Map Analysis Series: River City Rampage [Gearbox]

The instructive images in this article are captured from the free Tabletop Simulator mod by Tekk which you can subscribe to here.

Hello again and welcome.  I’m Gearbox and I’m here to help you go from casually tossing monsters around the board to playing MonPoc competitively.  This is the sixth article in a series analyzing all the maps released for Monsterpocalypse.  In today’s article I’m going to walk through an analysis of the Monsterpocalypse map River City Rampage.  I recommend reading my articles on Power Bases and Vectors before you dive into this article.

Released in May 2021 in the Elemental Champions and Savage Swarm starter boxes as one side of the double sided paper map.  River City Rampage is a difficult map to wrap one’s head around, and slightly awkward to play on.  The river down the center draws the eye and brings attention to the difficulty units find crossing the map, but the key issue I find with the map is the limited room for units to spawn and maneuver.  

Foundations, Clutter, and Spawn Points

With 20 foundations, River City Rampage sounds like it should be reminiscent of the previous starter maps Calamity Park and Destruction Junction.  However, where those maps felt reasonably straightforward and easy to understand, this one feels cluttered and unintuitive to me.  There are large pockets on the left and right side of the map, where monsters can be screened on three sides by buildings, but the middle of the map is wide open.

The buildings feel very spread out and far apart from one another here, while still being close enough to make maneuvering with a pedestrian monster difficult and dangerous.  Pedestrians really only have one choice: to barrel down the center and of the map and work to come out on top.

The 5 spawn points are so spread out that the map feels like it’s split down the center vertically, as well as along the river horizontally.  Of all the maps I’ve seen, this is the only one where I recommend prioritizing the neutral spawn points.  Most of the time, a neutral spawn is a nice thing to have.  Here on River City Rampage, you need those neutral spawns to close the large gap that exists between your normal spawns and the enemy back line; even the Middle power zones are so far away from your normal spawn points that you will want the neutrals to keep them in check.

Potential Power Bases

In the left rear of the map there is an Alleyway Double that feels very safe.  Note that if your opponent controls the leftmost neutral spawn point, that the forward g-tank in the example below is within 6 spaces of an enemy spawn and thereby vulnerable; you may want to move it back onto the spawn point if that’s the case.

Towards the middle on the left hand side of the map is an Offset Alleyway Double with a power zone in the middle.  This is a trap.  Do not try to secure these two foundations, or any green foundations, unless you’re already so far ahead on Territory that the game is mostly in the bag.  Stay away from this secure, because it will be attacked and you will have a bad time.

Also towards the middle of the map, but on the right hand side, there is an Alleyway Double attached to an Offset Double.  Neither of these secures are worthwhile, since they are so close to the middle of the board, where the monsters will be duking it out.  

On the right hand side of the board there is an Offset Double that feels reasonably safe, but is so far away from any spawn points that it takes notable effort to secure.  The power zone nearby it is the safest power zone on the map, which speaks more to the aggressive placement of power zones on the map than anything else.

In the middle of the map there are 7 power zones, almost all of which are out of swatting range of each other.  The safety of these zones is entirely reliant on which neutral spawn points your opponent controls, and where their monsters are.  If they have seized control of their neutral points, neither the leftmost nor middle power zones are safe.

Given how difficult it is to establish, maintain, and attack power bases on River City Rampage, I highly recommend some aggressive unit tactics.  Feast on the opposing units that venture near the center of the board as best you can to generate the power dice you’ll need to toss your opponent’s monsters around.

Alley-Oop Vectors

Remember that anything done on your side of the map can be done on your opponent’s side and vice versa.  Also remember that Vectors can be reversed, if done properly.  In the examples below, Red Goghadra will be where the enemy lands from the initial attack, Defender X will be where you can position your second monster, and Orange Gorghadra will be where the enemy finally lands.  There are six key Alley-Oop Vectors to discuss on this map:

Backline Single into Double.  If you can drop your opponent’s monster onto this yellow foundation, there are two options you have to throw them with 4 power dice into a double foundation.

Midline Single into Double A.  If you can drop your opponent’s monster onto the standalone green foundation toward the middle of the map, you have two choices on where to drop them onto a double foundation.  This costs either 4 or 5 power dice.

Midline Single into Double B. The yellow foundation of the Offset Alleyway Double with a power zone in the middle is 8 squares away from a midline double foundation.

Sideline Single into Double.  Once you drop your opponent’s monster onto the sideline green foundation, you can spend 6 power dice to throw them onto a backline double foundation.

Final Thoughts

COMPETITIVE PLAYERS MUST BE COMFORTABLE ON ALL MAPS. Half the time, your opponent is going to choose the map, so you need to be ready to play on all of them. Everything after this line is just Gearbox's opinion, and should not be taken as the last word. In fact, many competitive players vehemently disagree with the below opinion.

This map feels very awkward to me.  With so much distance between the normal spawn points, and such a strange mix of open and cluttered layout, the map feels like 4 sectors that rarely interact with each other.  I find it difficult to create and hold a substantial power base on this map; while it’s simultaneously difficult to reach out and affect the opponent’s power base.  

Given how far it feels like the spawn points are from the center of the board, and how open and dangerous the center of the board is; River City Rampage feels like the unit game and the monster game rarely interact.  Units are focused solely on units, with little to no screening possible, while monsters toss each other around the center of the map.

Another reason I feel weird on this map is likely my playstyle of looking for big Alley-oops.  With only 4 double foundations on the entire board, it’s difficult to roll massive damage onto any of the four monsters on the board.  If your list is built around a longer, slower game where power attacks are less important than other damage sources, this may be the map for you.

I don’t much like this map.  Not the feel of it, not the way it plays, nor the extreme distance it seems to impose between units.  Its one redeeming quality seems to be the emphasis it applies to neutral spawn points; which is unique and interesting.

Thankfully, it’s included in the latest starter sets, and therefore likely to be available at every local play group very soon.  I recommend playing a few casual games on it to confirm or refute my analysis for yourself.  

If you’re reading this in the distant future and can’t seem to find a copy of this map for your group, don’t worry too much about it.  It’s unintuitive, divided, and I don’t consider it that good for competitive play.

Have fun!

- Gearbox