A
hex map,
hex board or
hex grid is a gameboard design commonly used in wargames of all scales. The map is subdivided into small regular
hexagonIn geometry, a hexagon is a polygon with six edges and six vertices. A regular hexagon has Schläfli symbol {6}.- Regular hexagon :The internal angles of a regular hexagon are all 120° and the hexagon has 720 degrees T. It has 6 rotational symmetries and 6 reflection symmetries, making up the...
s of identical size.
The primary advantage of a hex map over a traditional square grid map is that the distance between the center of each hex cell and the center of all six adjacent hex cells is constant. Compare this to a square grid map where the distance from the center of each square cell to the center of its four diagonal adjacent cells is longer than the distance to the center of its four cardinal adjacent cells. This is desirable for games in which the measurement of movement is a factor.
A disadvantage of a hex map is that hexs have adjacent cells in only six directions (usually N, NE, SE, S, SW, NW) instead of eight, as in a square grid map. In addition, no hex cell has an adjacent hex cell lying directly east or directly west, making movement in a straight line east or west somewhat more complicated than on a square grid map.
The hex map has been a favourite for game designers since 1961, when
Charles S. RobertsCharles Swann Roberts is a wargame designer, railroad historian, and businessman. He is renowned as "The Father of Board Wargaming", having created the first modern wargame in 1952, and the first wargaming company in 1954...
of the
Avalon HillAvalon Hill was a game company that specialized in wargames and strategic board games. Their logo contained their initials "AH", and it was often referred to by this abbreviation. It also published the occasional miniature wargaming rules, role-playing game, and had a popular line of sports...
game company published the second edition of
GettysburgGettysburg is a board wargame produced by Avalon Hill which re-enacts the American Civil War battle of Gettysburg. It was originally published in 1958, and was the first board wargame based on a historical battle....
with a hex map. The hex grid is a distinguishing feature of the games from many wargame publishers, and a few other games (such as the
German gameGerman-style board games are a broad class of tabletop games that generally have simple rules, short to medium playing times, high levels of player interaction, and attractive physical components. The games emphasise strategy, downplay luck and conflict, lean towards economic rather than military...
The Settlers of Catan).
The hex map has also been popular for role-playing game wilderness maps. They were used in the Dungeons and Dragons boxed sets of the 1980s and related TSR products.
A few abstract games are played on a hex grid, such as
HexHex is a board game played on a hexagonal grid, theoretically of any size and several possible shapes, but traditionally as an 11x11 rhombus. Other popular dimensions are 13x13 and 19x19 as a result of the game's relationship to the older game of Go...
and the television
game showA game show is a type of television program in which members of the public or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving problems usually for money and/or prizes. On some shows contestants compete against other players or another team while...
based on it,
BlockbustersBlockbusters was a television game show in which contestants answered trivia questions to complete a path across or down a game board of hexagons.-Differences from the US Version:...
. Several
variants of chessA chess variant is a game derived from, related to or similar to chess in at least one respect. The difference from chess can include one or more of the following:...
have also been invented for a hex board.
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