Terrain or Lack of in 40K can make or break a game.

[xommul]

What makes a fun game in 40K? 

 

Its different for everyone, it could be trying out new units you just painted, playing a new tactic or combo, playing your best mate or it could be just rolling dice come what may. I think everyone can agree a bad game is when you lose big, your units dont perform, the dice rolls go against you, your newly painted models is one shot killed, your game plan epically fails. At least thats what makes or breaks my day. 

 

Lets talk Terrain and how it can even things out a little to prevent your games of 40K being a flat boring Strength Vs toughness DZ to DZ shoot out. As I've seen too many bat reps where poor terrain placement or lack of terrain descends a potentially exciting game into a 2 turn slug fest. I bet the best games revolve around interactions on or nest to interesting terrain. 

 

So How does Terrain affect a game?

 

Terrain can obscure your units so they can't be shot (5+" tall)

Terrain can hinder your movement slowing you down (craters, swamps)

Terrain can make it harder for you to hit or be hit (dense - smoke, trees, girders)

Terrain can give you better defence (walls, barricades)

Terrain can make charges easier or harder (breachable, multi level buildings)

 

Terrain is what you make it and it can be made out of anything from smashed down foil painted black and drybrushed grey to make an easy crater adding some pillow stuffing sprayed black for smoke so its also dense cover, to a ruin made out of cereal boxes or a wall/barricade made out of lego or you can go and buy MDF stuff and paint it yourself or if you are flush get pre painted terrain from the likes of gamemat. The world is your oyster. 

 

So Why Is terrain important?

 

Isnt it better to have enough terrain on the board that at least 80% of your army has a good chance at being hidden from your opponent in the 1st BR? Prevent the opponents Alpha strike, give yourself more options. Doesnt this make more sense than having to deploy in the open allowing your blobs of Warriors or your eradicators or your tanks to get removed before they have had any chance at earning their points? 

 

Now that there is no penalty for vehicles to move and shoot heavy weapons they can be hidden too right?

 

Do you need to rush out onto objectives in such a manner that you deploy too aggressively and get caught out?

 

9th edition is about playing the objectives and not necessarily smashing your opponent off the board. Having more terrain on the board forces you to think more tactically, think more turns ahead, assess the battlefield looking for lines of fire, counter charges, like a game of chess, exchanging units for better position in the long game. 

 

If i deploy here whats my threat range, where can i move to that will provide cover from that half the board where his heavy hitter will likely move to, If he takes this objective by T3 i will have enough units to take that objective from hi and deny them primaries from T4 onwards.  Now that going seconds allows you to score primaries at the end of BR5 this is a great incentive to try and have something left to get your points with. 

 

Deploying Terrain

 

Ive seen some channels terrain set up with a thematic feel like a real battle field and tonnes of moss/flock and rubble which can very cool. Ive also seen channels with 4 large chunks of terrain and nothing else. I already know what im going to like to watch more and what will make a better game. 

 

I think you need to assess the armies that are playing, and deploy terrain to even out the opportunities so neither side is favoured too much. You need to allow armies with large units like tanks and knights to move around but dont give them free shooting all the way across the board allowing them to wiupe out half your army T1. 

 

You need to give melee armies cover to get around without being wiped before they get to combat but not so much they rock around with a 2+ sv the entire time and are obscured until they can get a 5" charge off. 

 

You want to put terrain into the deployment zone so you can deploy into and behind obscuring terrain being mindful that as soon as you touch the terrain you can be shot so consider which way round your building face. 

 

You dont want to place terrain so close to objectives you can sit inside buildings all day long holding it and conversely you dont want to be shot off it so use of dense terrain around objectives can be utilised. 

 

Next time you set up a board have more of a discussion and a thought on how both of your armies would fair after T1. 

 

 

 

[Brother Tyler]

See also this ongoing topic.

[WarriorFish]

I agree, terrain has always been important but with the extra rules in 9th it might be the most important it has ever been. It comes down to the same old thing, as most of the game does - the social contract. The best way to approach the game is one of a mutual gift of fun and for that a fair shot is needed for both sides. Some essential line of sight breaking and movement barriers goes a long way and that's before we get to the importance of aesthetics. We often mock up more realistic terrain as they work and look better for being more true to life (space wizards etc aside).

 

The last time I played a game without a third party (or more) around was a very long time ago, but that's the quickest way to help. We usually have another person set the table up, then the players adjust and agree before starting the game. The agreement part is essential along with communication; why you want to move something and the benefits/balance you think it'd bring. If both sides are on board with a fairer game this is a simple matter especially with regards to army builds. Shooting armies need opportunity to shoot before combat as do combat armies need some cover and approaches - if someone has a big model it needs some paths to fit in (but not all naturally) :tu:

 

There's a reason why we've done this for many years after all; fairer and more interesting games are best. Where we do need to improve is in getting more terrain painted... but we have a plan for that and will get there eventually :P Deployment is one of the most important parts of the game for your hopes of winning, but table set up is as important for how much fun the game is :)

[BLACK BLΠFLY]

Had a game recently that was pre-arranged... show up to the shop and my opponent has already setup all the terrain, none of which is obscuring. I ask can we replace a couple and opponent say sure, picks one piece of terrain on the edge of the table right in the middle... worthless. Find out I’m up against two barbed Hierodules and a big squad of Hive Guard. Really great way to start a game.

[Arendious]

Had a game recently that was pre-arranged... show up to the shop and my opponent has already setup all the terrain, none of which is obscuring. I ask can we replace a couple and opponent say sure, picks one piece of terrain on the edge of the table right in the middle... worthless. Find out I’m up against two barbed Hierodules and a big squad of Hive Guard. Really great way to start a game.

Was your opponent two 13 year-olds stacked up in one trenchcoat?

[BLACK BLΠFLY]

Didn’t open the coat so can’t really say.

[battle captain corpus]

The old adage is still very apt....The more Terrain the  better the game. :)

 

I'm luckily in the same boat as WarriorFish & normally play with at least 1 or 2 other people present. So the board is setup by them and then we game accordingly.

A good rule of thumb has always been have roughly D3 pieces of terrain per 2x2 section of the board.

Also thinking thematically helps massively, ruins are great but ruins with a crater in the centre starts telling more of a story.

 

BCC

[Xenith]

Had a game recently that was pre-arranged... show up to the shop and my opponent has already setup all the terrain, none of which is obscuring. I ask can we replace a couple and opponent say sure, picks one piece of terrain on the edge of the table right in the middle... worthless. Find out I’m up against two barbed Hierodules and a big squad of Hive Guard. Really great way to start a game.

 

Not cool. Also weird as Hive Guard really benefit from obscuring, so he was hurting himself also. In those instances, I usually ask a random nearby person to act as a terrain randomiser. 

[Jorin Helm-splitter]

Yeah I agree with Xenith obscuring probably would've been have helpful for him. It's possible he isn't comfortable with the terrain rules and was trying to simplify them.

[BLACK BLΠFLY]

I felt it was not cool since I asked to add some obscuring terrain which did not really happen in any meaningful way. Luckily I got to go first and managed to gun down one of the hierodules. Third turn the opponent failed three 4” charges, one with a reroll... karma being such a meanie. Heh

Yeah I agree with Xenith obscuring probably would've been have helpful for him. It's possible he isn't comfortable with the terrain rules and was trying to simplify them.

When you are fielding a pair of barbed hierodules yeah you know what is obscuring terrain.

[Goreshed]

Amen to terrain! I think it is a huge disservice to the genre to constantly play on a board that is 75-90% wide open. Given the sheer number of different planets and such it is entirely feasible to play on a wide range of boards that are not so wide open that only shooting armies benefit from.

 

Some of my best games that I have ever played were on city boards that were absolutely covered in terrain and I would urge anyone to give it a try if they have never done so.

[Xenith]

I'll share this image here again, from I think the 5th ed rulebook. GW should really add this kind of thing to newer books:

1/4 of the table should have cover and 2/3 of that should be fully LOS blocking. On a 6'x4' table you should be putting terrain on the table until it totally fills a quarter. On a realm of battle 6x4 table, one whole 2'x2' realm of battle tile should be totally filled with LOS blocking terrain, as in you keep puttig pieces on and tesselating them until they cover the tile.

Once you do this, then distribute it across the table as you see fit.

Edited January 13, 2021 by Xenith

[Jorin Helm-splitter]

I felt it was not cool since I asked to add some obscuring terrain which did not really happen in any meaningful way. Luckily I got to go first and managed to gun down one of the hierodules. Third turn the opponent failed three 4” charges, one with a reroll... karma being such a meanie. Heh

 

Yeah I agree with Xenith obscuring probably would've been have helpful for him. It's possible he isn't comfortable with the terrain rules and was trying to simplify them.

When you are fielding a pair of barbed hierodules yeah you know what is obscuring terrain.

I get that the barbed hieridules can't benefit from obscuring but the hive guard and probably the rest of their army would

benefit from it, unless he was trying to spam Exocrines as well. So putting 2-3 pieces of obscuring down should've helped him.

 

It does suck that the opponent tried to put you at a disadvantage and you shouldn't play them again.

[BLACK BLΠFLY]

Agreed and I won’t.

[Rik Lightstar]

I'll share this image here again, from I think the 5th ed rulebook. GW should really add this kind of thing to newer books:

1/4 of the table should have cover and 2/3 of that should be fully LOS blocking. On a 6'x4' table you should be putting terrain on the table until it totally fills a quarter. On a realm of battle 6x4 table, one whole 2'x2' realm of battle tile should be totally filled with LOS blocking terrain, as in you keep puttig pieces on and tesselating them until they cover the tile.

Once you do this, then distribute it across the table as you see fit.

The new rulebook does suggest something pretty similar to this, it says you should have approximately 1 terrain piece per 12"x12" area of the board rounding up.

So in the example of a 6'x4' total board size you'd have 24 individual "terrain pieces", now obviously that's not got a recommendation for what "types" of terrain or the ratio. But I'd expect its going to give you a similar volume of terrain.

Rik

[Marshal Rohr]

For me terrain is only 50% of the equation. If there’s just scatter terrain it can be as immersion breaking as unpainted armies. Terrain has to look like it has a purpose. My biggest pet peeve is random city or industrial buildings on a grass field. When it comes to placing the terrain there should be a function to how you are placing it, like a large fairly intact building in the center, obvious roadways, and maybe some burnt out vehicles or alternatively a large open plaza surrounded by buildings. A big project I want to build eventually is a modular board where from one side the buildings are intact and then the tiles can be rotated so the other side gives the impression of destroyed and bombed out terrain.

[Doctor Perils]

That sounds like a really interesting project @MarshalRohr, would be awesome to see a project log for it :tu:

[Inquisitor_Lensoven]

Kind of related, but I hate when objectives are placed in areas that don't make sense.

Like why is that random bush or fence an objective for example.

I can understand a crossroads/intersection or a building/ruin, but sometimes it just doesn't make sense and that annoys me.

[Inquisitor_Lensoven]

For me terrain is only 50% of the equation. If there’s just scatter terrain it can be as immersion breaking as unpainted armies. Terrain has to look like it has a purpose. My biggest pet peeve is random city or industrial buildings on a grass field. When it comes to placing the terrain there should be a function to how you are placing it, like a large fairly intact building in the center, obvious roadways, and maybe some burnt out vehicles or alternatively a large open plaza surrounded by buildings. A big project I want to build eventually is a modular board where from one side the buildings are intact and then the tiles can be rotated so the other side gives the impression of destroyed and bombed out terrain.

I mean buildings/ruins appearing 'randomly' in woods and fields isn't that unrealistic or uncommon. The building could just be the last surviving structure standing of an old abandoned town or mine or farm house being reclaimed by nature.

 

Here's a perfect example

https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/old-abandoned-building-overgrown-by-long-vines-middle-field_10400929.htm

Edited January 30, 2021 by Inquisitor_Lensoven

[Khornestar]

Kind of related, but I hate when objectives are placed in areas that don't make sense.

Like why is that random bush or fence an objective for example.

I can understand a crossroads/intersection or a building/ruin, but sometimes it just doesn't make sense and that annoys me.

Playing to the rules vs. the narrative, it sounds like. There is probably a lictor hiding in that bush, though.

[mughi3]

Lack of terrain has been a problem going back many editions, you really noticed it at events where there were to many tables for the amount of terrain the organizers were able to transport to the event. 

 

Most FLGS have quite a bit to choose from. 

 

Aside from having enough terrain, i have also found that making the terrain look like it fits and serves some purpose rather than a random collection of "stuff" also improves the game.

 

 

Granted when it comes to 40K i am usually playing 5th edition where terrain is a lot more important and interactive than even 9th. when i play epic using the index  8th ed rules the scale of the game necessarily reduces terrains role to blocking LOS or basic cover for speed of play. 

 

In the last few years i have devoted quite a bit of time and resources to obtaining some really nice terrain and mats . 

 

P.S. i should note i have an entire topic here on B&C just about terrain options

 

super mega terrain discussion - + GENERAL PCA QUESTIONS + - The Bolter and Chainsword

Edited January 30, 2021 by mughi3

[Slave to Darkness]

 

Kind of related, but I hate when objectives are placed in areas that don't make sense.

Like why is that random bush or fence an objective for example.

I can understand a crossroads/intersection or a building/ruin, but sometimes it just doesn't make sense and that annoys me.

Playing to the rules vs. the narrative, it sounds like. There is probably a lictor hiding in that bush, though.

 

Private Gump got shot in the ass whilst carrying important information, he hid in a bush until it was safe to move on. 

[xommul]

Terrain is one of the things that a lot of people just dont own or get into as they put most of their pennies into models and paint. Ive got a mate who uses whatevers in the recycling bin., cleaned of course. 

 

I love making terrain and have quite a few sets of home made stuff and MDF terrain bought from TT Combat which i have then based, added to, texturised and then painted. I have followed YT tutorials and just got mucky making my own. I have a garage full of Bits of insulation foam and polystyrene. 

 

Smoke markers are so easy to make, LED tea Lights and an old pillow, some hot glue plus some black spray paint and hey presto done. - Dense Cover

 

You get a new TV or Microwave and you have polystyrene,. Either cut it to suit, or in some cases the shape it comes in is fine,   coat it in either wall filler mixed with sand and paint or ive seen people use paint, water, salt and flour. it forms a hard shell you can paint, shade and drybrush. 

 

A decent Matt costs £50 for a single sided one, i cant imagine why this is the case, there must be a company out there who can do this for less. Maybe its production costs vs how many they realistically sell but if they did cost less, maybe 2/3 of that price more would shift. 

 

I don't own any GW plastic terrain, it looks great but its a single style and so expensive. 

 

I want to branch out into Making trees and forests next but i dont like the look of those bog brush type where people just untwist string, its got to be some wirte flamed latex coated job with clump foliage on it. 

 

Have you guys seen Striking Scorpion YT channel - some of the best tables out there. 

 

Some of the other channels especially the more competitive ones do such a poor job of Terrain but they have to juggle filming and having their camera shots  obscured. 

 

I Lurrrv Terrain. 

[Inquisitor_Lensoven]

Terrain is one of the things that a lot of people just dont own or get into as they put most of their pennies into models and paint. Ive got a mate who uses whatevers in the recycling bin., cleaned of course.

 

I love making terrain and have quite a few sets of home made stuff and MDF terrain bought from TT Combat which i have then based, added to, texturised and then painted. I have followed YT tutorials and just got mucky making my own. I have a garage full of Bits of insulation foam and polystyrene.

 

Smoke markers are so easy to make, LED tea Lights and an old pillow, some hot glue plus some black spray paint and hey presto done. - Dense Cover

 

You get a new TV or Microwave and you have polystyrene,. Either cut it to suit, or in some cases the shape it comes in is fine, coat it in either wall filler mixed with sand and paint or ive seen people use paint, water, salt and flour. it forms a hard shell you can paint, shade and drybrush.

 

A decent Matt costs £50 for a single sided one, i cant imagine why this is the case, there must be a company out there who can do this for less. Maybe its production costs vs how many they realistically sell but if they did cost less, maybe 2/3 of that price more would shift.

 

I don't own any GW plastic terrain, it looks great but its a single style and so expensive.

 

I want to branch out into Making trees and forests next but i dont like the look of those bog brush type where people just untwist string, its got to be some wirte flamed latex coated job with clump foliage on it.

 

Have you guys seen Striking Scorpion YT channel - some of the best tables out there.

 

Some of the other channels especially the more competitive ones do such a poor job of Terrain but they have to juggle filming and having their camera shots obscured.

 

I Lurrrv Terrain.

idk how people don't have terrain a year into the hobby. One largish peice and one smaller piece of terrain can be made every 3 months pretty easily.

[Azekai]

idk how people don't have terrain a year into the hobby. One largish peice and one smaller piece of terrain can be made every 3 months pretty easily.

I don’t know about these YouTubers but I can tell you that for us normies, space/storage can be a huge impediment for having a terrain collection. Storing even a few large terrain prices can take up as much space as an entire army. I have some terrain but actually owning enough terrain that a 2k game of 40k demands is a lot.

 

The best compromise for me has been to use various sizes of wooden blocks. Those pack away easily and can still block LoS.

Edited February 13, 2021 by Azekai