Terrain Coverage Calculator — Balanced Battlefields

The widely accepted standard is 25-33% terrain coverage for balanced play. GW recommends about 25% for Warhammer 40K. Less than 15% heavily favours shooting armies. More than 40% favours melee and assault forces.

A balanced table needs: 2-3 line-of-sight blocking pieces (buildings, large ruins), 3-4 pieces of cover (walls, craters, barricades), 2-3 pieces of difficult ground (forests, rubble), and optional area terrain (woods, swamps). Vary heights and shapes.

Yes, placement matters as much as quantity. Avoid clustering all terrain in the centre or one corner. Distribute terrain evenly across the table. Place some terrain in deployment zones. Alternate placement between players for fairness.

MDF laser-cut buildings (TTCombat, Sarissa Precision) are excellent value and easy to paint. Expanded polystyrene carved and coated with PVA for hills. Aquarium plants for jungle. Fish tank decorations for alien landscapes. GW terrain kits are high quality but expensive.