This year's annual board design competition theme will be 'Under the Sea'.

Prizes are as follows and you have until Dec 31 to get a board live (i.e. through the review process). You can enter as many times as you like.

Full details are found here: http://www.wargear.net/wiki/doku.php?id=designer_workshop:map_making_contest

Good Luck!

First prize: $100
Second prize: $50
Third prize: $30
Fourth, Fifth prize: $10.

Not sure what I'm going to do for this one. I kind of joked I'd do a little mermaid map, but I dunno.  Under the sea seems like it's begging for a 3-D board, but I don't think I've ever seen one done on wargear.  Sounds tricky.  Maybe a Lost City of Atlantis.  Anyone got ideas?

First thing that came to my mind was Whales and Turtles.  - But I have no idea what I'd do with that. 

I also thought about something based on an insaniquarium screen shot:

http://www.wildtangent.com/games/insaniquarium-deluxe

The models are easy to get, and you could quite literally do anything. 

(I'm not claiming any of these ideas btw, if you feel inspired, make the map!)

How about an inverted world (world) map - where land areas are 'out of bounds'.  You'd need to come up with fictitious territories and continents, but..

M57 wrote:

How about an inverted world (world) map - where land areas are 'out of bounds'.  You'd need to come up with fictitious territories and continents, but..

http://www.wargear.net/boards/view/Earth+Reversed

Ozyman wrote:

M57 wrote:

How about an inverted world (world) map - where land areas are 'out of bounds'.  You'd need to come up with fictitious territories and continents, but..

http://www.wargear.net/boards/view/Earth+Reversed

Yep - forgot.. and that's a nice map too.

One of the few I remember playing on ToS.

Ozyman wrote:

... it's begging for a 3-D board, but I don't think I've ever seen one done on wargear.  

does this or this qualify as a 3d board? or more 3d like the 3d tic-tac-toe board that i can't seem to find (or maybe that was on ToS)?

i've thought about jumping back in and making a new map. i've toyed with a few ideas ranging from resurrecting my 'aliens' board to a new one i've made some graphics for, but can't get the underlying fill territories to work (need some help i think).

I'm assuming that similar to the past, creative license with the theme is allowed? (eg. off the top of my head - it could be a port town map with a story that connects to 'under the sea')? 

weathertop wrote:

new one i've made some graphics for, 

*drool* that one's pretty! What did you use to make it?

weathertop wrote:

or more 3d like the 3d tic-tac-toe board that i can't seem to find (or maybe that was on ToS)?

The 3D tic-tac-toe board was on ToS, and was one of mine. For those who aren't familiar with it, it was a 3 x 3 x 3 matrix, with three separate levels. So you could attack the x, y or z axis. 

i found the original image on the web, looks like the original link is broken now. the original was made using 'virtualscape'. and might be something i start using for future maps. we'll see tho.  

i then modified it in paint.net to be more of what i wanted.  i'm having a hell of a time creating the fill spots under the board so just the main tiles will show thru. i'm gunna play with it some more today when i get some time with a different technique to see if it works any better...advice welcome as i do want to make this map work regardless of the theme!! 

ok, i tried my new 'technique' - i think that it will work, though it'll take quite a bit of tweaking to get it any better than it is now...

weathertop wrote:

I'm assuming that similar to the past, creative license with the theme is allowed? (eg. off the top of my head - it could be a port town map with a story that connects to 'under the sea')? 

Yep.  Judges are free to give/take points if they think the connection to theme is particularly strong/weak, but it's basically up to the designer if they think their map belongs in the themed contest.

OMG: http://www.southernfriedscience.com/?p=15682

gotten from here: http://www.isciencetimes.com/articles/6293/20131110/sea-level-rise-mapped-drown-town-visualization.htm

Yeah. I'd vote for that as theme adherence. For sure.

ratsy wrote:

Yeah. I'd vote for that as theme adherence. For sure.

+1

Does a swimming pool game count?  Under the... Water?

Edward Nygma wrote:

Does a swimming pool game count?  Under the... Water?

Theme adherence is in the eye of the beholder & the judges.  IMO - yes it certainly does.

Speaking of - how are people doing on this theme?  Anyone want more time?  Last year we gave until the end of February to get the maps published.  Would that help anyone get one done this time?

I just need some warm bodies...