Battlements

One of the things that players take for granted is the lovely scenery that GW provides. However, perhaps they should, in favor of their own terrain. While I may not be the next Jawaballs when it comes to painting, I like to consider myself a builder before a painter. I have more terrain pieces than units, and part of that is the ridiculous price of the miniatures, but also because I like to create things with my own two hands. From mounds of sandbags, to complex bunkers. From simple billows of smoke, to full on landscapes. Best of all, it all looks good. But this article isn't to brag about my collection of terrain, its about something different entirely.

How certain terrain effects gameplay is a key factor to winning battles, and as a Guard player, its also key to my units survival. Now there is a lot more to it than just being cover, provided you have the time, and you can make a terrain piece that's as essential as the unit within.

I like to add Palisades and barbwire to my pieces, that makes any unit assaulting a unit within require a dangerous terrain roll. Also, boarding up the windows in a building with some popsicle sticks (as long as it looks good, I like the ones that have flat ends, that way you don't have to cut all the ends off) lends the ruins a better coversave. If you like trenches (my favorite) then another good idea is to make the area leading up to the trench sloped, and add some rubble as well (miniwargaming recently released a video on meteors, and in that is a unique terrain idea, that using water and glue soaked toilet paper makes for some great looking freshly moved dirt) this makes gettin up the slope difficult terrain. At the entrances to the trench a barrel, or even some sandbags, will prevent total destruction if attacked from the side. Lastly, a firing step in the trenches is handy if facing Tau, or even hiding from tanks, simply keep your men off the step, so that the entire model is hidden, then when the Tau are in range, simply step onto the firing step, and open up.

I hope this article has inspired you to make some fantastic terrain, that not only looks good, but is functional to winning the battle.