Flat terrain!

[FifteensAway]

Damn, I hate flat terrain!   Sorry, no pictures, nothing to point to.  I just had to let that out.

Now back to your regularly scheduled programming.

[Bushbaby]

I agree. Almost like playing in a 2D landscape!

[throwsFireball]

Agreed.

Especially when you can get stuff like Amera Plastic Mouldings for really cheap.

...Does anyone other than Amera do terrain that cheap, by the way?

[eilif]

I thought this kind of thing was a joke and then I saw a bunch of Warmachine players and found that in many cases they prefer flat terrain because of the precision it offers their measurements.  If a game is so competitive and precise that it works better with 2d terrain I say "no thanks".

[Hupp n at em]

As someone totally on the LAF side of things in terms of Aesthetics vs. Competitive gaming, I'll just throw in that I don't mind it as long their figures are painted.  Just to avoid this being entirely an echo chamber. 

[Sir_Theo]

I agree! With the qualifying statement that I don't mind it if everything about the game is flat. So if I'm playing Warhammer Diskwars the flat terrain is fine.

[jon_1066]

I'll play devils advocate.

Sceniced terrain has many game play issues - roofs that don't come off mean figures can't go into buildings, trees keep getting knocked over or you have to keep uprooting them, fields that troops perch on top of, hills that are too steep for figures to stand up on, broken ground where figures can't stand, hedges and walls interfere with movement trays or that classic - a movement tray perched on top of a tower.

[Malebolgia]

Just another matter of taste...so a bit pointless to discuss IMO.

Competitive gamers often prefer flat scenery nowadays to make the gameplay better. The rest of the players prefer beautiful scenery because it looks better.
Is one group right and the other wrong? No.
Do both groups have fun? Yes!

[Sangennaru]

Just consider the flat terrain as a part of a boardgame rather than a miniatures wargame. Miniatures are used as tokens (easy to move around rather than cardboard disks), all played on a map. This allows people to have a full-color table for cheap, extremely easy to modify and upgrade.

Of course, as a scenery sculptor myself i much prefere good painted scenery. But if the option is between cheap and crappy 3D half-unpainted models or decently conceived 2D prints... i'd go for the latter.

As for the competitive side... that is surely true, flat elements makes things easier. Not that i'm interested in that.

[eilif]

As someone totally on the LAF side of things in terms of Aesthetics vs. Competitive gaming, I'll just throw in that I don't mind it as long their figures are painted.  Just to avoid this being entirely an echo chamber. 

Nah, I'm a hardliner. I want painted minis and great terrain. 

Not everyone can meet that standard so I'll put my money/time where my mouth is.  I'm happy to provide painted minis and terrain for all.  That way everybody wins!

[dampfpanzerwagon]

I come down on the side of 3D terrain - preferably beautifully modelled and painted terrain as opposed to 'Flat Terrain'.

I also prefer skirmish games, but don't like buildings where to roof/roofs comes off - "Is that me sitting on the fence?"

My 2 pence worth.....

Tony

[MagpieJono]

I didn't realise that this flat terrain existed. Just looked at some Google images and don't like it. Seems a shame to paint lovely miniatures and play on a flat table, may as well use counters for models and be done with it!

[fastolfrus]

I seem to recall someone taking photos of his miniatures and using the pictures for counters.
I suppose if he actually made the terrain and took "aerial photos" of it to use as flat terrain that would give a bizarre twist to it all.

[Cory]

While normally I too prefer 3d terrain, a friend has run some black op style games with miniatures on a black dry erase board using fluorescent markers.

Another time we played some games where the terrain was cut from posterboard, each layer corresponding to about 5' so there was some decided vertical distortion.


Both worked well and were thematic, so I guess there can be a time and place.

[Conquistador]

LOL, I thought the topic line implied two Greek armies crossing open fields to smash into each other.  Too many "ancients" table tops look like someone is trying to use overwatch/fire and movement for bows and spears in the game.  Exaggerating, yes, but many early battles occurred on more or less "flat" terrain.