Templates in PBI help players know what scenery is in what square.
I think this can allow some viewers to think thsi makes the scenery too regimented.
I am going to photograph a table with no templates and just scenery pieces.
It will be interesting to see if it is visually clear enough as to what is where.
Do you always use templates?
Would your game be significantly improved without using templates?
martin :)
I personally prefer not to use templates. The table I have for the Battle of the Peleliu Airfield and the one I'm making for Stalingrad do not have templates.
I think the scenery looks more integrated that way. It's also true that I always aim for modularity in my boards. On the Peleliu board, I used magnets in each corner of the squares and on the markers I use to mark those corners (palm trees, craters, plants), allowing me to change the configuration as I wish. Additionally, I have small dioramas that I place on the board.
For the Stalingrad board, I'm using a different approach. I'm creating 64 separate and distinct squares to configure the table however I want. On each of these squares, depending on the type of terrain I want to represent, I'm adding buildings, bunkers, destroyed tanks, crates, burned trees, etc. Once everything is finished, it will be like assembling a puzzle—you'll have 64 pieces that you can arrange however you like 8)
I'm quite happy using templates. Don't mind the look on the table, and find them helpful for marking squares as I don't use cloths with pre-printed grids.
Nick
I have no problem with templates. I use them in all games. Obvs in PBI they are all 12" x 6" rectangle. But work just fine for me.
I like templates as it stops any arguments about where a feature starts or ends.
John
I agree, John. You need to know which terrain you're in!
Simon
I think nice looking templates really add to the look of the game, as well as delineating what's what.