Map and Realms

Game Options

Realms: Terrains for All Occasions

Table 1: Average Terrain Counts

Map Generation

Town Placement

Table 2: Eligible Random Town Locations

Terrain Generation

Game Options

Realms: Terrains for All Occasions. A realm represents a typical environment in the world of Grehen. You choose it as one of the game challenge options. Different realms can reward alternative strategies and decks.

In game terms, a realm comprises the following:

• Number of towns. Some realms have a random number of towns.
• Default terrain. The default terrain is automatically assigned to certain squares to ensure accessibility. It is always a non-blocking terrain.
• Terrain distribution. It sets the probabilities for each type of terrain to appear in each square. Each square usually “rolls” a random pick from its distribution only once, at the start of a game.
  • If the Symmetric game option is enabled, then only half of all squares pick their terrain randomly using the distribution, and the other half just copy them (by rotating around the centerpoint), by definition.
  • Some spells cause some or all squares to re-pick their terrain types randomly, which re-uses the realm's distribution.

Table 1: Average Terrain Counts. This table shows the average number of each type of terrain for every realm. (Only 84 of the 94 squares on a game board are considered, since the other 10 squares are reserved for the 2 players' Sancta and Sanctum entrances.)

• The Veldt is the primary realm, with standard terrain and a constant number of towns.
• The large quantities of ice in the Great Frost allow rapid movement and favor quick decks.
• The harsh terrain of the Badlands favor decks that are prepared to handle it with movement or terrain control.
• The forests of Arboria provide cover from individual spells for both players.

• Volgaria is a “time-out realm for unruly players”, Sanctum's equivalent of a penalty box.
  • Volgaria lobby room. It's available only if both players are in the Volgaria lobby room, whether due to banishment or just visiting. And while you're in the Volgaria lobby room, this is the only map you can choose.
  • Unranked only. “Only unranked games are permitted here.”
  • Visitors welcome. Non-banished players can freely visit the Volgaria lobby room, and play on the Volgaria map, if they like.

Map Generation

Town Placement. First, all structures are placed on a blank board.

• Sancta. Each player's Sanctum and Sanctum entrances covers 5 squares.
• Pick half. Half the towns (rounding down) are randomly placed on one half of the board.
• Rotate half. An equal number of towns are then rotated onto the other half of the board.
• Odd town in. If there is an odd town, it is placed in the center square (Symmetric), or in one of the two center squares (Classic).

  Table 2: Eligible Random Town Locations. Randomly placed towns are never placed:

  • Orthogonally adjacent to a Sanctum entrance.
  • Orthogonally adjacent to the centerline (the line of squares equidistant between the two Sancta, which bisects the axis between them).
  • On a centerline square.
  • On a map edge square.
  • Orthogonally adjacent to a town that has already been placed.

This leaves 18 possible squares for towns in a Classic layout, or 13 squares in a Symmetric layout, as shown:

Terrain Generation. Next, terrain is generated. Every square randomly “rolls” its own terrain, using the realm's terrain distribution. The following rules apply:

• Plains. Sancta, Sanctum entrances, and towns are automatically plains.
• Default. Squares adjacent to a Sanctum entrance (i.e. at distance 2 from a Sanctum) are the map realm's default terrain. (Each Sanctum has 5 such squares nearby.)
• Max 1. Every town can be adjacent to at most one blocking terrain (mountain, volcano, swamp) or deadly terrain (water or Void). If a town is already blocked on any one side, then the other three squares adjacent to this town are the map realm's default terrain.

There is no guarantee that you have a safe path to any town.

v2.20.00 Last updated 2009/03/24