Axis & Allies Miniatures Map

[NeonKnight]

Using a hex grid is great for regional maps. However, it seems your roads, towns, and forests are forced into their shape by the grids around them. Your map appears to have been created by one of those hex tile based mapping programs, except as you say, this is created in GIMP and Inkscape. So consider a natural freeform shape to your terrain features.

When I map, I place the grid as the very last thing. I do sometimes use a grid to help maintain scale throughout the process for complex maps, but I pre-create my grids and apply them as needed, usually at the end only most of the time.

I suggest using the grids to help determine scale at this stage, but otherwise forget they exist and create your towns, roads and forests without any forced limitation. If your forests extended beyond the edges of a given hex and partially into other hexes creating a more random shape you would have great improvement. Apply this to your towns and roads.

Your implied Hex limitation is too obvious and completely unnecessary.

Of your two forest samples, I prefer the one to the right of the other.

GP

Except, Axis & Allies is a miniature game played on a HEX gridded map, so unfortunately, the terrain must be constrained by the grid. Artificial I know, but for the game to be played, that is how it has to be.

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=ah/aa/welcome

and

For example maps
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x...le/ah20051121c

Here is the excerpt of Page 25 & 26 of the rulebook for A&A Minis, detailing the HEX terrain.