Warmaster Weekends "Terrain" part I

         This is maybe the only wargaming table/terrain, that 90% of us represent correctly. Empty tables! A cloth or gaming mat with zero elevation and no depressions. Very few buildings and trees. Maybe your special and have a road or stream or or or teddy bear fur! 

         Some of you and you know exactly who you are; still use cut up pieces of felt. Your table looks like shit. Sorry. A patch work of felt is bullshit. Go borrow terrain, Jesus.

Don't be the guy that brings this to a convention.

looks like shit man, really!

         I know terrain gets in the way, hills are shitty at best, and trees get expensive fast. It is the last thing we think about before starting an army project. 

        Well, lucky me. Ancient battles were mostly fought in the open. Near zero terrain! 

        Armies were designed to march closely or tightly packed. They were huge 5000 legionaries checkerboard or in 3 lines, Phalanx of a 264+ dudes nut to but, shoulder to shoulder. These boys needed space to deploy and shuffle about.          

In any case where the ground was difficult or broken, these men had a hard time keeping the formation together.

       



         Most common feature on the battlefields were a river/stream and gentle sloping hills/depressions. I will be using my huge collection of Geo-Hex. The Geo-Hex will allow me to create the rolling hills, inclinations, streams, sunken roads, and depressions found across battlefields.

        I have enough trees from 6mm to 20mm that will be used for any woods along the edge or clump of woods here and there. I would like purchase 4-5 buildings to represent a town or village.
            Here the goal is to represent area terrain. Think about a true scale palm tree, like 90 feet high. That palm would be 170mm tall. (avg dude was 64 inches, 10mm = 5.3, 90/5.3=17, 170mm) How many times is that thing going to get knocked over during a game. In terms of playability less is more.

          Yes of course battles were fought in the woods, on the beach, in a mountain pass, near a city wall or flat out attacking a city. These are one off games. You really want to spend your time and money collecting terrain for one game? The same game over and over?
          If your were set on one of these examples, what terrain you do have and that which could be borrowed from your mates or club would meet the need.


It all comes down to it. If you don't have terrain, borrow it!