Terrain for the New Zealand Wars

Bringing together my terrain for the New Zealand Wars.  

Blood and Steel

...and a rules reminder "Terrain should cover 50%-75% of the playing area!"

AREA TERRAIN: woods, wheat fields or tall grass, 

LINEAR TERRAIN:  walls, fences, and hedges 

ELEVATED TERRAIN: Hills and upper floors of buildings. (just for the look it needs 2" of height)

DIFFICULT TERRAIN:  wooded areas, rubble, tall vegetation, and shallow waterways.  For New Zealand logged areas with tree stumps.  Muddy puddles.

BUILDINGS: Buildings divided into 4" Structures each

And another reminder

The way troops interact with the terrain is going to make the game.

Woods Area -1” and No Run to Ground Soft 

Buildings and Rubble Area -1” and No Run to Ground Hard

High Crops and Tall Grass Area -1” and No Run to Ground Soft

Fences and Hedges Linear Takes full Advance action to cross; No Run to Ground Soft

Low Walls Linear Takes full Advance action to cross; No Run to Ground Soft or Hard

Shallow Stream Linear -1” and No Run to Ground None

Marsh Area -1” and No Run to Ground None

Important to note that for the New Zealand Wars the Maori are "elusive" and gain extra use of cover in terrain.  They also felled logs for cover in dense woodland, and indeed dug Rifle pits!

Some source material:

Tracks, trees, bush, ferns

Gullies, big old trees, elevations, mud, rain

Smoke, fern, cover from view, Pa defences, trees

My New Zealand ideas.  Stuff I can use on table that will tie my game to this period.

1. Rainstorms (Bloody hell its raining.  Deploy Puddles!)

• Irregular shapes, not circles (NZ rain never behaves).
• Tint a few with brown/green wash underneath → looks churned, not clean water.
• Put them where units must go: track junctions, gate approaches, stream exits.

Rules nudge

• Puddles: No modifier, but first failed Run test in contact = Fatigue (wet boots, slipping).
• Dice for "wet powder markers"

Cheap, thematic, and it feels right.

2. Bush Tracks & Cart Roads (Linear)

• Track: No penalty
• Mud Track (after rain): -1” Move, Run allowed but failed Run = Fatigue
• Counts as Soft for saves if flanked by bush

Visually: brown felt strip + static grass edges = instant win.

3. Fern Scrub (Area)

Thick waist-high bracken, not trees.

Rules

• Area, -1” Move
• Shoot -1 beyond 6”
• Run allowed, but failed Run = Pin

This is the classic NZ firefight terrain — skirmishers love it, formations hate it.

4. Fallen Timber & Windfall (Area / Linear)

Storm damage, logging debris, old clearings.

Rules

• Area or Linear
• -1” Move
• Counts as Hard cover when shot through
• No Run to Ground

Easy build: twigs + bark + coffee grounds.

Under construction.

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5. Gullies & Cuttings (Linear / Area)

Dry creek beds, erosion cuts — everywhere in NZ.

Rules

• Inside gully: Hard cover
• Entering/exiting costs full Advance
• Units inside cannot be seen unless attacker is within 6” or elevated

This makes elevation matter without needing hills everywhere.

Recreation of a contemporary painting.

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6. Raupō Huts & Whare (Buildings)

Not just European buildings — this shouts NZ Wars.

Rules

• Buildings, Hard cover
• Can be Burned (scenario/event driven)
• Burning building: Area of Smoke after 1 turn

Visually: they don’t need to be perfect — suggestion beats accuracy.

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7. Tree Stumps & Clear-Felled Ground (Area)

Post-logging or artillery-cleared areas.

Rules

• Area, -1” Move
• No cover
• Units charging out of stumps suffer -1 Melee first round

It’s nasty, awkward ground — perfect.

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8. Stock Pens, Yards & Post-and-Rail Enclosures (Linear / Area)

Half-farms, half-defensive.

Rules

• Fences
• Enclosed yard counts as Soft cover
• Crossing fence = full Advance

Looks civilian… plays military.

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9. Flooded Low Ground (Area)

Different from marsh — temporary and cruel.

Rules

• Area, -1” Move
• Run allowed, but any Run = automatic Fatigue
• No cover

Great after “Heavy Rain” events.

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Optional additions

Smoke & Damp Powder

• After heavy rain: first Shoot action by a unit = -1 Shoot (wet powder markers.
• During heavy rain -2 Shoot.
• Smoke markers linger 1 extra turn in still weather

Slippery Banks (Stream edges)

• Pass resolve as Advance test failure means = unit gains 1 Fatigue.

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Terrain density rule of thumb

For Blood & Steel skirmish fights:

• 1 terrain piece per square foot
• At least one linear obstacle per table quarter
• At least two “awkward” areas (fern, marsh, rubble)

If units can just march and shoot cleanly — add one more patch of misery

The tabletop 

A Logged area occupied by the Maori

The Pã

So far so good!