#114: We shall fight them in the ruins, we shall fight them through the realm gates...

In the world of tabletop wargaming, where there are typically two armies amassed against each other in cinematic fashion, one of the elements of the game that is so oft ignored is terrain. When you have great terrain, you don't think much of it, but when its bad (or non-existent) its all you can think about and, I know for me, that it can completely break the immersion in the game.

So, why is it that we don't simply use felt cut outs to represent terrain, with different colour felt representing different heights or types of terrain?

There's something truly epic about two painted armies on a painted table forging a story and a legendary tale of battle. I think that it captures our imagination and our passion for the hobby. It's the reason why we spend hours at the painting desk working as hard as we can to make our miniatures look as great as we can. But while we pour so much time into armies, terrain is often neglected. And I can understand why. When you finish a piece of terrain, it doesn't add to any of your armies. It doesn't make your list more competitive. And for a lot of people, they have no need to paint terrain. They might have a buddy who has a set of terrain, or there might be a local store or club that provides tables to play on.

But terrain is something that has landed squarely in my crosshairs in the last few weeks. Having my own studio, one of the things I am determined to have is beautiful, cinematic tables. I'm using primarily Citadel terrain, and I've begged, borrowed and bargained my way into possession of several out of production pieces that I've been after for ages. The first table that I'm working on is a Ruined Temple desert table, and I have to say, I was not expecting to be investing as much time as I have been into each piece. There is just so much detail, and I don't want to make a half-hearted effort and create a less-that-my-best product.

In Age of Sigmar, terrain is more than just a few scattered ruins and forests. When I first started playing Sigmar, I pretty much completely ignored the mysterious terrain table, seeing it as nothing more than an over-complication; something that would slow down the game. But as I've become more experienced and more invested in the game, I've come to realise how important mysterious terrain is to the game. It changes the table from a flat board with a few obstacles into a battlefield into a landscape that can actively influence the battle in huge ways. Savvy generals must learn to use the battlefield to their advantage, while also weighing up tactical decisions that surround some of the less… safe… pieces of terrain.

I'm a huge fan of having at least one or two Line-of-Sight blocking terrain on the table as well, to keep people on their toes, and making sure that players are thinking a turn ahead with positions like where they want their casters and missile troops to be, as well as support characters and wizards to unbind spells, so on and so forth.

Do you like playing on dense tables or sparse, open landscapes? Do you believe that Line-of-Sight blocking terrain is an essential part of the game or a hinderance?

Let me know.

Thanks for reading,
Gabe