YATIMI8ED: Forests

When I started into 8th ed, I didn't really pay much attention to forests. I'm a Dwarf, I don't belong in them.
These points are what I took to the table *first*:
- With true line of sight in 8th edition, forests are not as effective at blocking line of sight.
- Infantry blocks do not suffer movement penalties through forests.

Which is fine, it's different from 7th. In 7th forests hindered your movement something awful. They had big 'stay away' signs on them for Dwarf blocks. Now you can trundle through forests with your infantry block.

In 7th you took it for granted forests block line of sight, in 8th they generally don't as it's true line of sight(LoS). Hooray for shooting at things through forests, it's now easier.

What? What's the point of forests now then? They don't hinder movement, they don't block LoS. Just what do they do?
Move into one and find out. Be warned 'bad things' might happen. And by bad things read: the forest might kick your ass.
This way forests are still terrain pieces you may want to avoid, and so still have a big effect on gameplay.

In most games I've played in 8th people avoid forests like the plague.
"No no, it's scary and it'll kill my unit".

I've had the same attitude, until I was forced to move into a forest.

I had two blocks just behind and to the right of the forest: Hammerers and Warriors with GWs. If I had ignored the forest and marched straight ahead, turning to face the Empire spearmen block, it would have taken too long and the SteamTank would have flanked me. I probably would have set my GW unit up for a flank charge from the spearmen while trying to avoid the forest.

Instead, I moved into the forest and reformed to face the steam tank the next turn. At the same time I sent the Hammerers after the spearmen. I was hoping that the SteamTank would have issues with difficult terrain and that the forest would not do terrible things to the GWs.

If you go down to the woods today, you're in for a big surprise...

The GW unit bravely went into the forest, and I rolled the Fungus Forest.  My unit is now stupid, but as a result is also Immune to Psychology.

Woo! All I wanted to do was stand there and wait for the steam tank anyway, and now I don't even have to roll for the terror test (SteamTanks cause terror).

Except that: a unit in a forest is never steadfast (unless it has stubborn).

Darn, it turns out we played that scenario wrong. I lasted longer than I should have against the steam tank because I was counting ranks for steadfast.

What's the worst that could have happened?
Let's check.
p119 Forests:
[paraphrasing...]
1 ordinary forest
2 Abyssal Wood - your unit causes fear
3 Blood Forest - spells by or at a unit in the forest make the unit suffer D6 S4 hits
4 Fungus Forest - unit is stupid
5 Venom Thicket - unit has poisoned attacks, but must make dangerous terrain test to move
6 Wildwood - at end of movement phase, 4+ = D6 S4 hits

2 forests are good results - ordinary & abyssal
2 are potentially good & bad - fungus & venom
2 are bad - wildwood and blood

What's the full list of forest affects:

• cavalry, monstrous cavalry & chariots make Dangerous Terrain tests
• soft cover against shooting
• a unit in a forest is never steadfast (unless it has stubborn)
• skirmishers gain stubborn

As a Dwarf player, what does all this mean to me?
I would say:

• don't move into forests you expect to fight in, you won't have steadfast
• you will have rank bonus
• this might not matter as much if you're expecting to win via GWs & wounds anyway
• don't be afraid to setup warmachines in a forest
• no difficult terrain test as long as they don't move
• soft cover is good (it potentially removes ranged poison attacks, if they need 7 to hit poison doesn't count)
• they'll be afraid to come to you (difficult terrain, plus possible forest effects)
• pretty much every forest except for the wildwood is good for you. Fungus might not be so great. Blood forest might not be, but only if the enemy wizard is targetting your warmachine in the magic phase.
• with true line of sight in 8th edition, forests are not as effective at blocking line of sight
• infantry blocks do not suffer movement penalties through forests