Editing Coup-De-Grace: Arena Design (section)

==Layout Ideas==
===Hub and Spokes===

In this set up, the main "hub" part of the arena is a large central zone, likely containing a few passive hazards, such as pits or spiked walls. If the scenario has a primary objective, it should be in the hub area.
<br>Several "spoke" areas are attached to this central area by narrow corridors. Each player's starting area starts on one of these attached areas, and these areas are equidistant from the centre of the hub.
<br>Additionally, there'll be other spokes, leading off into other side areas. These other side areas will have a desirable feature.
<br>This map layout should encourage quick movement into the central area, with fast guys being sent out to other spokes to get any goodies when they can be spared.
===Floating World===

In this set up, the starting areas are mostly thin corridors, but the main area has larger "rooms".
<br>The special thing here is that there are no walls, and the tile pieces are considered to be floating over a bottomless pit. Anyone who gets knocked off will be taken out of action.
<br>This set up encourages movement away from the hazardous side areas, and into the melee in the centre.
<br>Just in case there's no forced movement effects, its a good idea to have the central area have a feature that contains a controllable forced movement effect. Maybe a kinetic cannon emplacement that knocks back targets at huge ranges when a gunner takes place. Maybe a series of levers that cause board sections to crumble and disappear.
===Ring of Fire===

In this set up, the starting areas are at the periphery. As the game progresses, a by round or random effect causes outer sections of the board to become terminally hazardous or undesirable. For example, a closing ring of fire that burns instantly, or a creeping cloud of poison gas that wounds anyone in it. You can play around with different concepts that have the same effect as well. Maybe there are a series of burning torches across the arena, which go out from the periphery inwards, and anyone not within five squares of one has a 1 in 3 chance of being eaten by a grue!
<br>The key here is that this layout is defined by the outer areas being dangerous, rather than the inner areas being desirable. Indeed, you can introduce a risk-reward element by having the most beneficial features be on the outside!
===Rescue the Prisoners===

In this set up, the warbands start with greatly diminished numbers, and must take action to get the rest of their warband into play. There should be opportunities to kill other people's warband members before they can get them too!
<br>For example, consider an arena with a series of locked cells, each containing a couple of figures from the same warband. The door could be opened simply by pulling a lever outside it. If its your guys doing it, thats grand, you've expanded your warband! If its the enemy, they could slaughter your men before you can reach them!
===Reunion===

Similar to rescue the prisoners above, except the warband is divided into multiple groups, that basically need to rescue each other! A simple two player set up would be four square rooms, set in a square pattern and linked by corridors. Each warband would then be split in half, over opposite corner rooms.

The key to success here, clearly, is to move fast and unite the two halves of your warband!

An interesting variant approach to the above would be to use one-way portals (see below) to create a single direction of flow to the scenario. This then forces players to think about whether they want both their teams moving forward, or if they want to keep one force still so the other can catch it up!
<br><br>