Games Workshop is updating the Terrain Rules for Warhammer 40,000 in 11th edition. It’s time to these rules changes direct from GW!
Terrain is a really important part of the Warhammer experience. It adds a level of immersion to the game and can take your boards from being kind of boring to being visually stunning. Aside from the hobby aspects Terrain also has a huge impact on your games due to how units and models can interact with it. Today we’re getting a look at some of those rules to see how exactly terrain is going to impact your games on the tabletop.
Features vs Areas
Terrain features are individual pieces of scenery, such as ruins, barricades, trees, rocks, and anything else you could conceivably encounter on the battlefields of the 41st millennium. Terrain features will always be placed on (or sometimes used to denote the edge of) a terrain area. Several key changes now allow for a wider variety of terrain features on the battlefield, and a greater degree of interaction with terrain than before. A terrain area is the footprint on the battlefield under the effects of that scenery, and these effects are undergoing some big changes compared with the current edition.
The New Hidden Rule
Infantry, Beast, and Swarm models inside a terrain area can be Hidden as long as their unit didn’t shoot in the current or preceding player turn (and so will be hidden at the start of the game).
What this means is that while they are hidden, they are only visible to enemy units that are within detection range. This range is typically 15″ but I have a funny feeling there may be other rules that play around with that range. Game-wise, if a unit can’t draw line of sight (visible) to a target they can’t fire at them. That said, I’m curious to see how this will interact with weapons that don’t require line of sight. It makes sense that an unit of mortars could just shell an area without knowing if the enemy is there or not. Regardless, this should open up some interesting opportunities for deployment and tactics in game later.
Obscuring is mostly the same. What’s changed is how cover works while you’re benefiting from it.
Obscuring terrain areas cannot be seen entirely through, so even large models and big units can use sections of terrain to avoid enemy fire. Infantry, Beasts and Swarm units in terrain areas also gain the benefit of cover, which in the new edition gives your opponent a -1 penalty to their Ballistic Skill, rather than the +1 bonus to armour saves you receive now.
I’m not really sure which representation of cover I like better to be honest. I’ve always though it’s better to not have to roll the armor save due to not being hit than having to roll the armor save in the first place.
New Recommended Terrain Layouts
Games Workshop is also updating the recommended terrain layouts with the new edition. So here’s a look at two terrain layouts coming with the new edition.
Crucible of Battle Terrain Layout
Hammer & Anvil layout
Now, there’s a couple of things to note. There’s more terrain layouts. But these are two of the three recommended for a specific mission. That mission is based on one Army having the Disruption Force Disposition and the other having Take and Hold Force Disposition.
The mission layouts were designed to help balance things out while still pushing towards a more narrative experience based on the missions. And again, these are the recommended layouts. If you’re just playing a casual game you can do whatever layout or terrain setup you want.
Another thing that GW pointed out is that “there are a number of long, thin terrain areas.” These are there because of the Obscuring rules and because they “create new opportunities for different types of terrain” in your games. Realistically you could make those terrain areas trees, barricades, xenos rubble, energy shields… you get the idea. The idea here is you can still make your collection fit with the terrain layouts.
Height Matters
It’s not just about the 2D footprint of terrain in the new edition either. Height will also make a bigger impact thanks to some new rule interactions.
In the current edition, units like heavy weapon teams seldom ascend the upper floors of ruins, as doing so exposes them to fire from across the table. With the hidden rule, you can safely access the upper levels of terrain, safe from long range enemy fire, at least until your unit has taken their first shots. You can now also take advantage of the Plunging Fire rule to give your unit a +1 to their Ballistic Skill, effectively cancelling out the benefit of cover, or make a devastating attack on an enemy unit caught out in the open.
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If you’re playing with units with the Towering keyword (think Imperial Knights) then you’ll also get the benefit of Plunging Fire on ground-level units within 12″ also!
Now, if you’re starting to wonder if your current terrain will work with the new edition, you’re in luck. GW has put out a list of terrain you can assemble to use in the new edition.
You’ll need the following sizes for the standard mission layouts:
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- Four large rectangles – 7” x 11.5”
- Two large right-angle triangles – 8” x 11.5”
- Four medium rectangles – 6” x 4”
- Two long lines – 10” x 2.5”
- Four short lines – 6” x 2”
If you’re also wondering about getting the right Area Terrain Footprints it’s worth noting that GW will be selling those alongside the new edition. These should work just fine with existing War Zone terrain sets as well. I have a funny feeling that there’s going to be a whole lot of folks also making their own templates for these Area Terrain Footprints, too…
What do you think of the new Terrain rules?
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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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