The new 40k terrain layouts feel a little different, and players are noticing. Explore the growing conspiracy theory and how it could impact games of 11th edition.
If you’re an American 40k player looking at the new terrain layout and thinking, “Wait, I can’t print this at home,” you’re not imagining it. We saw a post on Facebook that got us thinking about this, and we thought it was worth looking into further. One of the key footprint sizes in the new setup is just awkward enough to miss standard U.S. letter paper, which means the old easy move of printing templates, cutting them out, and testing games on the cheap suddenly got a lot less convenient.
That’s why some people are giving the new layout changes a side-eye already. Maybe they genuinely make for a better table, and maybe the measurements landed there naturally after playtesting.
Either way, GW managed to land on a setup that’s just annoying enough to DIY, so that buying premade terrain footprints starts looking a lot more appealing, whether that was the intent or not.
The New 40k Terrain Layout Has a Very Real Printing Problem
On paper, this doesn’t sound like some massive hobby crisis; it’s just shapes and measurements, right? However, in practice, one detail jumps out right away for U.S. players.
The largest dimension in the new layout is 8” x 11.5”. That fits on A4 (European-style paper, or legal size here in the States). It does not fit cleanly on standard American letter paper, which is 8.5” x 11” and what most printers use.
That creates a problem making for the two large right-angle triangles, the ones that combine into the big central square. They’re too tall to print full size on the average home printer without splitting pages, taping sheets together, or otherwise turning a simple print job into a mini project.
Here’s the full terrain footprint list:
- Four large rectangles: 7” x 11.5”
- Two large right-angle triangles: 8” x 11.5”
- Four medium rectangles: 6” x 4”
- Two long lines: 10” x 2.5”
- Four short lines: 6” x 2”
So no, it’s not impossible (not at all) to make your own. You can still do it with foamboard, MDF, tape, a ruler, and a little elbow grease. But that’s a very different ask from “print this out tonight and get some reps in before league night.”
An Upgrade Kit Might be the Ticket
Probably the easiest move (if you already bought a 10th Edition terrain set) is to check with whoever made your current terrain setup and see if they’re doing an upgrade kit. That way, you’re not starting from scratch or rebuying a full set just to match the new layout.
Frontline Gaming has already said they’re putting out an upgrade pack that works with the terrain a lot of players already own. Sure, it’ll cost a little extra, but it’s still likely the quickest and least annoying way to get your table up to speed.
Why Players Are Looking at GW a Little Funny
This is the time to put on your tinfoil hat, because the new layout sits right in that classic 40k sweet spot between plausible and impossible to prove.
Did Games Workshop intentionally choose dimensions that are a pain for a huge part of its player base to print at home? Nobody outside the company is going to know that, but there are perfectly reasonable explanations as to why it could have happened.
Maybe the geometry tested better. Maybe the firing lanes feel cleaner. Maybe the board finally plays the way they wanted.
Still, you aren’t wrong for noticing that the new “official” layout is harder for average U.S. hobbyists to mock up with a home printer, and that creates frustration
In a hobby that already asks for plenty of spending, that kind of thing tends to get noticed quickly. Players are already buying books, models, bases, paint, transport gear, and event tickets. So when even the printable template part of the hobby gets more annoying, it doesn’t feel like a tiny detail; it feels like one more hurdle.
This Hits Regular Players Harder Than the Competitive Crowd
Tournament organizers and dedicated terrain makers will adapt fast. They always do. Someone will laser-cut it, 3D print around it, or knock out a full set in a garage workshop over the weekend.
Regular players are the ones more likely to feel this.
This issue seems to hit the garagehammer crowd the hardest. They are the local group trying to practice at home, and the players who want to test the new standard before buying or building a whole new set of terrain pieces. However, it also hits local game stores that want tables to match the current layout, because “just print the templates and throw them down” is no longer the easy answer.
That may impact the rollout of 11th edition more than GW may have realized. Convenience and accessibility matter in this hobby. A new layout setup can be better in theory, but if it’s more annoying for people to actually use, players are going to keep grumbling about it, no matter how polished it looks on the table.
Final Thoughts on Printing the New 40k Layouts
Is this proof that GW cooked up some anti-home-printer master plan? No, probably not.
Is it exactly the kind of thing that makes 40k players narrow their eyes and say, “Really?” while measuring printer paper at the kitchen table? Absolutely.
The new layout may play great. It may even turn out to be a real improvement once people get games in. But GW landed on a setup that’s harder for a huge chunk of players to print and test on their own, and that was always going to get noticed.
In a hobby built on kitbashing, proxying, homebrew tables, and making do with whatever’s in the garage, anything that adds friction to the DIY side of 40k is going to feel a little suspicious, even when it probably isn’t.
See All the Latest Terrain Rules for 11th Edition 40k
