The 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: Christmas 2010: Santa’s Workshop
Environment: Indoor/Outdoor
Map on Reverse: None
Dimensions: 24" x 36" (16x24 squares)
Set: GridReality
Status: ROC Legal

Didn’t get the presents you wanted this year? Maybe Santa gave you that toy train…made entirely of coal? Well, it’s time to take the fight to Santa! Or conversely, maybe the Martians are looking for some revenge, and the big red guy could use the Avengers and Justice League to save the North Pole. The best part about this map though, is that it’s a gift from the people over at GridReality. Sadly, this means that it’s not legal in WK-sponsored tournaments, though it also means it's an unexpected possibility for a ROC event despite turning 5 this year.

If you're looking for a copy for yourself, you can print it from Gridreality's site , though a much better option would be to take the pdf to a print shop and get them to do a poster print. eMouse suggests to be sure to shop around, since prices can easily vary on that.

http://www.gridreality.com/




Making Yourself At Home:
The first thing to note about the workshop is the large amount of rooms. The space was well used in that the rooms were orientated lengthwise to make the most use of the tiles on the map. We have two open areas with a narrow corridor in between, though that’s really not a lot of room if you’re trying to line up shots. This means that long range teams will have a harder time controlling the map, and the best option here is a melee team. Plenty of Hindering will lend itself to Stealth based teams, or you could go the Naughty Route and just smash through walls when your opponent comes close with Improved Movement. If you’re looking to ward off any wet bandits, I’d recommend leaving objects around F11, because it divides 3 separate rooms. You could also try G8 or H9 if you’re looking to hole up for the Winter in your starting zone, or I15 and J15 if you’d like to subtly push your opponent either through the stables or living room.

Stuck in a Lease
If a snowstorm cancelled your flight out of the North Pole, you can still make the most of the season. This map lends itself well to melee teams, so if you’d like to snuggle up close this season, then I’d recommend starting around Rows 1 or 2. The walls provide more cover, and it’s possible to move up most of the map by going room to room with your carolers. If you’re the kind of person who wants to try out your new Daisy Red Ryder, starting around Row 23 might be a little better. You’ve got a large open area next to your starting area, though the giant Christmas tree makes lines of fire to the living room a little trickier, and if I was trying to sneak up on you, that’s exactly where I’d come from. A better option might be to turtle up at the cross section of the reindeer stables. There’s only two ways in, and the faster one involves a 7 square straight line, so Charge is probably less of a threat. If your opponent plays smart, and goes for the entrances on Rows 21 and 22, they’ll be better off at staging an assault over a few turns, but Running Shot, Sidestep, a short TK or even some creative hall decking on the stable can still help you introduce opposing characters to the Ghost of Christmas Kick Your Ass.

I Think I’m Gonna Like It Here
Melee is your best option here, and people who can ignore or hide in Hindering as well as people who can smash through walls have the most options. There are several Hulks that would do well here, though sadly his big red counterpart will have less success getting around. Red Lanterns in general would like it here, provided they can fly so that all of the holiday cheer doesn’t get them down. If you’re looking for a Grinch and a guy in red though, one of my personal favorites is the Cable/Deadpool Duo. Surrounded by blocking terrain, it’s hard to set up for an assault when they can teleport up to 10 squares through it, and then shoot and stab anyone on the other side. Lastly, you might also consider running a Flash in here. Most of them will have no trouble running over the Hindering, and the high movement + HSS means you’ll be moving too fast to be nailed down, and you’ll have plenty of walls to hide behind against range teams

But really if you’re here, you should expect some Snowfall. Abominable Snowman sadly doesn’t have any Elevated to bounce over. However, his Great Size will help him step over the children’s presents or even that giant tree outside. The map itself is great to get him up close, where his Aura of Cold can have the most effect, and traited Stealth works really well here. The Holiday Elves sadly have no way to shoot or move through the clutter, though they work well through choke points behind someone else. At the very least, you can push to click 2, where their Mistletoe ability can help slow adjacent opponents down during turns where your tie-ups need to clear. Krampus has no ability to move around especially well on his counterpart’s stomping grounds. That’s unfortunate, since Krampus needs to be able to reliably get around in order to make the most of his Capture-centric dial, and he’s not enough of a tank to move around on his own. Still, if you’d like some themey holiday fun, just remember that "no man is a failure who has friends," and get him a taxi.

Saturnflight's Corner:

This Side Up:
Theme: 5/5
There’s a lot going on in this map, and each room feels like it belongs. The business of the map actually feels appropriate for the business of the location. I love the mix of indoor and outdoor terrain, and the individual rooms all feel great. They even included a stable for the reindeer, so the only thing really missing to me is a snowman. :^)

Clarity: 4/5
While it is a busy map, each room has its own feel, and the well distinguished floors help to separate one from another. It’s easy sometimes to forget where the doorways are, but overall it’s a very well laid out map.

Tactical Impact: 4/5
With plenty of walls, a generous helping of Hindering, and a sporadic layout, this place sets the stage to melee teams or short range combat. It also features plenty of choke points and one or two really good places for an ambush or trap. This is definitely a map that will affect the flow of the game.

Balance: 3/5
This map isn’t unbalanced, but it definitely lends itself to one or two types of teams. While there are a few places for sniper teams to set up, it’ll be fairly obvious what they’re doing, and they’ll always be on the defensive as a result.

Terrain Diversity: 4/5
Any Grubers out there might be happy to know that the designers couldn’t find some excuse to toss on some red terrain to go with all of the green, but honestly, there’s really not much more room for it. Just about every square is no more than 4 squares from Hindering AND Blocking terrain, but it’s all in different patterns and amounts. Sadly, anyone relying on Water terrain will also be left out in the cold.

Overall: 4/5

In the Neighborhood:
While not as holiday themed as here, you might try
The Lab (Armor Wars)
http://www.hcrealms.com/forum/showthread.php?t=296276
School Ruins
http://www.hcrealms.com/forum/showthread.php?t=316187
The Helicarrier – Below Decks
http://www.hcrealms.com/forum/showthread.php?t=334603

If you're looking for other snowy maps, you might also look into getting the Canadian Wilderness, Artic Base, and Weapon X Facility.

That's it for this week! Until next time, enjoy the scenery over some nice hot cocoa!

I was having a problem with my account for the last couple of weeks, so I couldn't post this on Christmas like I originally intended. Still, if you're not Christmased out, I hope you enjoy it, and maybe remember it in 11 months.

Nicely done! I don't have this map darn it. Now I want one.

This is cool, but it is Download only!?!

Download only does mean a couple extra hoops, but look on the bright side: Having a pdf means you can reverse and flip the image a few times at the print shop to make a colossal 64x96 square compound.

...On a side note, I need to remember to trade for a Krampus, put him on this map, and then play "The Night Santa Went Crazy."

I have and love this map, going so far as to have it printed, laminated, and glued on a piece of foam board at one of the local stores. It was expensive to do all that, BUT it means that if I ever want to run it, I can. Awesome to know this thing's ROC Legal, for what that's worth.