Hi everyone,

Quite new to IA I am - and I am looking for some skirmish maps for casual PvP play.
I know there's a map rotation - but I am not even certain skirmish is being played in an organized way in my neighhbourhood anymore?

Anyway I want to buy or print a few maps and I am especially looking for fun, balanced maps.
There's a poll on BGG but there's not a lot of votes there. https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1551183/skirmish-map-ranking

Can you please give some advices?

Thanks! 😁

Mos Eisley back alleys is a popular map for its relative balance. I also liked Training Grounds when it was in rotation.

I like to use the Vader map (Massassi Ruins) to introduce new players, it has almost everything you could ask for: splitting of troops, going for objectives vs. killing, terminal camping, giant tree in middle to play around LOS

I also like the IG-88 map (Ord Mantell Junkyard) and Stormtrooper map (Training Ground) once the player becomes more experienced because they have a mini-game within a game (guess who's the target?)

I don't really like the TS map (Mos Eisley Cantina), General Weiss map and Kayn Somo's map

Steer clear of the map with the Hired Guns map if you're looking for balance, it's probably one of the craziest maps out there.

One REALLY cool map I enjoyed was the Carbon Chamber one from the Bespin Gambit. Super cool objective here.

My understanding is that many players enjoyed the ISB Headquarters (i think thats the name) from the ISB Infiltrators pack.

I think most players loved Jabba's Palace from the Jabba figure pack- his map is both very thematic (with Jabba's throne room and a Rancor pit you can fall into!) and offers a great blend of objectives vs kill points, and the deployment zones were so balanced different players preferred one side to another over tiny things relating to player preference (not obvious big differences like the deployment zones on Nal Hutta Swamps from the Alliance Rangers pack).

That should give you enough to get started!

Here's a WIP -very- rough categorization I've been working on. No descriptions as to why I chose them yet, and it's entirely possible I could reconsider some of them. Generally speaking: most of the good are reasonably balanced and/or have interesting mechanics that switch things up; the middle category I either can't quite visualize or want a few play throughs before I decide; and most of the bad either -highly- favour one style of play (such as long range) and/or are way too random to be playable. I'm also open to disagreeing viewpoints!

One thing that surprised me: I expected, before making this list, a lot more maps to land in the 'bad' category. ; )

Good:
01 / Core Set / Mos Eisley Outskirts
02 / Hero Luke / Moisture Farm
03 / Vader / Massassi Ruins
06 / Rebel Troopers / Geonosis Foundry
08 / Weiss / Imperial Research Lab
09 / RG Champion / Kuat Space Station
10 / IG-88 / Ord Mantell Junkyard
11 / Twin Shadows / Mos Eisley Cantina
15 / Stormtroopers / Training Ground
19 / Leia / Nelvaanian Warzone
23 / Smuggler / Imperial Command Hub
24 / Bantha Rider / Coruscant Landfill
27 / Agent Blaise / ISB Headquarters
30 / Obi-Wan / Anchorhead Bar
33 / Jabba's Realm / Pit of Karkoon
35 / Rangers / Nal Hutta Swamps
37 / Jabba / Jabba's Palace
38 / BT-1 / Tarkin Initiative Labs
39 / Jawa / Mos Eisley Back Alleys
41 / Heart of the Empire / 30th Floor Plaza
42 / Ahsoka / Uscru Entertainment District
XX / Hondo / Friend for Hire
XX / Thrawn / Imperial Tower
XX / Ezra and Kanan / Lothal Battlefront
XX / Sabine and Zeb / Devaron Garrison

Borderline/Not Sure:
04 / Han / Corellian Underground
16 / Wookiee Warriors / Development Facility
18 / Return to Hoth / Echo Base
25 / Bespin Gambit / Bespin Tibanna Facility
31 / Grand Inquisitor / Kashyyyk Station
44 / Palpatine / Coruscant Senate Office
XX / Tyrants of Lothal / Lothal Wastes

Bad:
05 / Chewbacca / Imperial Labour Camp
07 / Rebel Sabs / Endor Wilderness
12 / R2-D2 / Wasteland Outpost
13 / Kayn / Tython Meditation Field
14 / Boba Fett / Imperial Space Station
17 / Hired Guns / Sewers of Nar Shaddaa
20 / Echo Base Troopers / Hoth Weather Shelter
21 / Sorin / Climate Research Camp
22 / Dengar / Hoth Battle Station (Man, this guy just can't catch a break!)
26 / Lando / Lothal Safehouse
28 / ISB Infiltrators / ISB Training Grounds
29 / Bossk / Wasskah Hunting Ground
32 / Greedo / Hangar Bay
34 / Jedi Luke / The Dune Sea
36 / Terro / Endor Defense Station
40 / Hera / Copper Base, Atollon
43 / Maul / Coruscant Back Alleys

Have you played all of those maps? Putting Nal Hutta Swamps in the good category gives me doubts about the rest of the list. That map was terribly imbalanced.

5 hours ago, Tvboy said:

Have you played all of those maps? Putting Nal Hutta Swamps in the good category gives me doubts about the rest of the list. That map was terribly imbalanced.

I've played every map in the 'Good' category for sure, except for a few of the most recent.

I played Nal Hutta dozens of times, for its entire tourney run. I love melee, and I've played it with melee centric lists. I never have agreed with the hatred the majority (or perhaps, vocal minority?) seem to have for this map. I've enjoyed its run; I don't consider it particularly strongly imbalanced, either in starting position or against melee figures.

But! We're allowed to disagree. ; ) And since it's had its run as a tourney map, it won't return, so at least you won't have to see it again!

On 12/3/2018 at 4:23 PM, IndyPendant said:

I've played every map in the 'Good' category for sure, except for a few of the most recent.

I played Nal Hutta dozens of times, for its entire tourney run. I love melee, and I've played it with melee centric lists. I never have agreed with the hatred the majority (or perhaps, vocal minority?) seem to have for this map. I've enjoyed its run; I don't consider it particularly strongly imbalanced, either in starting position or against melee figures.

But! We're allowed to disagree. ; ) And since it's had its run as a tourney map, it won't return, so at least you won't have to see it again!

Well, I didn't say it was imbalanced against melee lists. Vader and Jets/Riots were extremely strong on Shielded, even against Rangers. Alliance Smugglers and and Ugnauts were similarly imbalanced on Raining Freight. And the deployment zones were clearly imbalanced, one side got to advance up the map with near impunity thanks to multiple hiding spots right outside of the deployment zone while the other side had zero places to hide their figures, not to mention being forced to deal with an extremely narrow deployment zone that also annoying terrain right in the middle of it and having one of the 4 objectives being inaccessible round 1 without a mobile figure.

You're right that everyone is entitled to their opinion though. Nal Hutta was okay. As long you got the red deployment zone or had Jets.

On 12/3/2018 at 3:46 PM, IndyPendant said:

40 / Hera / Copper Base, Atollon

I quite like Chopper Base. Thought it was pretty fun. That was the finals map we chose for our little six player "tournament" last semester and it was quite a fun match. I liked the long halls and liked that we both split up our forces (it was a pretty big map I think). Bit of randomness in there too for some surprises with the mission with the colored tokens.

On 12/3/2018 at 11:52 AM, TheWelcomeMat88 said:

One REALLY cool map I enjoyed was the Carbon Chamber one from the Bespin Gambit. Super cool objective here.

I'm excited to try this one out! I've had it on my thumb drive for a while... waiting to bring it to the printers...

I really like tarkin as well. Its pretty balanced and has interesting objectives.