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By Jeremy Vetock
Sometimes the older and more experienced a wargamer you are,
the more you take some of the most basic elements for granted.
The humble wargames forest is just such a thing. We longbeards
of gaming talk of large, liftoff canopies and hand-built,
wire-frame trees for which it can take weeks to perfect a
single trunk, but we spend precious little time discussing
some of the most common features. A tabletop forest is just
one such oft-neglected item. This short-but-informative article
is all about some simple, fast ways to get a forest or wooded
glade onto your tabletop.
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Aren't all those trees the same? Not in wargaming. Lone trees, or
those placed with other terrain pieces, like alongside a building
or atop a hill, offer cover for snipers or single models, and may
slightly alter how a squad or unit might maneuver. However, they
are really NOT much of an addition to a wargame. These single trees
won't slow movement, can't hide or cover many troops and are more
about the visually pleasing side of gaming, or the aesthetics of
it all. We think playing on great looking tables is what most gamers
want, and a quick-but-nice looking (and realistic) forest would
be common in all the main Games Workshop games: Warhammer, Warhammer
40,000, and The Lord of The Rings.
The forest or small glade is no more than a grouping of trees. For
you aesthetic types: yes, it will make your gaming area look cooler,
but more importantly, the forest can add vast tactical challenges
to your game. It can be the perfect spot from which to launch ambushes,
hide from superior foes, take cover from withering enemy fire, or
secure or anchor a flank (after all, most troops will slow down
when forced to move through a forest).
In Warhammer 40,000, troops cannot see or shoot through more than
6" of woodland. In Warhammer, it is 2", and in The Lord
of The Rings, the woods will likewise  serve
as excellent cover. Even semi-exposed models will benefit from the
In the Way rule. No matter the game, there is something marvelous
about visualizing a model shooting and then ducking back into the
gloom of the woods. No wargaming terrain collection is complete
without some great looking woods to use for a game, whether it is
an Eldar raid on some primeval world or a rampaging band of Beastmen
storming out to overwhelm soldiers of the Empire.
So why do so few ever get around to making a wood, or use really
crummy alternatives? Maybe you're more interested in gaming than
other hobby aspects, but for the love of Sigmar, you can do better
than a pile of twigs and a green sponge. Here are some quick and
easy suggestions on making a forest that will actually aid any type
of wargaming you might try.
Next:
Basing Your Forests.
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