Arkham Asylum is the refuge of Gotham's worst sociopaths between mad plots to kill the Batman. Perhaps comics' secure unit with the least security, Arkham has often been portrayed as one step away from being as insane as the criminals it houses. An overlap of overblown personalities creates the dark, twisted character that sets Arkham apart from other comic book locales.
Then Heroclix got its own version of the Asylum laid out as a battlefield. Full of visual easter eggs and dominated by the checkerboard associated with sterile environments gone wrong, Arkham was a neat tribute to its residents. But somewhere along the line, the layout was lost.
Click here for some insight on this map's design from Wizkids' Seth Johnson! (http://web.archive.org/web/20081121151740/http://www.wizkidsgames.com/wk_article.asp?cid=41888)
<img src="http://www.batmanytb.com/bios/places/arkham_blueprint.jpg" class="imagecenter" width="400px" />
The blueprints of Arkham Asylum that were likely used as reference; note the circular layout on top.
In every example I can find, Arkham cashes in on that creepy feeling of long brown hallways with cells lining the sides, the whole facility overwhelmed by shadow and decay. If you want to evoke Arkham Asylum, all you need to do is make a long hallway with some cells, then have a turn or two in the hallway where you find a counseling room and a 'treatment' room. Splash some shadows, a few references to their most famous patients, and bam! Arkham.
What did we get? Pods.
Imagine that you are a night shift worker at Arkham. Maybe you deliver dinner. Maybe you're simply checking doors. You take the elevator to the third floor, where Gotham's most infamous villains are locked up. And you find that the third floor is a massive auditorium with several individual cells scattered about it. And you can't see into any of the cells until you walk straight to the middle of the room, where all the cell doors face. And now you're surrounded on every side by horrific faces, taunting laughter, and an odd little man in an oversized hat that would be delighted if you'd join him for tea. This is not intelligent architectural design.
<img src="http://dl.dropbox.com/u/80851/HCRealms.com/201105/Mini- Arkham 1.jpg" class="imagecenter" width="400px" />
The Penguin chose the wrong cell; every character can target him, and most can do so while keeping safe from the other residents.
But this is what they gave us, so let's examine it. We have starting areas in opposite corners rather than opposite sides. This is a neat touch, and can lend a little variety to the opening moves of the game, but it also effectively cuts out the other two corners in a roughly triangular area. You will never find a reason to send anyone other than Professor X to one of those corners.
The cells act primarily as line of fire disruption. It's not hard for a close combatant to advance on this map, and a Mastermind figure can safely keep a minion behind him in the narrow corridors between cells. Going into the cells is a dangerous strategy; a Barrier figure can quickly make you regret exploring the Riddler's room.
All terrain outside the cell blocks and starting areas is clear. This means object placement will be important. With Stealth being as common as it is, Super Strength and Telekinesis can neuter many opponents' tactics. A Stealthed figure often wants to hide in the middle of everything for wide visability; forcing them into cells for cover will mean decreased roles for those characters.
In this map, safety comes with a limited role. If you want to keep someone out of the fray, you'll likely have to give up their ability to truly impact the game. Long range won't get you far, and even Running Shot will struggle to get you a good line of fire. Getting up close is really your best option, and with little to get in your way as far as terrain goes, Arkham allows for that.
<img src="http://dl.dropbox.com/u/80851/HCRealms.com/201105/Mini- Arkham 2.jpg" class="imagecenter" width="400px" />
Doctor Destiny takes cover between the close-set pods right of his starting area, but gives up any effective lines of fire to do so.
When you get the call to Arkham Asylum, who do you want at your side?
-Hypersonic Speed is really the only power to thrive here. With so many perfect points to retreat back to, you should always be able to find somewhere safe to hide.
-Barrier is the paper to Hypersonic Speed's rock. Barrier can often close off two rooms in one action, and can make a very frustrating game for your opponent as you hole up in a hallway.
-Super Strength and Telekinesis, especially when paired with abilities to ignore adjacency, can clear up the objects laid on the field and rob players of the only effectively placed hindering terrain on the map.
-Smoke Cloud, on the other hand, can give you hindering terrain that no one can swipe; this is a must for the Gotham teams out there.
-Charge will usually be enough to move your close combatant from a safe launch point to adjacency. Paired with a Barrier friend, you can keep your Charging figure safe from retaliation so long as you attack from an angle.
-Regeneration will enjoy how this map provides so many locations for safe healing. A figure like GSX Wolverine can enjoy relative immortality as opponents struggle to get more than one line of attack against him in one turn.
-Mind Control can ruin a strategy in a hurry; with lines of fire being such precious commodities, placing an opposing character exactly where he shouldn't be can leave your enemy in a bad situation.