Terrain Setups and Underhand Use...

[henrythesecond]

Hi guys,

 

Not really a rules question per se, but wondered what the general feeling was about this.

 

I've had a mini campaign running over the last couple of days between myself and an

old friend of mine who favours Tau.

 

We don't get to face each other across the battlefield very often due to geography, work,

wives, etc etc, so both game in different circles.

 

The first battle was just a little 4' x 4' @ 750 pts, without anything much in the way of

terrain apart from hills and woods.

 

While setting up the second battle, a 6' x 4' board @ 1,000pts, he placed a couple of low-

rubble bases down, which we'd classified as difficult terrain, but offering no cover save.

I thought nothing of it...

 

While setting up the third battle, a 6' x 4' @ 1,500pts, I noticed another couple of the rubble

bases going down, but this time I realised they were being placed to deliberately restrict

access to wheeled vehicles. And it then hit me that Tau vehicles are of course Skimmers...

 

Now my feeling was that terrain shouldn't be deliberately manipulated in this way. I know

we all place our terrain features with some thought towards the competing armies, but as

you don't generally know where your deployment zone will be, any advantage is a 50/50

chance at best. However, if a certain terrain piece is only advantageous / disadvantageous

to one particular side, I feel it goes a little against sportsmanship to use it in that manner.

 

I can happily report that once I'd said my piece to my buddy, he accepted the point and we

reset the terrain. An unusual triumph for diplomacy in the war-torn 41st Millenium...

 

What do you guys think?

 

Regards.

[Thantoes]

In situations like this I find the best resort is to do exactly as you have done. Talk it through.

 

Another alternative is once the terrain is set, roll a scatter dice + 2d6 for each piece and then move it the range and distance. It sometimes makes for some very "odd" terrain placement but it is fair overall.

[waaanial00]

I either like deploying a piece at a time, taking it in turns. One player setting it up then the other player getting to chaneg up to half the pieces around. Or alternatively one player deploys terrain, second player choses sides.

 

Wan

[Isiah]

Well done on the initial spot...

 

I can happily report that once I'd said my piece to my buddy, he accepted the point and we

reset the terrain. An unusual triumph for diplomacy in the war-torn 41st Millenium...

 

...and well done on the result. It might not have been underhand but a sub-conscious slip up (unless he sheepishly admitted otherwise of course :))

[Hfran Morkai]

Or if you have a spare hand you can always get an impartial buddy to set up the table and you return the favour when they have a game, I think that's pretty fun as it makes the board more interesting, so long as there's some cover for my Long Fangs! :)

 

But very well resolved there, nice to see the sportsmanship element is definitely not dead yet.

[tubo10]

I find that an easy way to get the terrain fair is to select 2 pieaces of terrain each, both of them roughly same size, put them anywere you want with in your half of the table and then 1 pieace that is slightly bigger then the other 4 piaces, right in the very centre, then try to keep terrain atleast 8 to 12 inches from eah other.

That way you get about 25% to 30% of the board covered like recomemded in rule book, and terrain is in favour for both players.

 

-any1 else think this is a good way?

[thade]

The BRB suggests (I fear I forget the page, but I've only read 5th Ed and definitely remember seeing this) that you can declare some terrain bits as "Difficult, but not for Tanks" or some such, so long as both opponents agree.

 

So, if for instance you declared said terrain bits as difficult but not for tanks, then his tanks (skimmers or not) and your tanks (wheeled or not) would blaze right over with no danger, but infantry on foot (which you both likely have) still would be slowed some. That way you can still get terrain into the game and one of you isn't fighting a completely uphill battle. ;)

 

Though I recommend fighting such an uphill battle sometime for the experience and practice.

[henrythesecond]

Cheers for the replies guys.

 

The opponent in question was my oldest buddy, so it would've been damned disappointing if

we couldn't resolve it in a friendly way!

 

However, I wonder if it would've gone so easily if it was a pickup game at the club...

 

Anyway, some interesting suggestions about how to randomise / prevent terrain abuse from

you fellas, so thanks for that.

 

Take it easy.

 

PS: I'm ahead in the campaign with a draw and two successive victories so far - just thought

I'd mention it as the buddy in question is sure to read this!!!!