Warhammer: The Pros & Cons of Terrain Maps

Terrain Maps for Warhammer 40,000 and Age of Sigmar are here for tournament play. But is that a good thing? Let’s talk pros and cons.

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about tabletop terrain lately and specifically how much is too much. But that also got me to look at various game systems and how many “recommended” pieces of terrain were put forth in their rules/mission design. That, naturally, brought me to the Warhammer rules and their terrain maps that have been added to both AoS and 40k.

For example the Pariah Nexus Companion has these type of fairly detailed terrain maps included. On the AoS side of things, we also have the new terrain rules that were added with the new edition.

These are a little less detailed but they also come with their own set of Universal Terrain Abilities, too.

I think combined with the map, this type of setup can be really great. But I’ve noticed some things that have started to pop-up and I wanted to start a discussion about Terrain Maps in general.

Terrain Maps: The Good and The Bad

I’ve said this before but I like that these terrain maps are OPTIONAL for the most part. I think that tournaments are more likely to use them as the missions are designed around the them — especially for 40k. I do remember the days of having to roll off and spend the first 10 or so minutes of the round setting up the terrain. Having pre-set, pre-determined maps speeds things up quite a bit.

I also find that having terrain be defined with their own rules key (like in AoS) extremely useful. Both players know exactly what they are getting (rules wise) and there’s little room for debate or ambiguity. Specifically in Tournament play, this is a good thing.

Terrain Maps for tournaments save a lot of time and really can cut down on arguments. Both players know which map setup to do and can quickly work together to set that up according to the map.

So what are the downsides? First up, the tournament would need the correct amount of terrain for each table. Depending on the tournament this may or may not be a problem. If you’re hoping to run a tournament this can really be a problem if you’re light on terrain.

I also think that the Terrain Maps can also make games start to feel the same. This applies more to the missions that have specific Terrain Maps for them so when you’re using the big charts or randomizing the maps, it’s less of a problem. Still, specific layouts can lead to “hotspots” where the action is. If you play on the same map (or maps) all the time, you’ll kind of get a better idea of how to “play” the map.

But I think the real “problem” with Terrain Maps is this one: Not everyone plays tournaments. I don’t know about everyone else, but sometimes I speficially DON’T want to play a competitive match-up with fixed terrain. Maybe I just want to toss some terrain on the tabletop because “it looks cool” and play a simple mission. Sometimes I just want to play with my army and smash units with the other player and have a laugh. It’s not always serious business.

For Tournament play, I totally get why Terrain Maps are a good thing. But for casual play I find them to be a bit too restrictive. I don’t want to play every game like it’s in a tournament or “tournament prep” games. Again, I don’t think it’s bad to use them FOR casual play, I just think you shouldn’t limit yourself to ONLY using them in causal play.

Do you use the pre-set Terrain Maps for you games? Do you do anything to “spice them up” for causal play?

Writer, Editor, Texas Native, and now Tex-Pat, Adam covers all things Tabletop Gaming. Which includes Warhammer 40,000, Age of Sigmar, D&D, Board Games and everything else that involves dice, boards, cards and a table.
A hobbyist, player, and collector of miniatures and games, Adam’s current obsession are his Death and Chaos Armies for Age of Sigmar, his Blood Angels and Tyranids for 40k, an expanding collection of Marvel: Crisis Protocol minis, and his ever growing Arkham Horror: The Card Game Collection.

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