Jeremy: 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.

A FEW LONE TREES DOES NOT A FOREST MAKE

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 manoeuvre. 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 GREEN DEPTHS

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 marvellous about visualising 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.