Rules for forests

[zippysguitar]

What do people use for rules so far as forests go?

Do they count as soft cover no matter where you are in the forest?

Do they completely block line of sight?

Can you run/charge thru a forest?

etc

[El Capitan]

We went through a long phase of using trees as representative of literally being there, ie troops moved around them and they obscurred line of sight in a very literal fashion.

However this proves somewhat unwieldy, with trees falling voer and models being difficult to move through, + it looks crap !

So we've gone more to bunching trees into clumps, or small copses. Aesthetically it looks good and it is more practical. When entering a wood we use count it as difficult terrain and if you enter the wood you are completely obscured to enemy fire (other than blasts). Furthermore, you can position troops on the edge of the wood, (positioning them in base contact, we remove troops when they are considered completely in the wood), granting them heavy cover worked out in the usual way, with the exception that the wood can be targeted with blast weapons which can make woodland defence quite risky.

[Adoni-Zedek]

We count woods as soft cover, and let you see (and shoot) 2 inches into or out-of a copse of trees. Occasionally we count them as difficult terrain, but typically we count them as clear terrain (no movement penalty unless you're a tracked or wheeled vehicle).

[James 40K Champ ***]

I think it would be quite good to get a couple of decent forests made up.

A decent sized forest base, if your within 2" of edge its heavy cover (and you can shoot outwards), if your deeper than 2" in you are obscured from vision (includig your own outwards). It would also be dificult terrain. If we had a few decent forests, it would be another way of putting enphasis on troops over vehicles, something we always strive to do on the table top.

Also, dense forests provide an excellent role in or near deployment zones. It lets people hide things so they are not too badly damaged in turn 1, yet at the same time it is not a strategic position, as their own line of sight is blocked. If you look back to 2nd Ed battle reports in white dwarfs they often had forests in DZ's. It also allows some troops to deploy in hiding.

[Adoni-Zedek]

Actually, having forests be "clear" terrain is easier on troops. Tracked vehicles are allowed in woods at slow speed (maybe 1/2 slow speed, I don't remember exactly) but every other vehicle (including bikes, and tracked bikes, like wartracks, but excluding walkers) is strictly forbidden entrance. Making it "clear" terrain, rather than difficult still gives your infantry the benefit of cover, but it doesn't slow them down as much, making the cover even better for them. And it still blocks line of sight deeper than 2" in to or out of the woods. Infantry is slow as it is. Making woods difficult terrain makes you less likely to want to put your infantry in them.

[James 40K Champ ***]

that would make sence to me, all we are really missing is the actuall terrain to make it happen