Warhammer: Terrain Is For All Players – Do Your Part
What do you want out of your Warhammer Terrain on the tabletop? Let’s talk about terrain maps and terrain collections.
Games Workshop updated the Warhammer: 40,000 Pariah Nexus with a new companion document. Included in that document were some super helpful terrain maps. I really like these for both pick-up games and also tournament play.
I think they are fantastic guidelines on how to put together a fair and (mostly) symmetrical table to play on. Warhammer: Age of Sigmar also recently got them as well and, again, I think they are great as guidelines. However, I think they’ve had some adverse impacts on the game, too.
Terrain Rant Time
The downside is that I’ve seen lots of game tables looking very generic and bland. Folks are scrambling to “just match the map” and caring less about the quality and look of the board. It’s all about functionality and less about the hobby which can be a bummer.
I miss themed tables and custom terrain which have been sacrificed on the altar of mass produced tables for tournament play. And hey — I get it. This isn’t a dig at Tournaments or the folks that put the time in to build terrain for them so that *everyone* playing can have a fair experience. That’s part of the reason why I like the diorama miniatures that GW makes. I really like when they make miniatures that are both functional and look awesome.
Is the Silent King a diorama miniature? You be the judge.
I’m not advocating for every board looking like it came out of a Golden Daemon competition or out of the display cases at Warhammer World. I’d just like my tables to have a little bit of the “hobby soul” put back into them. And if you’re already playing on those types of tables then you already get it and this ain’t for you.
Again, to all the Tournament Organizers out there who might be reading this — this isn’t a dig at you. Thank you for doing what you do (and I know what goes into running big events). Sometimes you’ve got to cut corners because of time or resources. And sometimes you’ve just got to go with the terrain you’ve got access to. So don’t take this as an attack on your tables.
Now, as for my complains about “generic and/or bland” looking terrain, I’ve got a solution. But you might not like it.
Terrain Kits Are For Everyone?
For the players (like me) who want cool tables: build them. I know, right?! How dare I tell you to build your own terrain to bring to games. That’s the job of the Store/Tournament Organizer/My-Crazy-Friend-Who-Buys,-Builds,-And-Paints-Their-Own-Terrain. Why should you bother to volunteer to help on a store’s terrain day? Or help out if your local scene is hosting a terrain builder for the next big GT? Your crazy friend totally wouldn’t appreciate you gifting them a kit once in while…
It doesn’t have to take an army to get great looking terrain together to play 40k. Heck, I’ve played on tabletops that were just bare plywood and stacks of books and cups. If you just want to play and that’s all you can commit to doing, that’s perfectly fine! But man…when you DO have an army to help with terrain you can move mountains (or stacks of plastic sprues in this case).
That said, showing up for terrain days at your local store(s) and helping your local tournament organizers out by just being an extra set of hands is such a great experience. Just a couple of hours building terrain, painting what you can, or even just patching stuff up is HUGE help. It’s also just a good time to hang out with others who use that terrain regularly and get to know them when you’re not trying to crush their armies across from you. It’s good community building — and we could all use more of that.
If you’ve got a terrain collection already I know if can be a little daunting to bring some of it to a tournament or even to the local store for game night. You’ve already got your army to transport and another crate of stuff is just more to worry about. And I know how anxious it can feel to let two random players (or more) use your terrain for the day. There’s definitely a certain amount of trust you’re extending to let others use your terrain. If you’re not comfortable with bringing it, then don’t. But if you didn’t help with the terrain at the store/event and you didn’t bring your own, then there’s no need to knock it either.
It’s About Respect
The next time you’re playing on a table with terrain remember that someone took the time to put that together. It doesn’t matter if it’s “soulless mass produced tournament terrain” or “straight outta White Dwarf” terrain. Someone took the time to get it table ready so that YOU could play a game of Warhammer on it. Respect that. Treat the terrain as you would treat your own army. There’s no need to get crazy with it. And yes, stuff can break, so fix it. Or at least tell the store/tournament organizer something broke so they can fix it. And if you’re playing at a store clean-up your terrain when you’re done. It’s really not complicated. It’s all about respect.
Bring your own terrain or help out with your local store/tournament scene and volunteer on their next terrain day. Are you up to the challenge?
