Battle Systems Gothic Cityscape Review - Hassle-Free Terrain

Pistons hiss and steam pours as acid-pocked doors slowly grind open. Before you, the inner expanses of a long-forgotten ship yawn with malicious intent. Want to bring that kind of vibe to your RPG's and wargames? A moody, grim-dark table like this is yours to bring to life, all you need to do is clip it together. Battle Systems sent me their newest 2D terrain kit, Gothic Cityscape, for review. Read on for my thoughts!

We've previously reviews other entries in the Battle Systems line, including the Northern Settlement and Ruined Monastery, and the Fantasy Village and Village Ruins, but now we're moving out of the realms of fantasy and into sci-fi with this new kit.

What Is The Battle Systems Gothic Cityscape Kit?

The Battle Systems Gothic Cityscape kit is the newest release (though it collects previous releases that were sold separately) of 2D, modular terrain. Featuring high-quality artwork printed on thick card stock, Battle Systems terrain is punched out from a punch-board and clipped together using plastic clips.

This set comes with lots of walls, scatter terrain, and more. The full list of components are as follows:

• 1 Printed Neoprene Gaming Mat 22" x 30" / 559mm x 762mm
• 38 Assorted Walls
• 4 Ruined Floor Sections
• 4 Buttresses
• 4 Arc Doorways
• 4 Airlock Doors
• 4 Columns
• 1 Furnace/Chimney with Viewing Platform
• 1 Fuel Tank Stack
• 2 Exhaust Vents
• 1 Cargo Robot
• 1 CO2 Scrubber
• 3 Blast Shields
• 1 Ladder
• 3 Ground Conduits
• 5 Large Cargo Crates
• 5 Small Cargo Crates
• 3 Thrones
• 3 Consoles
• 16 Assorted Struts
• 77 Assorted Scatter Components and Accessories
• 94 Plastic Clips

That's a lot of stuff! All in all, this equates to more than enough terrain to fill even the most cramped gaming table. Just as a point of reference, in all of the photos you'll see in this review, I've only used maybe a quarter of all provided sheets to construct my table.

How Can I Use Battle Systems Gothic Cityscape Terrain?

Though Battle Systems dare not conjure the gaming behemoth by name in their promotional materials, I can! This futuristic terrain, with its incredible macabre and gothic vibe, is obviously perfect for Warhammer 40K. And even more to the point, with the ability to create hallways, long corridors, and tight spaces, it's even better for Kill Team. I could easily see players using this terrain to further flesh out their Kill Team Gallowfall tables.

That being said, I'll also personally be using this terrain to build out dungeons for my monthly Spelljammer game. It has the perfect modularity for an RPG, and I'm even considering - because it's so easy to quickly assemble, using this terrain to represent a dungeon that is built out as my players explore it. This way, they'll be on the edge of their seats as they round a corner, unsure if I'm going to build another tight passageway, or a large room perfect for a boss fight.

It's also worthy mentioning how sturdy the Battle Systems Gothic Cityscape terrain (and, really, all of their terrain) is. My first thought when I saw cardboard terrain was Oh, this will be flimsy, but if properly clipped together, this terrain can really support some weight.

Another one of the main points of pride for Battle Systems is the packable nature of this terrain. Being made of cardboard, it's theoretically easy to take apart and flat-pack this content.

For other Battle Systems sets of terrain, including less-modular pieces like their village sets in the fantasy range, this idea sounds nice, but is hard to achieve in practice. But I'm happy to report that with the Gothic Cityscape set, because it is about 80% modular walls and small pieces of scatter terrain, you could very easily take this all apart and store it in a box until you're ready for your next game of Kill Team.

Obviously, being made of card stock, you'll want to ensure you keep this all dry. This goes without saying, and adult gamers should be able to keep their elbows clear of their pints at this point (right!?), but it's worth noting that this isn't laminated (even if it has a nice laminated coat) and won't survive aquatic mishaps that plastic terrain would.

One other note of consideration, because these are cardboard pieces punched out from a punchboard, the edges of every piece you assemble with be the color of raw cardboard. Also, the clips are all gray plastic.

Personally, I don't find these elements distracting at all, but it is recommended to trace the raw edges with a black, gray, or brown sharpie. And to paint the clips a matching color. I couldn't be bothered, but others may feel more persnickety about it.

What Are My Final Thoughts On The Battle Systems Gothic Cityscape Kit?

I'm absolutely a full-on Battle Systems convert, as I find each of their releases to be totally engaging, fun to assemble, and perfectly suited to my gaming needs. Sturdy enough to hold up a Chaos Marine, and visually perfect for your space-operas dripping with that gothic feel, the Gothic Cityscapes release is really nice.

If the price tag (MSRP is $97 USD) is a bit high for your tastes, you can buy components of this kit individually. But I really feel that the sheer amount of modular content you can build from this box is enough to completely outfit all your sci-fi needs (as long as they're set in this kind of baroque world).

To learn more or order your own copy, head over to Battle Systems now.