Although a longtime student of military history and a wargamer, for many years I avoided reading Sun Tzu under the misapprehension that it was dated and mostly incorporated into later works. However, upon receiving a gift copy of The Art of War, I could no longer pass up the opportunity. My greatest surprise came upon reading the discussion of terrain. Since I do most of my gaming these days with miniatures (and manufacture much of my own terrain) this was very new and interesting material.

In his book The Art of War, Sun Tzu recognizes nine varieties of ground: dispersive ground, facile ground, contentious ground, open ground, ground of intersecting highways, serious ground, difficult ground, hemmed-in ground, and desperate ground. His descriptions of each type of ground and his guidance on how such ground is to be used seem to bear relevance for the miniatures gamer.

"One's own territory is dispersive ground, so-called because the soldiers, being near home and anxious to see their wives and children, are likely to seize the opportunity afforded by a battle and scatter in every direction....On dispersive ground, therefore, inspire your men with unity of purpose; [but] fight not.

"When one has penetrated into hostile territory, but to no great distance, it is facile ground....On facile ground, halt not; see that there is close connection between all parts of the army.

"Ground that is of great advantage to either side is contentious ground.... On contentious ground, attack not; hurry up your rear guard

"Ground on which either side has liberty of movement is open ground or accessible ground....On open, accessible ground, do not try to block your enemy's way; keep a vigilant eye on your defenses, fearing a surprise attack; beat the enemy in occupying the raised and sunny spots, and carefully guard your line of supplies. Then you will be able to fight with advantage....in dry level country, take up an easily accessible position with rising ground to your right and on your rear, so that danger may be in front, and safety lie behind.

"Ground that forms the key to three contiguous states, with means of communication on all four sides so that he who occupies it first has most of the empire at his command, is ground of intersecting highways.... On ground of intersecting highways, consolidate your alliances and join hands with your allies.

"When an army has penetrated into the heart of a hostile country, leaving a number of fortified cities in its rear, it is serious ground.... On serious ground, gather in plunder and ensure a continuous stream of supplies.

"Mountain forests, rugged steeps, marshes and fens - all country that is hard to traverse; this is difficult ground.... In difficult ground, keep pushing along on the road and steadily on the march.

"Ground reached through narrow gorges, and from which we can only retire by torturous paths, so that a small number of the enemy would suffice to crush a large body of our men, or there are enemy strongholds in our rear and narrow passes in front, this is hemmed inground. If it can be abandoned but is hard to reoccupy it is called entangling ground....On hemmed-in ground, resort to stratagem; block any way of retreat to make it seem that you mean to defend the position, whereas your real intention is to burst suddenly through the enemy's lines. From a position of this sort, if the enemy is unprepared, you may sally forth and defeat him. But if the enemy is prepared for your coming, and you fail to defeat him, then return being impossible, disaster will ensue.

"With regard to the narrow passes, if you can occupy them first, let them be strongly garrisoned and await the advent of the enemy. Should the enemy fore stall you in occupying a pass, do not go after him if the pass is fully garrisoned, but only if it is weakly garrisoned.

"With regard to precipitous heights, if you precede your adversary, occupy the raised and sunny spots, and there wait for him to come up. If the enemy has occupied precipitous heights before you, do not follow him, but retreat and try to entice him away.

"Country in which there are precipitous cliffs with torrents running between, deep natural hollows, confined places, tangled thickets, quagmires, and crevasses, should not be approached or else left with all possible speed. While we keep away from such places, we should get the enemy to approach them; while we face them, we should let the enemy have them on his rear.

"In crossing salt marshes, your sole concern should be to get over them quickly, without any delay, because the lack of fresh water, the poor quality of the herbage, and last but not least, because they are low, flat, and exposed to attack. If forced to fight in a salt marsh, you should have water and grass near you, and get your back to a clump of trees.

"Ground where there is no place of refuge at all and on which we can only be saved from destruction by fighting without delay, this is desperate ground....On desperate ground, fight; proclaim to your soldiers the hopelessness of saving their lives. The only chance of life lies in giving up all hope of it."

General thoughts:

"When encamping the army, pass quickly over the mountains, and keep in the neighborhood of valleys. All armies prefer high ground to low, and sunny places to dark. Low ground is not only damp and unhealthy, but also disadvantageous for fighting. Camp in high places facing the sun. Not on high hills, but on knolls or hillocks elevated about the surrounding country. When you come to a hill or a bank, occupy the sunny side, with the slope to your right rear. It will be better for your soldiers and utilize the natural advantages of the ground. Do not climb heights in order to fight. If in the neighborhood of your camp there should be any hilly country, ponds surrounded by aquatic grass, hollow basins filled with reeds, or woods with thick undergrowth, they must be carefully routed out and searched; for those are places where men in ambush or insidious spies are likely to be lurking.

"After crossing a river, get far away from it. When an invading army crosses a river in its on ward march, do not advance to meet it in midstream. It will be best to let half the army get across, and then deliver your attack. When in consequence of heavy rains up-country, a river which you wish to ford is swollen and flecked with foam, wait until it subsides.

"When the enemy is close at hand and remains quiet, he is relying on the natural strength of his position.

"When he keeps aloof and tries to provoke a battle, he is anxious for the other side to advance. If his place of encampment is easy of access, he is tendering a bait."

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