Purely from my experience, I have never used the chaotic beasts and I don't believe the terrain is a must have. It's like AoS - having proper terrain is awesome, but if not, use anything you've got. It enhances the game, but isn't a requirement. If all you have access to is some books and a couple of soda cans, you can still have a game! Just skip the terrain cards.
I just think that with a bit of imagination, you can get by with the core rule book, two warbands and some dice. Everything else is fluff. Admittedly, amazing fluff which makes things a lot better
I just think that with a bit of imagination, you can get by with the core rule book, two warbands and some dice. Everything else is fluff. Admittedly, amazing fluff which makes things a lot better