by Deroche
Putting the hills more towards the center of the map and symmetrically doing so is recommended over putting hills more towards (or in) each player's start zone.Reason being is that it gives heroes and squads with ranged attacks an advantage over most figures who don't because those ranged units will just camp on height for the majority of the game, made worse because there probably was little risk getting to those elevated spots so quickly. There are always exceptions, of course, and to my mind that's one of the major points of the game. So if you had some Phantom Knight squad figures, you might not be as worried if playing on a map with non-centralized height.
In terms of movement and hills, you'll find the majority of cards in the game give their heroes and squads either a movement of five or six.
So think about the typical hill they would need to climb in front of them:
3
22
11111
If the numbers represent the height level of the map, then a figure that can move six spaces (non-flying) and is starting its move on the right-most 1 (bolded) would be able to make it to the space where the 3 is: one movement cost for each 1, two move cost to make it to level 2, and two more to make it to level 3. If it could only move 5, it won't make it to level 3 on its turn from that spot.
So when there are hills on the map, some thought needs to be given about how a figure will reach the top of it and more importantly, from where. And, as mentioned above, would the space on height accommodate a two-hex figure or not, and do you or do you not want that two-hexer to be able to be there.
If your goal is to make sure you are playing on a map that is fair and balanced, then simply take a look at the Battlefields of Valhalla (Best of Tournament Maps) thread in the link D S provided and build one of those if you can, assuming you have the terrain required.