Terrain

This section provides rules for using terrain to transform your gaming table into an interactive, thematic battlefield. These rules help to bring your battlefield to life and introduce a vital tactical dimension to your games.

Before the battle, place a selection of terrain features on the battlefield using one or more of the following methods:

• Place a well‑defined boundary (such as a base or mat) in each location you want to furnish with terrain, then place one or more terrain features wholly within that boundary.
• Place one terrain feature directly on the battlefield.
• Place two or more terrain features directly on the battlefield in such a way that together they define the boundary of an area. In each case, the area of the battlefield occupied by that boundary or terrain feature is known as a terrain area. A mission’s deployment map may define the location and dimensions of each terrain area. Otherwise, players must agree on this before the battle.

Each terrain feature belongs to a terrain category, which can affect the movement and visibility of models. Below are some examples of which types of terrain features fall under each category.

A mission’s deployment map may define which terrain categories should be present within each terrain area. Meeting these requirements will create the best gaming experience. Note that terrain features sharing the same terrain area can belong to different terrain categories.

Terrain Placed on a Mat

Two terrain features have been placed on a mat. The edges of this mat define the boundary of this terrain area (A). Both terrain features (B) are ruins, so use the rules for dense terrain features.

Terrain Placed on a Battlefield

Three terrain features have been placed directly on the battlefield. The players have agreed on the boundary of the terrain area (A) defined by these features (the shaded rectangle). The BLUE features (B) are dense terrain features and the RED feature (C) is a light terrain feature.

Exposed terrain offers only scant protection to the most desperate troops, and can be traversed without hindrance.

Examples: Craters, razorwire, scattered debris.

Light terrain can provide cover from incoming attacks, but will not slow an enemy’s advance or offer lasting defence.

Examples: Barricades, low walls, statuary.

Dense terrain is an obstacle to even the largest war machines, and can shelter entire squads from enemy sight.

Examples: Buildings, ruins, armoured containers, woods.

Models can move through different categories of terrain feature as follows:

• Exposed/Light: All models can move horizontally and vertically through exposed and light terrain features.
• Dense:
  • INFANTRY/BEASTS/SWARM/MOBILE models can move horizontally through dense terrain features.
  • INFANTRY/BEASTS/SWARM models can move vertically through dense terrain features.
  • Other models can move horizontally through dense terrain features provided that all sections of that terrain feature that the moving model’s base would move through are 2" or less in height. Otherwise, the moving model must move vertically to ascend or descend such sections. They cannot move through ceilings and floors while doing so, and they cannot end that move on any surface of that terrain feature that is not on ground level (see below).

MOVING VERTICALLY

Models can move vertically to ascend or descend terrain features. While doing so:

• That model must remain within ½" horizontally of that terrain feature.
• Add the distance moved vertically up, and the distance moved vertically down, to any other distance that model has moved since its unit began that move. 

SETTING UP OR ENDING A MOVE

Models can be set up or end a move on the ground level of terrain features. Models can also be set up or end a move on any surface of a terrain featurethat is not on ground level, if all of the following apply:

• That model has one or more of the following keywords: INFANTRY/BEASTS/SWARM/FLY/MONSTER.
• After ending that move, that model is stable and no part of its base overhangs the outer edge of that surface.

Terrain and Movement

All sections of the dense terrain feature (A) are more than 2" in height, so the Monster model (B) cannot move through it and must move around it instead.

The Infantry models (C) can move through dense terrain features, such as the walls of this ruin.

1. This Infantry model can move vertically and end its move on the top surface of the terrain feature (D), as it is stable and no part of its base overhangs the outer edge of that surface.

2. This Vehicle model cannot move through the dense terrain feature (E), but It can move vertically to ascend and descend sections that are more than 2" in height (provided it does not end that move on top of such sections).

3. This INFANTRY model is not being moved over or through any terrain features. Its move through the terrain area shown is therefore unimpeded.

Terrain can affect visibility, depending on whether the Benefit of Cover, Hidden, Obscuring or Solid rules apply.

Each time a ranged attack targets a unit, if every model in that unit meets one or more of the following conditions, that unit has the benefit of cover against that attack:

• That model has the INFANTRY/BEASTS/SWARM keyword and is within a terrain area.
• That model is not fully visible to the attacking model due to one or more intervening terrain features and/or one or more intervening obscuring terrain areas (13.10). Each time a ranged attack targets a unit that has the benefit of coveragainst it, worsen the BS characteristic of that attack by 1.

Benefit of Cover

When Unit E makes ranged attacks:

• Unit A is fully visible to every model in Unit E, so does not have the benefit of cover.

• Not all of the models in unit B are within a terrain area, so unit B does not have the benefit of cover.

• All of the models in unit C are within a terrain area, so unit C has the benefit of cover (-1 BS).

• Unit D is not fully visible to unit E due to an intervening obscuring terrain area, so unit D has the benefit of cover (-1 BS).

A model is hidden while all of the following apply to it:

• That model has the INFANTRY/BEASTS/SWARM keyword and is within a terrain area that contains one or more light/dense terrain features.
• That model’s unit did not make one or more ranged attacks during this turn or during the previous turn. While a model is hidden, it can only be visible to enemy models that are within its detection range. Unless otherwise stated, a model’s detection range is 15".

Terrain areas containing one or more light or dense terrain features are obscuring terrain areas. If every line of sight drawn between two models crosses one or more obscuring terrain areas (excluding obscuring terrain areas that one or both of those models are within), those two models are not visible to each other.

Hidden and Obscuring

• There is an obscuring terrain area between all models in units A and D, so none of them are visible to each other.

• All models in units B and C are within the terrain area and are Infantry, so are hidden. However, unit D’s models are within the 15" detection range of unit B’s models (but not unit C’s), so unit B’s models are visible to unit D’s. Unit D’s models are also visible to the models in units B and C, since they are not within a terrain area.

Dense terrain features have the Solid rule. Line of sight cannot be drawn across any enclosed gap in the surface of such a terrain feature that is 3" or less from ground level.

Designer’s Note: This rule ensures that models are not visible while sheltering in ground-level terrain, irrespective of small openings such as doors, windows or bullet holes, or because of small gaps between adjacent terrain features. 3" is the height of the first floor of many terrain features, but some missions may adjust the height at which this rule takes effect.

Solid

Units A and B are not visible to each other, because even though there is a window in this dense terrain feature, it has the Solid rule, so line of sight cannot be drawn through such enclosed gaps that are 3" or less from ground level.

Units A and C are visible to each other, because even though this dense terrain feature has the Solid rule, line of sight can be drawn normally through enclosed gaps that are more than 3" from ground level.