tone123]

no worries, HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!!