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Tuesday 1 October 2019

My terrain generator: Version 2: Feedback and improvement

Positive feedback is always helpful, and I've already had some in response to yesterday's blog entry.

In a comment, Patrick Walsh pointed out that the text regarding the river entry and exit points was open to a different interpretation from the example that I quoted. I read his comment with interest, and realised that not only was he right, but that on reflection I had tried to be a bit too clever and designed a mechanism that was unnecessarily complicated. I've therefore redrafted that section of the rules to read as follows.

2.1: Direction of rivers
Unless the direction the river is passing through the battlefield is obvious, its entry and exit positions can be determined by throwing a D6 die twice. The first throw determines the river’s entry point and the second throw determines its exit point.


The first D6 die score is read starting from 1 in the top left-hand corner of the grid, going clockwise (i.e. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6). The second D6 die score is read starting from the location determined by the first D6 die score, continuing clockwise.

For example, clockwise from 1 in the top left-hand corner of the grid, a D6 die score of 3 means that the river will enter the grid in the third quarter on the top edge the grid. A second D6 die score of 5 means that the river will exit the grid 5 quarters further clockwise round the grid, thus:


Rivers will take the most direct route from their entry point to their exit point, going around any hills and mountains that have already been located on the tabletop.

As a quarter might contain more than one grid area, the precise entry and exit points can be determined either by throwing a D6 die for each grid area that does not already contain a hill or mountain and the grid area with the highest D6 die score being the entry or exit point, or by mutual agreement between the players.

I think that the end result is not only easier to understand, but is in keeping with the mechanisms used to locate hills etc. Thanks to the useful feedback that I received from Patrick Walsh, I think that I've ended up with a better terrain generator.

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