Terrain layout. How to do it right?

[PetterJhon]

Hello.

I'm new to Malifaux and I want to build some papercraft terrain. I can dish out some houses/carts/barrels/etc. but the thing that bothers me is how I actually place them on the table. What is good "map design" for Malifaux?

Obviously, some crews prefer open spaces, some prefer narrow mazes, so you have to balance these aspects on a not that huge 3x3 ft board. You also have to consider objectives and how easy it is to get to them and how exposed are you when you get there. Other noteworthy factor is how easy it is to get out of deployment zones without feeling like you're standing with your pants down, or feeling that map dictates you only one option on how to proceed.

I also want my board to have some kind of believable theme: if it's a town it should feel like a town and not just a bunch of random blocks thrown in random places.

I seek advice from experienced players:

What do you consider a good terrain layout from gameplay perspective?

What are common mistakes/bad decisions you can make when placing terrain?

Examples of awesome layouts you've played on?

Are there any guides/materials I can read to get the answers I seek?

[Ludvig]

I could have sworn there was a topic on this just a few days ago. I wrote a long reply for that one so this will be shorter:

I like a lot of terrain on my tables, around 50%. The centerline should often be clear for strats/schemes but just a few inches from the centerline I will place big LoS-blockers so one crew can advance in relative safety behind those. A couple of open areas between deployment zones is ok but if you can't start hidden with at least a few models you will have a bad time against sniper spams. I find you need some dense areas and not only impassable terrain, if you want at city and don't want forest bases I would block off some long LoS-lines with steam or fog that doesn't hinder movement but does block LoS and give soft cover. You could also make bases for the forests which look like park areas with cobblestone edges.

A fairly large open area is ok but it shouldn't be right at the center of the table. Put it completely in one table quarter. That makes a ranged crew able to control that part but they can't see the entire board at all times. Unless the strat needs something to be right on the center point I love putting large houses and stuff there, stick some bluetac or something at the center point so you can still measure to it.

In a forest you can have a few stone blocks or ruins to give impassable/hard cover areas.

The most common rookie mistake is players having too little terrain so it looks like a 40k/fantasy/warmahordes board. Tables should NOT be equally good no matter which deployment zone you pick because deployment should matter in my opinion but there should be at least two wide ways out from each deployment zone so you can't completely wall the opponent in. Also don't be afraid to make the occasional table where around 60-70% of it is dense, sever woods. It forces some different crew builds and leads to fun games.

A clubmate of mine has a GW graveyard set with a large cathedral and a lot of walls and fences. It looks spectacular and is really good for incorp/flying models since it heavily restricts movement for anyone else. A good table doesn't need to be perfectly balanced, there's a reason you pick crews after seing the terrain and mission.