Wednesday 8 March 2023

Random Terrain. No thanks!

[This video was published at the weekend and I forgot to press Publish on the post! It's generated quite a bit of conversation in the comments, so I wanted to make sure it also appeared here]

The use of random terrain generation in wargames creates ugly and illogical tables that make my head hurt! My inner Geography nerd wants to cry out in horror when I see terrain dumped on a game's table without any apparent thought. Escarpments where none should exist; towns that are not anchored on terrain features like crossings or roads; and rivers that appear to run uphill, I've seen them all.

9 comments:

  1. Try gaming with a geologist ! He loves it when it set up “wrong” 😂😂😂. That may just to go wind him up pre game

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  2. I agree with you Lee, but then I am not a competition gamer.

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    1. Its probably also why I dislike random so much.

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  3. Interesting. You must have hated some of the games I've put on.

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    1. Lol. On the contrary, I've never played one of your games and wondered why some terrain is where it is....but there is always next time 😆😉

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  4. I agree and disagree. I like a random generator for a non-historic scenario. I like the generator in The Courier magazine from 1986. If the layout looks really odd, then yes I will regenerate it. As a geographer, I get what you are saying.

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    1. Fair enough. Maybe I need to loosen up (or have a drink) before playing a game 🤣

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  5. I am going to come down on your side of the fence in this debate, Lee. I do not much care for contrived terrain placement especially when terrain can be moved around, removed, replaced, etc. in a gamey fashion. Some rules immediately spring to mind. Perhaps this is fun and reasonable in tournament settings but I am no tournament player.

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Thank you for leaving a comment. I always try to reply as soon as I can, so why not pop back later and continue the conversation. In the meantime, keep rolling high!