Terrain comments

Thanks for the kind comments on my previous post. To answer a couple of points the terrain might look quite crowded, which is the aim, but I have made an effort to keep things gameable. Using the Black Powder rules the fields slow movement to half pace and any shooting through them makes the target "not clear". Buildings may be occupied but if a unit wants to simply move through one it can do so in line or skirmish formation by simply using one whole move to do so. Fences cost half a move to cross and the stream can be forded by inf/cav by spending one move but wagons and artillery must use a bridge.

The aim of the terrain is to make the game interesting and it helps to slow down the quite large moves in Black Powder without needing to use compressed scales. Movement of reserves in columns on roads is therefore quite quick - as it should be. The aim of terriain is NOT to make thegame a headache to play. You can force infantry to cross rivers at bridges but you risk creating a turkey shoot and spoiling the game.

I'm glad people like the terrain as shown here and in my previous battle report. There is nothing fancy to it. Everything is constructed on standard 2 foot square terrain tiles from TSS as shown in some earlier posts from this year. The use of paint and flock certainly breaks up the straight lines and the fences also help to draw the eye nicely. Rock faces (cliffs, stream banks) are made from cork bark. Basically all you see is constructed fairly cheaply from quite standard modelling materials (flock, paint, varnish and decorator's filler/spackling) using no tools more complex than a craft knife, spatula and paintbrushes. The trick is not to make everything perfect but to make everything consistent using the same paints and flock for the boards, building bases, tree bases, roads, etc.

So have a go!

Comments

  1. fantastic terrain, my club is putting on a skirmish using drums and shakos at selwig, i may have to steal many of you ideas for the terrain to improve the look.

    it was at salute but one can always improve , indeed i'm trying to persuade all involved to start with drums and shakos in the morning and bring on the divisions mid afternoon and finish off with a black powder last couple of hours

    great Blog by the way, its made me want to dig out my AWI again

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