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I made this thread because it seems like there is some confusion and misinformation about terrain and its usefulness in 8th Edition 40k. Hopefully, that can be cleared up. If you don't find this useful, helpful, or in any way amusing, feel free to ignore it.
First, we'll address what the basic rules say about terrain.
1 - If you have Fly, you can move through terrain like it isn't there
2 - You cannot move through walls (without Fly) and the like, but you can scale them by moving vertically if you have enough movement to do so.
3 - If a unit is entirely on or within a terrain feature, add 1 to its save value against shooting attacks.
So far so good, right? Nothing about any percentage of the model covered. If you are entirely on or within a terrain feature, you have cover. Those are the basic terrain rules.
But wait, you say. Does that mean if one model isn't on or within a terrain feature, the entire unit doesn't have cover? Yes it does. However, because you can choose which models are removed by enemy fire, it is easy enough to assign the first wound suffered by your unit to that one model that is out of cover: once that model is dead, your entire unit benefits from cover.
Let's turn to the Advanced terrain rules. For those of you following along at home, those start on page 248 of the rulebook.
First up is Woods. Infantry that are entirely on the base of your woods terrain or otherwise entirely within the boundary of the forest have cover. Other models have to be 50% obscured. Charging through woods subtracts 2" from your charge distance.
Ruins: if you aren't infantry and can't fly, you are stuck at ground level. Infantry can move through the walls, floors and ceiling of ruins. Infantry get cover if the entire unit is on or within the ruin. Everyone else needs to be at least 50% obscured to get cover. Notice a pattern here?
Craters: infantry units entirely within craters have cover. Charging across craters gives you -2" movement.
Barricades: infantry units within 1" of a barricade and behind it from the PoV of their enemy have cover. Your fight range is now 2" instead of 1".
Obstacles. These come in Tank Trap and Tanglewire varieties. One affects vehicles and monsters, the other affects infantry. Both halve the charge and advance distance of the respective models trying to advance or charge across them.
Prometheum Pipes are Barricades that might explode. Battlescapes are Woods that give you a mortal wound if you roll a 1 after advancing or charging across them. Hills give you better elevation, and thus better line of sight to anything else on the battlefield, but don't do anything else.
This next bit isn't mentioned in the book, but is absolutely vital. How vital? If you aren't using it, you are failing at 40k. It's called line of sight blocking terrain, and if you read nothing else from this post, read this.
What does it do? It blocks line of sight. It physically prevents enemy units from seeing your units, thus denying them the ability to shoot you. Bare minimum, you should have at *least* two pieces of line of sight blocking terrain on your battlefield. It doesn't have to be a building. It could be a tall hill. It could be a thick forest. It could be a sudden and steep valley in which a tank could hide. Whatever it is, it either needs to physically block line of sight or you need to rule that it blocks line of sight.
Line of sight blocking terrain is the difference between playing actual games of 40k, and playing, "hey, could my army's entire long range shooting ability kill your entire army before you can get to me?". It allows you to make actual tactical decisions. To selectively engage and be engaged. To force your opponent to make decisions. Does she or he move his or her heavy weapons squad and give them a -1 to hit, or do they target something else this turn? Do you place your Deep Striking troops behind the LoS blocking terrain, or do you set them up for an attempt at a 9" charge? And so on.
No board is complete without LoS blocking terrain, but even without it, terrain has a real effect on the battle. Though that effect is less than what it was in 7th edition, it can be the difference between victory and defeat.
Use it.
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