I'm starting to gather ideas for some modular terrain ideas and want to see what more experienced Legionnaires have done/are doing for terrain, what works, what doesn't, etc. Thankfully our FLGS has their own terrain and mats, so I am in no hurry to finish any of this.

My current idea is to have 6 - 9 different 12" x 12" pieces (to reduce storage needs) that are magnetized along the edge so that they stay together when they are on the table. Then I plan on having mildly different terrain on each of the pieces so that there is some variation. Then I plan to build some scatter terrain that matches. Has anyone done/seen anything like this?

Now I'd like to talk about theme.

My Imperials have Mustafar lava bases and my Rebels will have Crait bases. I was initially thinking I'd do a Mustafar terrain set, but I don't really know how that'd work out. Here are some of my thoughts/concerns.

• Lava rivers: it really wouldn't look like Mustafar without them. Has anyone used any rules concerning lava rivers? I think they'd need to just be impassable terrain and I'll make bridges that can span them. I would also think it reasonable to allow repulsor vehicles to pass over it, but nothing else.
• Steam/smoke vents: we don't really see any on screen, but they make sense to me and they'd be a good light cover option. Any ideas on how to accomplish this?
• Any good ideas/scrap materials to keep my eye out for to use as a crates/obstacles? I thoroughly enjoy dodging cost by scavenging stuff and want to know what you think makes good salvage.

Feel free to leave any other helpful tips or tricks!

Quick response on themed elements:

Lava Rivers: I haven't used them, but I would agree they should be impassible, unless you have chosen locations that could be "jumped" over. House rules are key with that sort of terrain. I have thin "pond" area I built with a small crossing area for troopers only. It works pretty nicely. Bridges, yes. Also repulsor should be able to pass over. In my experience, there aren't many types of terrain that give a nice clean advantage to repulsors, so this is a great opportunity.

Steam / Smoke Vents: I love the idea of light cover from vents. You could mock it up with a modeled steam "cloud", or you could simply place the vent on a base with a set radius, and say steam screens anything on the other side. (Modeled seems much more compelling, especially if you add LEDs). It also makes it more difficult to forget to apply the cover.

Scrap Materials: There are some great parts online (Thingiverse, etc) that could be 3D printed, including vents. One of the guys in my group scavenged engine parts from some old jet and helicopter models. They look fantastic!

Have fun!

On 11/13/2018 at 12:13 PM, Praetorate of the Empire said:

My current idea is to have 6 - 9 different 12" x 12" pieces (to reduce storage needs) that are  magnetized along the edge  so that they stay together when they are on the table.

If the sides are magnetized, wouldn’t that mean there are only retain configurations that would work? You would need to set the magnets up so the poles were lined up which would eliminate some possibilities, correct? Just something to be aware of when deciding how to arrange magnets.

I’ve cannibalized a lot of terrain from my Lord of the Rings miniatures gaming- a Mordor-style tower works well as some kind of Sith “temple”, and the Old Republic has a long enough history to justify numerous sets of ancient ruins. Add some more Star Warsy stuff, like crates, consoles and comms equipment, plus some sci-fi terrain I ordered from TT Combat, and it works well. Looks like a newer settlement built right over something older. And the wall I built for LotR Pelennor Fields scenarios offers a good incentive for repulsor vehicles, even with doors marked for trooper movement (doors stolen from Imperial Assault). After all, the doors can easily bottleneck troopers, while the wall is low enough for either 74-Zs or T-47s to go over with no problem.

Theoretically, troopers can climb, of course, but that just makes grappling hooks a more useful upgrade... even at that, the climb costs an action, and the threat from vehicles would likely leave the climbing troopers without a dodge and exposed to fire. (The AT-ST would be unable to cross the wall, but it could see troopers on top and fire on them with little if any cover, so even ground vehicles become relevant.)

11 hours ago, smickletz said:

If the sides are magnetized, wouldn’t that mean there are only retain configurations that would work? You would need to set the magnets up so the poles were lined up which would eliminate some possibilities, correct? Just something to be aware of when deciding how to arrange magnets.

Yeah, I think I've thought that through. I plan to have 2 magnets per side of each piece. If we're looking at the "top" edge, the one on the left can have one polarity exposed, then the other can have the opposite polarity exposed. As long as I maintain the same magnet layout for each piece, I should be able to have all the pieces be at any orientation and still magnetize to one another.