Terrain

Quick Reference

• Major Terrain Features — Large pieces (buildings, big vehicles, rock piles); block line of sight, create bottlenecks; may have multiple levels; 4–6 per Battlefield
• Minor Terrain Features — Smaller pieces (walls, barricades, dumpsters, small vehicles); break up open ground; provide Cover; 2–4 per Major Feature
• Decorative Terrain Features — Purely aesthetic (rubble, toppled furniture); no rules effect; can be moved aside or removed if they obstruct a model

Terrain Features

The Battlefield should never be a large, empty space. Fallout: Factions is a much more interesting game when it is played across a Battlefield with a variety of evocative Terrain Features that models can take Cover behind and maneuver around. ^{[Rulebook pg. 10]}

As every player's Terrain collection will be different, there are no hard and fast rules for defining Terrain Features. Instead, the rules refer to three broad categories: Major Terrain Features, Minor Terrain Features, and Decorative Terrain Features. ^{[Rulebook pg. 10]}

Designer's Note: Surveying Scenery

Before setting up to play a game, it is helpful if you and your opponent take a moment to look at the Terrain that's available and agree on how each piece should be categorized.

You should also briefly discuss any other questions that come up – can a model move through the doors on this building, even though they're sculpted as being closed? Can models see and attack through that chain link fence? Can a model squeeze through this or that gap?

You're unlikely to cover every eventuality in advance, but a short chat before starting can head off a lot of sticking points.

If something else comes up during play, discuss it with your opponent and come to a common sense solution. ^{[Rulebook pg. 10]}

Major Terrain Features

These are large pieces of Terrain which dominate an area of the Battlefield. Examples include: buildings, large vehicles, industrial walkways, and large rock piles. ^{[Rulebook pg. 10]}

The purpose of Major Features is to break up the Battlefield, both obscuring sight lines and creating bottlenecks that influence each crew's movement. As such, Major Features should block Visibility to some degree – a model standing on one side of the Battlefield should not be able to see a model standing on the other side, or should at the very least have a significantly obstructed view. ^{[Rulebook pg. 10]}

Major Features can have multiple levels, and models may be able to move around on top of them. ^{[Rulebook pg. 10]}

If a Terrain collection includes multiple Minor Features arranged on a single Base, this could also be treated as a Major Feature. ^{[Rulebook pg. 10]}

An average Battlefield should usually have between four and six Major Terrain Features, but this can vary depending on their size. ^{[Rulebook pg. 10]}

Minor Terrain Features

These are smaller pieces of Terrain which are used to break up the open ground between Major Terrain Features. Examples include: walls and barricades, small vehicles, vending machines, and dumpsters. ^{[Rulebook pg. 11]}

The purpose of Minor Features is to add further texture to the Battlefield, both reducing the number of open areas and giving players the opportunity to tuck crew models behind Cover. ^{[Rulebook pg. 11]}

For each Major Feature on a Battlefield, there should be two to four Minor Features, depending on their sizes. ^{[Rulebook pg. 11]}

Decorative Terrain Features

For many players, creating an evocative Battlefield is as much fun as playing the game. The category of Decorative Terrain Features exists for such players and includes piles of rubble, toppled furniture, and fallen tree branches. ^{[Rulebook pg. 11]}

Decorative Features are small, insignificant, and entirely ignored by the rules. If a Decorative Feature ever obstructs a model, it can be moved aside or removed entirely. ^{[Rulebook pg. 11]}

As Decorative Features have no effect on the game, there is no limit to how many should be used – they are simply a chance for players to express their creativity and build an evocative Wasteland diorama at the start of a game! ^{[Rulebook pg. 11]}