Iberian Peninsula

Yes, but as you already wrote up top, eventually the Cordilleras will be added to the north. So it'll be a large region with five borders. Moving Madrid would still leave it with five borders. The red region isn't the problem.

I'm just not sure moving Madrid to the brown region and adding mountains will solve the issue. The region would still be hard to get/defend, only then it would require one more territory to complete the set.

One of the good things about this map, like your melee, is that their is a lot of natural overlap and connectivity, which will make gameplay much more dynamic. So, while taking and holding the Brown Toledo region itself would not be very easy (doable with it's current bonus), but if you want to consolidate your borders there are parts of that region that certain players will have to control. Hopefully creating an active gameplay style.

I guess my defense is that not all regions have to be great?

Yes I am inclined to agree that with the north mountain range reducing the defendable borders in the red region and that the game will be very dynamic. However the brown region doesn't offer any defence whatsoever. Even if you control any other bordering regions. I will leave this one for you to work out. Perhaps make it a 5 bonus at least.
Text, I would lighten the brown colour slightly to make it more readable.

What about this map? No news since July. Hoping will be so nice and interesting as Italy map.

I don't know, I think game-play can be improved, it looks too much like a unique block.

we should all post here so naathim is forced to keep making it

I am proposing something like this:
http://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q700/Photo_Bishop/Iberia02_zps31191756.png

With 2 mountain ranges (Cordillera Cantabrica and Sistema Iberico) plus 1 river (Tajo or Tejo in portuguese).
This gives more "shape" to the map in my opinion. Cuenca become internal territory and the region bonus can be reduced to +3. Then if you want you can add 1 bridge for example Madrid-Toledo.

But the river is slighty cheated. Otherwise the most realistic mountains I can represent are like this:
http://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q700/Photo_Bishop/Iberia05_zpsafebf73b.png
In that case Madrid should be merged to the "Southern Castilla region".

I think Navarra and Huesca must stay connected as they are in reality, so that it makes a bit harder to conquer all the small regions in the east side. And if you add impassables some bounderies don't need anymore to be cheated and can be restored to the real shape. madrid touching Soria seems a bit strange and I don't think you need to make the "Northern Castilla" defensible.

Lol, if you look at my VEEERY first maps and ideas, those are almost the exact same impassables I proposed! I'll put up a map later this week with where the Impassables are supposed to go. But I can't make mountains, so unless I find somebody who can, the maps just going to go on being unfinished.

I think that's a fair critique on Huesca and Navarra. Although with the bonus at 2 and three borders, I think the region is fair. But in the bigger strategy, they might be too locked up.

Soria/Madrid connection is to insulate Segovia and reduce borders on Castilla y Leon.

For 'Northern Castilla', the way it's planned it'll have 3 borders and a 3 bonus. With the mountains you propose it'd have 5 borders lol. I'm catching flack for leaving the central region with five open borders and you propose the same for another! I always think it's funny when that kind of thing happens. Do this! No do the opposite! No, the first thing again!

Thanks for the feedback though! I'll get to work on it again soon, but looking for volunteers on mountains!!

Sorry Naathim, I said "Northern Castilla" but I meant "Castilla y Leon", in other words: the "Biggest Region", I don't think it needs to be defensible, you can avoid to care about its borders in my opinion.

And about the "Northern Region" (Asturias + Cantabria + Euskadi + La Rioja + Navarra [how to call it?]) surely you can play a bit with the length of the mountain range to make things as you like.

I suggested something that looks realistic, my proposal doesn't increase the defensibility, of course.
But you have not to get crazy to make regions defensible. Most important is that you give a bit of complexity on the map shape. (But don't go too far with that!)

Don't doubt, I looked all the versions proposed included the VERY first, a bit strange and unrealistic really. I know how you feel because the map has already been manipulated many times, but really none of them looked VERY good speaking about game-play.

I know mountains are a hard job, maybe someone can help you with that.

The first map was TURRRIBLE Psymon was so mad cause it was so bad!! This is the first one I've ever done though, so don't judge me too harshly lol.

I like the proposed places you have for the impassables on the first one with the river. The second proposal get's a big NO from me lol. I think if it's modified a bit to make Cantabria (Galicia was the region name going to use) a bit easier to defend it would be great.

I think if I get the mountains in where I want them, it'll work out fine, The river in the middle really doesn't make any difference in gameplay, even if it does look good, so idk if it should be added or not. If you put in the mountains and extend Guadalajara and Toledo, you can insulate Cuenca the same.

The idea is that Castilla la Mancha and CyL provide a lot of openness for players to engage with each other. The gameplay will be decent if fairly straightfoward and uncomplicated.

Definitely will change the Huesca border though.

Hopefully other people will chime in!

The river cuts the map in 2 parts! How it doesn't make any difference?? Are you a sametimer naathim? Just curiosity. I think your evaluation is only based on counting the number of bordering territories in each region and nothing else. As I said you should look at the whole shape of the map.

But okay. I'm waiting for the next version.

Here, here, quick quick! : http://i1154.photobucket.com/albums/p536/drewbrookover/Iberia5_zpsb30aafd6.jpg

I like the colors, don't bash them too much, I know they're probably too bright :/

Added in Bishop's mountain outlines. Changed the Huesca border. Put in the river, although it's too small lol. You gotta squint to see it!

As to river not changing gameplay much, maybe I'm not looking at the bigger picture, although I have tried! Could you explain to me more of what you're seeing/thinking?

I just see it means maybe one or two more movement across the board, especially if you add in a Madrid-Toledo bridge. It in no way cuts it in half to me? I get that it creates choke points at Santerem/Evora and Cuenca/Guadalajara, which I don't know if I really care for, and I do think the madrid-Toledo bridge would be good in that case.

Anywho's hope you like and discuss

Seems to me like the bonuses are small... your +2's are what I would expect +3's to be, your +1 is what I'd expect of a +2... anyone else agree?

The Eastern bonuses were kept somewhat smaller because they have an obvious advantage in territory capture and defense. (Hmmm the mountains have to be shortened. Soria and Zaragoza need to touch and open that out). If you get them all you have a +7 bonus with fourteen territories and four borders.

They were all arrived at using Vexer's formula I do believe.

I could see Aragon or Valencia getting bumped to a +3 with the open Huesca border. And the central region to easily be reduced to a three now. But I think it might be better to leave it at four.

Asia in WC is 4 borders, 13 territories so by precedent that isn't bad at all. (Also it's been shown that large bonuses are favored over small bonuses by the community, see Virtuo's map poll.) Italia is also a precedent for superregions, as is WE, as is Mediterranean, as is Caribbean, as is Westeros... I could go on for a while.

I think it's cool now. The mountains range added in the north it's cool but that strange shape around Burgos territory is a bit weird to see. That0s why I didn't suggest it. I think Naathim should cheat it a little bit making the mountains a bit more like they are in reality (almost straight) and adapt the territory borders to the shape of the mountains. It's just a graphic issue but the Game-play is cool.

About bonuses. 4 territories with 5 borders produce a +2.5 bonus. Since it's up to you. In some maps is +2 in some others is +3. The two pink regions (Galician and Valencian) can be raised to +3. Baleari Islands I think should stay +1 for the reasons explained by Naathim. Castilla La Mancha (yellow central region) should be reduced to +3. Castilla Y Leon (red big region) can be even better with a +7 in my opinion. A total of +36 it's ideal for this map.