The table below suggests six locations in which a battle could be fought. Using these, you can create a thematic battlefield that offers unique challenges. It is also possible (even encouraged) to combine these ideas in different ways:
D6 | Result |
1 | Riverbank: One side of the battlefield (short or long) can be treated as impassable terrain, representing the fast flowing waters. Perhaps two adjacent edges could be impassable terrain, representing the battle taking place where the river bends. Such a battlefield might feature areas of difficult or dangerous terrain, representing the muddy banks. |
2 | Forest Glade: The battlefield might be ringed around its edge with woods. The dense wood might cause reserves to get lost in the forest and arrive at randomly determined locations. The same may be true of units that pursue the enemy off the battlefield – they may become lost and not return immediately, if at all. |
3 | Mountain Fastness: The battlefield should be long and narrow, and at least two of its edges treated as impassable terrain. The rest of the battlefield might be populated with difficult and dangerous terrain in the form of rocky ground. If the ground is steep, the entire battlefield could count as sloping away from one edge, giving an advantage to the side that controls it. |
4 | Underground Cavern: An underground battle might be a tense and claustrophobic affair fought on a smaller than average battlefield with one or two points of access. Flying creatures are unlikely to be of much use, and war machines of certain types might prove ineffective. In fact, in the dark all missile weapons might be of limited use. |
5 | Marshland: The majority of the battlefield can be treated as difficult terrain, with the only areas of open ground being low hills that rise from the mire. Cavalry and monsters may find such a battlefield especially difficult. Banks of mist might drift through the air, obscuring line of sight before dispersing, making units unsure where exactly the enemy is. |
6 | Desert Dunes: A desert battlefield need not be sparse. Hills can represent the shifting dunes; rock formations and ruins can dot the landscape. The heat might sap the strength of heavily armoured units, slowing them down. The glare of the sun might interfere with shooting, whilst unexpected winds and sandstorms can halt all movement and drive away flying creatures. |