Random Terrain System

If a campaign is in progress, some of the steps indicate below will be pre-determined by the campaign map. Terrain is laid out by the defender, who is assumed to have local knowledge.

1. Local geography

The geography of the region in which you are fighting may be obvious from a campaign map. Otherwise roll a die and cross-index the score against the State where the battle takes place.

State or region | Score -> 1 2 3 4 5 6
Maryland, Pensylvania Farm Farm Farm Farm Wilderness Riverside
Kansas, Illinois, Indiana Farm Farm Farm Farm Plain Riverside
Kentucky, Tenessee Farm Farm Swampy Plain Riverside Mountains
N. Virginia, N. Carolina Farm Farm Farm Wilderness Riverside Coastal
Shenandoah & West Virginia Farm Farm Farm Wilderness Riverside Mountains
South Carolina Farm Farm Farm Swampy Riverside Coastal
Georgia Farm Farm Farm Plain Swampy Swampy
Mississippi, Alabama, Ark. Farm Farm Swampy Plain Riverside Riverside
Louisiana, Florida Farm Farm Swampy Swampy Riverside Coastal
Texas Farm Farm Plain Plain Plain Hilly
New Mexico Farm Plain Plain Plain Hilly Hilly

The capital letter gives the type of Local Geography.

2. Tabletop Zones

Divide the table into zones up to 24" square. This means that a 6ft by 4ft table will have 6 Zones. The defender draws a rough map of the table, divided into Zones.

For each Zone throw four die. Each die score might indicate a terrain piece, or be blank. If the score is 'Stop', roll no more die for that zone and proceed to the next zone. If score 'choice' the defender can choose a terrain feature, which may be any on the four lists, or a creek, or may leave the area blank.

If the campaign map has a town or fort marked upon it, the defender states which of the Zones this will be. This counts as Roll 1 for that Zone.

If the battle is Riverside or Seacoast, the river or sea must run along one edge. The defender may elect to make the river a Creek. In this case, roll a die to randomly determine in which zone it enters the board: roll another to determine where it exits.

After each roll, the defender sketches the appropriate feature onto the map. Streams, swamps, roads etc should be connected so as making an intelligent pattern.

3. Random terrain tables

Farm - Farm land

Rolls -> 1st 2nd 3rd 4th
1 Steep Hill Field Railroad Settlement
2 Hill Field Fenced Road Farm
3 Rise Stream Sunken Lane Farm
4 Wood Wood Unfenced Road Building
5 Stream Wall Fence Line CHOICE
6 Field STOP STOP CHOICE

Wilderness

Rolls -> 1st 2nd 3rd 4th
1 Scrub Steep Hill Stream Farm
2 Stream Swamp Pool Building
3 Track Road Railroad Forest
4 Forest Woodland Field Clearing
5 Hill Clearing CHOICE Hill
6 Clearing STOP STOP Rise

Riverside

Rolls -> 1st 2nd 3rd 4th
1 Steep Hill Swamp Railroad Settlement
2 Hill Swamp Fenced Road Farm
3 Rise Stream Ditch Pool
4 Wood Wood Unfenced Road Building
5 Stream Hill + Cliff Fence Line CHOICE
6 STOP STOP CHOICE Swamp

Mountains

Rolls -> 1st 2nd 3rd 4th
1 Steep Hill Stream Railroad Farm
2 Long Hill Pool Stream Building
3 Road Scrub Track Forest
4 Woodland Ravine Forest Clearing
5 Spur Scree Steep Hill Hill + Cliff
6 Rocks STOP STOP Rise

Coastal or Estuary

Rolls -> 1st 2nd 3rd 4th
1 Swamp Settlement Railroad Sand Dunes
2 Swamp Farm Fenced Road Hill
3 Stream Pool Ditch Rise
4 Wood Building Unfenced Road Wood
5 Hill + Cliff CHOICE Fence Line Stream
6 CHOICE STOP Rocks CHOICE

Swampy - Swamplands

Rolls -> 1st 2nd 3rd 4th
1 Swamp Swamp Railroad Settlement
2 Hill Swamp Fenced Road Farm
3 Rise Stream Ditch Pool
4 Wood Wood Unfenced Road Building
5 Stream Field Forest CHOICE
6 Scrub STOP STOP CHOICE

Plains

Note: Ignore the third and subsequent farm or settlement on the table

Rolls -> 1st 2nd 3rd 4th
1 Steep Hill Rocks Settlement Railroad
2 Hill Pool Farm Field
3 Rise Ravine Building CHOICE
4 Wood Scrub
5
6 STOP STOP

Hilly - Hill country

Rolls -> 1st 2nd 3rd 4th
1 Rocks Rise Steep Hill Settlement
2 Pool Scrub Hill Farm
3 Ravine Steep Hill Railroad Farm
4 Scrub Hill + Scree Wood Building
5 Steep Hill + Cliff Hill Stream CHOICE
6 Hill + Scree STOP STOP CHOICE

General rules on placing terrain