Terrain Elements

Open terrain is any area of a Battlefield where there is nothing to impede a model, and it is the most common terrain type in Trench Crusade. Models can be moved freely across open terrain.

A landmark is a single piece of impassable terrain, such as a statue, shrine or altar. They cannot be moved across except by models that can fly. If a scenario includes any Markers, then the players can agree to use a suitable landmark terrain piece in the place of the Markers. It makes a game more interesting to know that you are fighting to capture a statue or shrine, rather than an anonymous cardboard counter!

Area terrain is a catch-all term for areas of Dangerous, Difficult and Impassable Terrain. It’s important to agree where the boundary of a piece of area terrain lies so that you can tell if a model has strayed into it. This can be determined by either mounting the terrain on a suitable base, marking its boundary with a small piece of cotton, or simply making sure that you and your opponent agree where the boundary lies.

A hill can be of any size or height, though we recommend that it not be more than 12" across at its widest point. If the hill is high enough it will block Line of to models on the far side of the hill, and may give a model a height advantage when they make an attack. Hills are usually treated as being open terrain for the purposes of movement, but other pieces of terrain can be placed upon it, such as patches of rocky ground, barbed wire, trenches, or ruins. The players should agree what type of terrain any such areas will be considered as.

Linear terrain includes obstacles such as walls and hedges. It can have bends and kinks, and several sections can be joined together to create a long set of walls or hedges. Linear terrain can be crossed as if it is Open ground if it is up to 1" high, but must be climbed using the rules for climbing sheer surfaces if it is more than 1" high.

Trenches are a common piece of terrain on Trench Crusade battlefields, for obvious reasons! Trenches are divided into trench sections that may be from 4" to 12" long and from 2" to 4" wide. A trench section can have bends and kinks, and several sections can be joined together to create a trench line. Trench sections can also include crossroads and/or T-junctions where two lines of trenches meet each other. The side of a trench can be crossed as if it is open ground if it is up to 3" high, but must be climbed using the rules for climbing sheer surfaces if it is more than 3" high. A model can attempt to Jump from one side of a trench to the other using the rules for jumping over a gap.

A ruined building is a single Terrain Piece that can be any size or height, though we recommend that it not be more than 12" across at its widest point. Its walls can be climbed using the rules for climbing a sheer surface. Any stairs or floors that remain can be crossed as if they were open ground, while any piles of rubble will be Difficult Terrain.

A corner ruin consists of two ruined walls that are each up to 6" long, placed together roughly in the shape of an L or T. Corner ruins are a popular form of terrain because they are easy to make and work really well in games of Trench Crusade. A corner ruin can include the remains of floors from the upper levels of the original building, and if they do, models can Climb up to them using the rules for climbing sheer surfaces. Any piles of rubble will be Difficult Terrain.

A river must enter on one edge of the Battlefield and exit on another. Streams must enter from an edge, and may either leave by a different edge or end in a swamp or lake. A stream is Difficult Terrain, and a river is Dangerous Terrain. Both should include one or more crossing points, such as bridges or fords, that models can treat as open terrain. You can only use a river or stream in a game if the scenario says you must do so, or if both players agree to include a river or stream in the game they are about to play.

If you plan to use any unique terrain pieces that aren’t included in the standard terrain list, then you will need to chat with your opponent before the game to decide how you will use it in the game (don’t worry, this is usually a pretty straightforward thing to establish!).

Scattered Terrain: Terrain that is too small to have an effect on the battle, or is otherwise inconsequential, is called scattered terrain. Examples of scattered terrain include individual trees, boxes or crates, signposts and so on. Scattered terrain is purely decorative; any amount can be added to a battlefield, and you can ignore it or move it out of the way when setting up other terrain pieces, moving models, making attacks or checking visibility.

Intact Buildings: We recommend that you only include ruined buildings in your games, as they are much more practical to use during a game. However, if you wish you can use intact buildings such as large bunkers. If you do, you must either agree to treat them as Impassable Terrain, or you will need to draw up detailed floor plans of the interior. When a model enters an intact building, transfer it to the floor plan and carry on its move from there. When you use intact buildings in this way a certain amount of common sense and restraint will need to be exercised - for example, you shouldn’t move a model through an entrance is too small for it, and so on.

Trench Crusade Gaming Boards: To make a gaming board, simply purchase a piece of MDF, chipboard, or marine plywood that is 48" square. MDF, chipboard and plywood often come in 8’ by 4’ sheets, in which case you simply need to ask the supplier to cut the board in half, giving you two boards to play on. Your new gaming board can then be placed directly on your dining table, though you may want to put a tablecloth on the table to prevent scratches. You can either play on the plain wooden board covered with a blanket, or paint it with a combination of brown and green emulsion paints to represent the muddy fields that Trench Crusade battles are fought upon. Some players take this a step further by gluing 2" foamboard onto the gaming table, and then carving trenches and craters into the foam. Some examples of what can be achieved are shown throughout this book.