Editing Morturi: Battle Design (section)

=The Arena=

Interesting arenas lead to interesting battles!

The "default" arena, is assumed to be a large square of sand, of 15 x 15 squares with three square wide gates at opposite sides of the arena, through which the Gladiators must enter on their first turn's activation. This default arena has all the features you'll need for a pick up game: clear markings where teams start (or enter) from, a decent gap between the two teams to give room for manoeuvring and ranged fighting, and plenty of room to move about. 

That said, the default arena is a little dull. Consider adding some or all of the following features:

* '''Line of sight blocking'''
Stone pillars, large rocks, walls and the like all provide obstacles to line of sight, and stop ranged gladiators from dominating a match. The Imperator can then decide whether these obstacles block movement too.

* '''Varying height terrain'''
Areas of raised terrain provide tactically important points, as attacking from height is a sizeable advantage in the rules. Its generally a good idea for Imperators to place such areas in the middle of an arena, to encourage movement towards the centre.

* '''Hazards'''
Hazard squares provide an interesting tactical challenge and can endanger gladiators who move into them or who are forced into them. For example, a square filled with flame might deal 1 damage to any Gladiator moving into it, and 5 points of damage to any Gladiator that both begins and ends his turn in the flames. Imperators are encouraged to place hazards both around the edges of the arena (to encourage movement into the centre) and scattered about (to affect tactics and movement planning). Note that "hidden hazards" (aka "traps") are generally best to avoid, as the Imperator should not be discouraging tactical movement in Gladiators, as "stand and shoot" games can be very dull. 

* '''Triggers'''
Triggers are squares which allow the Gladiator to activate some effect, either by stepping on them, or by spending movement points or attacks while within them. An example might be a ballista emplacement, that will allow a character to forgo his usual attack in favour of a ranged attack of unlimited range, that deals 5 damage on a 5+. Another example might be a control lever, that for three movement points turns a marked area elsewhere into hazard squares, or turns them back from hazard squares into normal squares. The Imperator player is encouraged to put trigger areas near the centre of the arena, to encourage gladiators to move into the centre.

* '''Moving sections'''
The above arena modifications can be made to be moving as well. For example, a hazard square might represent a whirring sphere of blades that moves around the edges of the arena on a fixed circuit. For moving sections, its generally a good idea to have them activate at the end of a battle round, and to make sure that all players know exactly how they work beforehand.
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