Some time ago I agreed to do a review of some GEO-Hex products for MWAN. As anyone who really knows me well will tell you "speedy" is not my middle name. So several weeks later I finally sit down to tell you about some truly great products from Portland, Oregon, home of Geo-Hex.
I suppose some introduction is in order with regards to the company that many long time gamers have known. The Geo-Hex landscape system was born in the early 1980's the brain child of Mr. Kieran P. Rohan. What he wanted after many frustrating attempts to reproduce terrain on the tabletop was terrain that was generic and ascetically pleasing. Following some experimentation Geo hex was finally born in 1986. Over the years the line of products has expanded to include Battlescape and Gamescape and our line of felt mats and Geo-Scenic cloths followed a few years later by Mountainscape.
For those who have not seen a Geo-hex set let me first describe what makes the system work. The design of the system is very simple. Each set in the line is based on 12" hexagonal tiles made from Styrofoam, painted and flocked to represent either desert or grassy terrain. The basic hex is cut apart into a total of only seven shapes. Each of the pieces connects virtually seamlessly with all of the other shapes in the series. With some planning and patience a garner can layout patterns to represent just about any terrain feature imaginable.
I do not propose to discuss the three products I recently received during the course of this article: The Gamescape Set, The Expander Set and the Seascape felt mat. Instead, I will discuss the products produced by this company in general. I do think it is appropriate to give you an idea of how much their sets will cost you. So let's get the ugly subject of money out of the way first. Why is it that everything always seems to come down to money? So tawdry. A set of Gamescape Terrain costs $130, the expander is $120 and the seascape mat a mere $34. Please put your jaws back in the socket at this time. Were this any other product I too would think the price excessive. Certainly some of you will continue to think so despite my glowing comments.
Let's talk about what you get in each set in order. The Gamescape Set is a good starter set for the gamers. It provides a generally level and open playing surface. The set contains 58 pieces and will cover most typical game tables. Combined with the Expander, which add roads to the Gamescape set, you can cover your table with a pleasing array of terrain features including low hills. The expander includes 35 pieces, 23 of which are reversible hexes, plain on one side with roads printed on the back, and three contour shapes witli roads up the face. The Seascape mat is a 4' x 6' bluish colored felt mat that is painted to represent sea foam. The mat can be used under the Gamescape system to provide bodies of water, streams etc. Or, it can be used on it's own for naval battles.
The advantages of this stuffare simple: Portability, uniformity, high quality, and it gets you into the terrain business quickly. The disadvantages exist as well: somewhat fragile, uniformity, and cost. The Geo-Hex system is based on expanded Styrofoam identical to the type used in packing and some forms of insulation. The white beaded sort common to television car-tons ad the like. Has anyone out there ever had their 400-pound brother-in-law lean on a piece of white insulation board? If you have you probably noticed that he compressed it dramatically. Well, the same thing happens to this stuff when your average wargamer, many of us are kind of hefty, decides to lean on it like "the great general surveying his legions." Advocates of blue Styrofoam, and I am one of them, well tell you how much more durable that type of foam is compared to its white bead brother. No disputing that fact. Unfortunately, blue foam is much more expensive. So the already expensive Geo-hex set just doubled in price. My Advice, keep a close eye on your heavier gaming buddies around the table.
Our next target is uniformity. Whoever thought that would be a problem for armies? It can be when we are talking about terrain. The product, whether desert or green, comes in perfectly flocked form. This stuff is produced nice and even. Very beautiful work. Unfortunately, real terrain is not perfect or uniform except at a golf course. Again, this is a cost prohibitive factor common to any mass produced item. I will not waste anyone's time arguing that we should all rejoice at perfect and uniform terrain hexes. Far from it. For those for whorn the perfection of Geo-Hex is a problem I say customize your set once you buy it. Spray a little glue down and break up the green or sand colors a little. You will be surprised at the result. Of course you can always buy terrain squares crafted to your individual specifications. This solves the problem of uniformity. However, it creates its own problems in terms of portability. I believe a gent wrote an article some time back regarding his efforts at customizing Geo-Hex sets that he had bought at various places. It was a super article. Though something that I must admit takes some serious guts to do after you just laid out several hundred dollars for a set or two.
The final option for those wanting something more than the "bowling alley" look is of course making your own. I have made sets of both squares and hexes. Both are time consuming though rewarding. And though they are less expensive in terms of initial outlay, they are costly when it comes to your time. It might take you weeks or months to make a set of terrain for yourself. Of course mats and separate hills can also be an option, one that I use frequently. For those looking for an easy solution, the folks at Geo-hex also make less expensive sets for you as well. But you are supposed to be critiquing Rob.
Cost is a major concern. This stuff is not for the squeamish. It is expensive. If you take care of it and maintain it, yes maintain it, it will last a long time. I speak from experience. I had one of the master sets ( the really big set) back in the early 90's. I took loving care of it until it was consumed by fire. Oh yes one other disadvantage, it's flammable. Then again what isn't? I talked a little about cost already. You can go out and make your own terrain. While you spend little comparatively on supplies, your major investment is in time. Also, it helps to have some artistic ability.
Portability is a major plus for this product. As I had said before, I had made my own hexes and squares. While these home-grown terrain pieces were equally lightweight, they were not terribly easy to transport. Geo-hexes uniformity allows all the components of a given set to fit into one, or at most two, large shipping boxes. I don't have to tell you how handy this can be when you are moving or taking your terrain on the road. While homemade terrain can be lightweight, transportation is usually a problem. Many gamers build terrain features right into their squares and hexes making them difficult to stack evenly. All of this says nothing about storage. My homemade hexes took up considerable space in the family storage area.
The big plus to any of Geo-hex's sets are that they pack away neatly and take up little of that precious storage space around the house. Of course those who use gaming mats, blankets and the like have a huge advantage in the area of portability and to some extent flexibility. Simply fold up your mat and stow the trees houses etc. and hit the road.
Finally there is the high quality of Geo-hex products. I have never, let's capitalize that, NEVER seen a substandard product from this company. I am not sure just how quality control is handled but other manufacturers could learn a thing or two from these fine people. The term quality extends into all areas of this company. The terrain itself is top notch, customer service is excellent, and shipping turn around is amazingly fast. Here's a small example. When I bought my first set years ago there was a slight problem. It arrived with a small dent in the box thanks tot he delivery company. I called Geo-hex and told them my problem. I had one hex that was dented pretty well. Without questioning me any further a replacement hex was sent out along with several blanks for me to customize. Can anyone think of any other terrain maker that tells you what color/manufacturer of paint and brand of flocking were used in the production of their product, Howard Hues paints and Woodland Scenics flocking used throughout the production of each set. In most sets, blanks are provided to use as filters or for whatever purpose, including customization you might think up.
To sum it all up you can't possibly go wrong investing in one or more of the sets of Geo- Hex terrain. The cost may be prohibitive for many gamers. However, there are products available for just about any budget and taste. In addition to the terrain sets, the folks at Geo-hex offer figures, game rules', and other terrain accessories. If you have access to the internet, I heartily endorse their site (http://www.geohex.com/index.htm). Of course you can always give them a call or write to the address: Geo-Hex. 2126 North Lewis, Portland, OR 97227 (Phone 503-288-4805, Fax 503-288-8992
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© Copyright 2000 Hal Thinglum
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