GW: Legions Imperialis Gelände Preview

Damit die Streitkräfte im epischen Kampf um die Galaxie nicht über leere Schlachtfelder streifen, gibt es eine Vorschau auf das Gelände von Warhammer: The Horus Heresy – Legions Imperialis.

Legions Imperialis Terrain – How the Battlefield Shapes Your Games

Legions Imperialis is a sprawling game of huge battles fought at the height of the Horus Heresy – tank squadrons tussling with infantry companies, bomber wings, and Titans on the march with malice aforethought.

But all that juicy dynamism would be nowhere without a suitably epic battlefield to play out these colossal conflicts. We have already revealed the terrain pieces that are coming to the Legions Imperialis range – did we mention how modular they all are? – but the question remains: how do they affect your all-arms conflicts?

The most obvious benefit of parking your Legions in areas of terrain is to protect them from enemy attack, as concrete walls and manufactorum pipes resist boltgun rounds a good deal better than your average Solar Auxilia trooper. Even scattered debris and craters offer some measure of protection in the form of a Cover Save – a special kind of save that isn’t modified by a weapon’s Armour Penetration value, so even Titan-killing super lasers might fail to vaporise their target.

Of course, not all terrain is created equal. Difficult terrain, for example, imparts a 6+ cover save and -1 to hit modifier to those inside,* but it also obliges all detachments besides Infantry and Walkers to move at half speed. Obstructing terrain – often composed of larger ruins and forests – instead grants a 5+ cover save and the same hit modifier, and even affects Titans, but it hampers visibility even more. If you’re hoping to shoot through it at something on the other side, think again.

Dangerous terrain is a tricky prospect, as detachments can take damage just by attempting to move through it. Each 1” of movement through these xenos-infested hives, burning promethium pools, and treacherous minefield deals an automatic hit to troopers and Titans alike. That damage can quickly rack up.

Enemy units still get a -1 to hit modifier when shooting at you, so it’s not all doom and gloom, but the terrain itself might end up doing more damage to you anyway. Just watch your step, and consider bypassing it entirely with your aerial assets.

Outside of area terrain, structures also play a big part in the epic-scale battles of Legions Imperialis. These are particularly large and durable buildings that can be garrisoned by Infantry to protect them from incoming fire, with excellent Cover Saves sometimes reaching 3+.** They also grant even stronger penalties to hit when shooting at detachments inside, and help their occupants fight off enemies in close assaults.

Unlike regular terrain, however, these structures can themselves be attacked and brought tumbling down, and being inside a collapsing building is perilous indeed. The entire area becomes difficult terrain and everyone inside takes an automatic AP -1 hit, with any model that fails their save destroyed instantly. Hard luck.

Combine plenty of area terrain and structures, and your battlefields will turn from lethal shooting galleries for tanks and Titans into tense brawls where infantry use their superior mobility in tough terrain to outfox their larger, more dangerous foes.

Legions Imperialis is on course for a release soon.

* But not to Titans – they’re just too big.

** For reference, Legion Tactical Detachments normally have an Armour Save of 5+.

Quelle: Warhammer Community