Terrain positioning questions
Posted: Sat Nov 13, 2021 2:42 pm
Hi
I'm gearing up for my first playthroughs of Darklands which will be using a 4'by 4' area to start with and I'm currently reading up on the positioning terrain rules.
These have raised some questions which I realise might be a bit niche as individual terrain features may not come up very often, but still I wanted to try and cut off any issues before they happen.
First of all:
Approximate Size
The physical size of a terrain feature is very important,
however, and should not be altered; but a terrain feature's size
can be approximately the size indicated rather than exact, up
to 2” different in any dimension but no more than that.
This paragraph seems contradictory = the size cannot be altered but can be approximately the size indicated.
Does this mean the area must remain consistent but dimensions can be altered i.e. a 12''by12'' could change to a 14''by10'' (almost the same area)?
I mean this probably won't come up as I plan on making some card templates that are all the standard square areas required. This will get me started, but was just curious as to how to interpet this.
Positioning Shores
A beach shore or rocky shore must be positioned so that either
the two sides of that shore are touching two battlefield edges
or all of one long side of a shore is touching a battlefield edge.
If the former is chosen, anything behind that shore is the sea -
and so is deep water and impassable!
I'm a little confused as to how this works.
The dimensions are 36 by 4 so if you place it with the long edge along one side it would go outside of the positioning square (which isn't always allowed ' player's opponent may not position any terrain feature so that any part of it is within 5” of any battlefield edge or outside the positioning square'). It is allowed for Kindred terrain so presumably Norse can place this along their edge across multiple positioning squares?
Also the table is 48'' minimum along the shortest side so the shore will end abruptly. Is this intentional?
To position it touching 2 sides I presume the area would need to be an 'L-shape' in the corner of one battlefield. Then if the terrain feature ptrojects into the field, i.e. the corner of the L shape is not along the edge of the field, as the text says the corner area would be sea? Is this correct?
(Quick related question - can flanking units enter from a shore edge of the battlefield? I would assume not (this may be mentioned elsehwere) unless they could fly or were amphibious?
Positioning Long Water Features
A river, stream or dyke - a long water feature - must be
positioned so that the two ends of the long water feature are
touching two battlefield edges. If there are two adjacent
positioning squares containing long water features, they may
join to become one long water feature, as long as the two ends
are touching two battlefield edges. Rivers, streams and dykes
may join each other - a river could flow into a stream and vice
versa, and a stream could flow into a dyke and vice versa.
I presume the position player has complete freedom to have the river straight or bending up to the length of 24'' and fulfiling the placement rules above?
To touch 2 sides of the battlefield again I presume it would have to be an L shape every time?
I like the idea of joining onto another river to bisect the battlefield but as you have to position terrain one square at a time, how can you possibly position your river to join to another water feature when you don't even know if that feature will be rolled? Or can you alter it if another water feature is rolled afterwards?
Can you position a river over a shore feature to represent a river running to the sea?
There is a similar issue with tracks and roads. Presumably these also have to be places to join 2 sides of the field or to another road or track though this is not stated.
But its either that or have all roads/tracks also be an L or U shape within one positioning square which seems wrong, especially for a nice straight Roman road!
It doesn't make sense for a track or road to cross one positioning square and then disappear? Or start up in the middle of a square (though I suppose you could argue that the track may have been destroyed in places?).
Cheers for any help
Jon
I'm gearing up for my first playthroughs of Darklands which will be using a 4'by 4' area to start with and I'm currently reading up on the positioning terrain rules.
These have raised some questions which I realise might be a bit niche as individual terrain features may not come up very often, but still I wanted to try and cut off any issues before they happen.
First of all:
Approximate Size
The physical size of a terrain feature is very important,
however, and should not be altered; but a terrain feature's size
can be approximately the size indicated rather than exact, up
to 2” different in any dimension but no more than that.
This paragraph seems contradictory = the size cannot be altered but can be approximately the size indicated.
Does this mean the area must remain consistent but dimensions can be altered i.e. a 12''by12'' could change to a 14''by10'' (almost the same area)?
I mean this probably won't come up as I plan on making some card templates that are all the standard square areas required. This will get me started, but was just curious as to how to interpet this.
Positioning Shores
A beach shore or rocky shore must be positioned so that either
the two sides of that shore are touching two battlefield edges
or all of one long side of a shore is touching a battlefield edge.
If the former is chosen, anything behind that shore is the sea -
and so is deep water and impassable!
I'm a little confused as to how this works.
The dimensions are 36 by 4 so if you place it with the long edge along one side it would go outside of the positioning square (which isn't always allowed ' player's opponent may not position any terrain feature so that any part of it is within 5” of any battlefield edge or outside the positioning square'). It is allowed for Kindred terrain so presumably Norse can place this along their edge across multiple positioning squares?
Also the table is 48'' minimum along the shortest side so the shore will end abruptly. Is this intentional?
To position it touching 2 sides I presume the area would need to be an 'L-shape' in the corner of one battlefield. Then if the terrain feature ptrojects into the field, i.e. the corner of the L shape is not along the edge of the field, as the text says the corner area would be sea? Is this correct?
(Quick related question - can flanking units enter from a shore edge of the battlefield? I would assume not (this may be mentioned elsehwere) unless they could fly or were amphibious?
Positioning Long Water Features
A river, stream or dyke - a long water feature - must be
positioned so that the two ends of the long water feature are
touching two battlefield edges. If there are two adjacent
positioning squares containing long water features, they may
join to become one long water feature, as long as the two ends
are touching two battlefield edges. Rivers, streams and dykes
may join each other - a river could flow into a stream and vice
versa, and a stream could flow into a dyke and vice versa.
I presume the position player has complete freedom to have the river straight or bending up to the length of 24'' and fulfiling the placement rules above?
To touch 2 sides of the battlefield again I presume it would have to be an L shape every time?
I like the idea of joining onto another river to bisect the battlefield but as you have to position terrain one square at a time, how can you possibly position your river to join to another water feature when you don't even know if that feature will be rolled? Or can you alter it if another water feature is rolled afterwards?
Can you position a river over a shore feature to represent a river running to the sea?
There is a similar issue with tracks and roads. Presumably these also have to be places to join 2 sides of the field or to another road or track though this is not stated.
But its either that or have all roads/tracks also be an L or U shape within one positioning square which seems wrong, especially for a nice straight Roman road!
It doesn't make sense for a track or road to cross one positioning square and then disappear? Or start up in the middle of a square (though I suppose you could argue that the track may have been destroyed in places?).
Cheers for any help
Jon