Restart of Guild Land Rush

[WxCougar]

A new blog post up on Goblinworks: goblinworks.com/blog/the-map/

There isn't any hardcore rules yet, but they gave us a heads up that soon the Guild Land Rush will be restarted.

Blog Highlight:

"A quick note about the Guild Land Rush: We are going to restart it shortly, with a new format, and a special area of our website that will be dedicated to the promotion. Rather than give half-answers and a lot of "don't know at this time" responses, we'll just say that a big update about that promotion is coming and we'll post it as soon as we've crossed all the "t"s and dotted all the "i"s."

[Lorhayden]

I saw that. Did you see the map do you know is that map actually accurate? If so where do we want to stake our claim?

[WxCougar]

A note on the map: Lee has said that there will be some small tweaks to the map that is currently up. There will not be any widescale terrain changes. Tweaks include switching around a monster or badlands hex. He indicates the map is 99% correct and once the Land Rush is launched the map will be 100% correct.

Landrush Map:

goblinworks.com/static/media/uploads/blogimages/landgrab.png

Map Key as figured by Djoc on the messageboard with added observations as more is discovered.

Hex size: One hex is 680m from flat side to flat side and 780m from one point to its opposite point.

Colors (dominant terrain of each hex)

Light Green: Plains
Dark Green: Forest
Yellow/Tan: Hills/Highlands
Brown: Mountainous Forest
Orange: Mountains
Light Blue: Water (only 4 hexes, found immediately south-east of settlement Z - Edit: Believed to be Toad Lake, a swamp-like area)
**Not on map currently** Swamp
Dark Grey: Meteorite impacts (some important resources will be found only in these places, like skymetal, adamantium, meteoric-iron, etc.)

Produce in Hexes written by Lee Hammock

And to give people some further information, here's what the hexes produce. Note Bulk materials are used in making settlement structures, not crafting items, and represent large quantities of goods. They will be difficult to transport long distances due to encumbrance, so you want them made nearby or guarded heavily. Also essences are components used in making magic items. There are three progressions of essences, each of which is found in two terrain types (Woodlands and Swamps, Croplands and Water, Mountains and Highlands).

Croplands: All the Bulk Food you will ever need, some Bulk Trade Goods, lots of herbs, the best at cloth, essences

Woodlands: The best at Bulk Wood, some Bulk Food (from hunting wild game), very little Bulk Ore, the best at wood, lots of herbs, leather, essences

Highlands: The best at Bulk Stone, moderate Bulk Iron, a little Bulk Food and Bulk Trade goods, mineral chemicals (brimstone and such), some herbs, coal/copper/gold, gems

Mountains: The best at Bulk Iron, lots of Bulk Stone, very little Bulk Trade Goods and Bulk Food, essences, some mineral chemicals, a few herbs, iron/silver/platinum, gems

Swamplands: Moderate amounts of Bulk Food, Iron, Wood, and Trade Goods, essences, mineral chemicals, herbs, leather

Water: Lots of Bulk Food and Trade Goods, essences, pearls, a few herbs in large quantity

Brokenlands: No bulk materials (POIs cannot be built here), essences, mineral chemicals, gems, lots of metals


Symbols

Stars: Starter NPC Settlements - Thornkeep to the north-east (Chaotic Neutral) and Fort Inevitable to the southwest (Lawful Evil- Hellknight run)
Black lines: Major trade routes
Triangle: NPC hexes - NPC-patroled/controlled/protected areas

Letters "A" to "AD": Initial settlement spots available during land rush/early enrollment (total of 30)
Village (one big hut and one small hut): Future settlement spots to become available later
Lion: Monster hexes or specific adventure spot (Emerald Spire between V and W), *likely* related to escalations
Castle: Home hexes, permanent home to specific group of NPCs/monsters, with permanent escalation (orc/ogre tribe XYZ, etc.)
Ruins: Badlands, also related to escalations, not as icky as monster hexes, may also be used later by developers to add future content
Big white X: Passes/choke-points - Only way to move from one "tier" of elevation to the next

* Low tier: Lowlands - Light Green (most of south-west quadrant and small south-easternmost portion of map) (includes settlements L, M, N, O and P) (will eventually include swamplands as well)
* Middle tier: Highlands and Woodlands - Yellow and Drak Green (most of map) (includes all 19 other settlements)
* High tier: Mountains - Brown and Orange (most of north-east quadrant and 3 other spots) (includes settlements A, B, W, AA, AC and AD)

Areas of Interest
Emerald Spire: Is located southeast of W where the monster hex is located.
Fort Riverwatch: The Good aligned starter town is not in this area but is located to the northwest of this piece of map.

Note: To better visualize, imagine "cliff lines" where the colors meet and plateaus in between
Note: Sprinkled "off-color" terrain will *likely* be on the same tier as the dominant color around them
Note: You can moving freely between yellow and dark green regions as well as between brown and orange regions
Note: Actual "cliff lines" might be drawn a bit differently if there are some "off-color" terrain right next to the "cliff-lines"
Note: There was a hint at unswimable rivers which are not currently drawn on this map (I would guess, other small impassable terrain features are also possible) that will hinder settlements from easily accessing/controlling adjacent POI hexes as much as the tier cliffs
Note: Apparently, one big white X is missing, 3 hexes north-west of Thornkeep along the trade route

Full Map : This map includes areas outside of the Land Rush and EE. The Landrush letters are not included but you can get an idea of where it is based on the locations of Thornekeep and Fort Inevitable. It includes the location of Fort Riverwatch to the northwest. (Note: Bonfire symbol was a mistake and doesn't mean anything in game).

goblinworks.com/static/media/uploads/blogimages/fullmap.png

[Lorhayden]

When the new land rush restarts, if we are able to reawaken everyone and hings stay true to the previous landrush, we'll be the 4th largest guild on the map. We need to be prepared to grab our hex. I suggest having a list of our top 10 spots ready. I think we should also discuss this with any allies and see if we as a group may want to control a section of the map. Along those same lines, we should probably determine what we want our immediate primary focus to be since that will lend itself to deciding which location is the best one for us to start at.

1-AB 4-w 7-I
2-AC 5-AA 8-K
3-AD 6-H 9-E
10-G

[Huran]

I agree with the best choice being AB. I also like AC, E and O. K would be cool though I think TEO might be a better fit for that one. W is a little too close to the Emerald Spire for my taste.

[WxCougar]

I agree with all that you said, Lorhayden about getting an idea on what we as a group wish to focus on and also collaborating with our allies. As to my opinion on our focus, I am pretty much open. It would be cool to be near the mountains or a meteor hex as well as having a place for our farmers. But we'll certainly not get it all. (Which is where forging good allies is crucial).

That said, I too agree that AB is the number one choice. It has a great location and several good hexes around it. AC is also a good second choice for similar reasons. AA isn't too bad, but my worry is getting to and out of our area. The white "x" denote entrance and exits to certain terrain areas. Though too, the closest entrance to AA is in an NPC controlled area so it may not be as bad. Bonus would also be being close to Thornekeep - one of the starting towns. O or, to a lesser extent, M wouldn't be too bad if we wanted to stick close to the main trade routes and are also close to forest hexes.

Watching the video was quite helpful in getting a feel for the map. It was also where we learned that W and V are right around the Emerald Spire hex.

[lifedragn]

Wanted to make it known that I have been looking in, but not with the intention of trying to steal your choices. I hope you do not mind an outsider peeking in on the conversation, though if you do, let me know and I will stop following this thread.

TEO and our allies will be holding some meetings soon to talk about this subject, though we've also started some internal dialogue as well. I personally have a very strong desire for our organizations to get along very well, so I would like to keep some open communication throughout this process. Both so that we can make accommodations towards each other's plans and hopefully so that we might set ourselves up for potential trade and support arrangements.

I will say that there does seem to be, from my incomplete knowledge, a lot of focus on the same regions. I would like to leave a point of advice about the NPC starter towns that I reminded my fellow TEO members of for our discussion. The two starting cities for EE are ultimately going to be the Chaotic Neutral (Thornkeep) and Lawful Evil settlements. Thornkeep will probably host more good players until the map expands to include Fort Riverwatch in the Northwest, which will ultimately be the good-aligned starter area. As a fellow good-aligned organization, proximity to Thornkeep will be a huge boon in Early Enrollment. But counting on that proximity to be a long-term benefit will result in lesser importance as the good-aligned starter area, and thus members most well-suited to your organization, will start primarily in another settlement when it becomes available. This has not really impacted TEO's decision too strongly, but when viewing locations such as AA that are very close to one of these starter cities, keep in mind that it may not be the starter city you want to be near long-term.

Best of luck!

[WxCougar]

Thank you for your insight Lifedragn. It is definitely something to keep in mind. I personally don't mind your presence but I can only speak for myself. This is after all, an open board so everyone could see it - so it should be expected outside eyes are watching. I know we will be interested in discussions with our fellow allies such as TEO and would be interested in knowing when those discussions will occur.

With the thought on Thornekeep being Chaotic Neutral and Fort Inevitable being Hellknight run (I knew about Inevitable being evil but was unsure on Thornekeep), it doesn't change my opinion on placement. Though, our two favorites are quite far away from where the good-aligned starter town will be. I recall a lot of discussion on us wanting to be a sort of neutral ground so it wouldn't be out of the question for us to be nearby Thornekeep long term. Some food for thought certainly.

[Nymerias]

Hey just popping back to to say I'm alive and was vaguely paying attention to the blogs. I haven't had a chance to look at the map but as soon as I do I'll give my two cents.

[Nymerias]

I like AB and AC. I even like AD, though we might want to leave such a spot for the more mining inclined groups we know of like Deepforge Company. I would be concerned about how far off from the main trade routes those spots really are though. I can see being near the main roads to be a boon and a burden. If we aren't by the roads we can chose to make our own routes that could end up having a lot more variety to them and therefore be less likely to have bandits always camped on them. I also don't know how important water is going to be so being near a large section of it could be highly useful.

I do like AA a lot as well. I feel like it will be a very high traffic area, which could make it dangerous, but also make it profitable.

I think I would personally take P or Q over O, but I'm not sure why exactly. I think I'm just afraid of being too close to roads and meteorite zones and making ourselves early targets. I would rather be close but not the closest to those valuable spots.

[WxCougar]

As a point of interest, Kazz Signsoul put a spreadsheet on the paizo boards that calculates risk and safety as well as distances in meters between hex types (ie how far from a plains or a mountain hex).

docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1PSh5b87F-esuHIpxiaG-LMoahPYaNiIne9sNjTv4MRQ/edit?usp=sharing&pli=1


Also of note, it seems that the water area is likely to be a swamp-type. People are thinking that it might be Toad Lake. It also sounds like if we want to grow our own food, we will need to be near a plains hex.

[Drake]

Missed this thread and started another in the Guild Discussion section. Oh well, here is my thoughts. (Copied from that thread)

Personally, I like location H for it's access to resources and proximity to the road. The area around the settlement offers some natural defense in the from of two hill hexes and a pass hex.

For true defensibility I like W and AA as they are situated on a mountain with the biggest threat a permanent home for escalation cycles between them. Preferably if we got one of those two an ally would take the other.

If we have enough allies at the start, the area of the southernmost mountains (AC and AD) would be nice, but we would need to secure alliances with the other land rush settlement and two non-land rush settlements. The biggest problem there is lack of access to roads and the probability of larger alliances wanting the area.

In order of my preference

1 - H
2 - AA
3 - I
4 - W
5 - AC
6 - AD

If we are one of the top six we should be able to get one of these. It will give us access to mountains with any of them and those will be the most desirable locations for their resources. I picked H for my top one because it is also close to a plains hex for access to food and for access to the road for an increase in secure trade options.

[WxCougar]

As a FYI, I am going to be editing my Map post with new information instead of adding new posts so as to not swamp the board. As such, I have added a produce section to the map that just showed up from one of the developers. Definitely something to keep in mind on what resources we want to be close to.

[Dorin Racbur]

I have an interest in any spot that is near sky metal / adamantium. Asside from that I don't mind where we be .

[Drake]

Do we know which map is more accurate / up to date? There are a lot of icons that are different between the two that can make a big difference. For example, one reason I liked H is the pass up to the mountain was located in an adjacent hex in the smaller map, but it is one hex further in the larger map.