Blackstone Village Scenery Update

A few weeks ago, excited by the prospect of getting into Frostgrave, I decided I would need more terrain if I was going to have a skirmish game BUT I didn't want to spend too much money or time. After getting my hands on cheap foam and recently making some other bits and pieces I thought I would put the stuff I have made so far down on a (small, 2.5 x 4.0 foot) table and see how it looks.

Granted, with the green mat it looks a little...strange, but it gives a sense of the stuff that I have put together over the past few weeks - all very cheaply:

x2 Storage box buildings (100 yen shop)
x1 three storey tower (100 yen shop foam)
x1 village pub (100 yen shop foam)
x3 peasant hovels (100 yen shop foam)
x7 destroyed walls (mini packing foam cut-offs)
x4 statues on plinths (empire minis and styrofoam board)
x6 treasure chest objective markers (100 yen shop pill cases)

Grand total (approx): US $6.00 - $7.00

So overall, if I am not going to paint it at this stage, I probably have the basis of the right kind of terrain here. However it still feels a bit "open". I think I need more scatter terrain, such as rubble, a couple more destroyed houses, and maybe barrels etc. I just need to find the time to make it!

Cheers,

Storage Box Buildings!

A whole lot of building, for 95 cents!

On a recent browse at my local dollar store ("100 yen shop") here in Japan, I was amazed by my good fortune.
What did I find?
Rows and rows of different-sized cardboard storage boxes designed like wood-beamed buildings, which looked like they would be about right for 28mm wargaming. There were several different designs, in black or brown, ranging from long and slim to wide and flat.

OOOOOoooooooo! Buildings!

I excitedly bought a few and rushed home to see what I could make with them. After sorting them out and reviewing the different sizes I tackled the smallest first - a long, thin file storage box.

After scoring, cutting and folding the roof, it came together!

Some empire soldiers guard the front door.

I was able to score and cut the "Roof", folding it along the length of the box so it folded over. Using PVA glue I was able to make it pretty sturdy. As you can see from the photos above, these buildings aren't exactly 28mm scale, but they feel close.

For that first building (which I think makes a pretty good Merchant's House or Town House, I was so excited I didn't even give any thought to the inside! Consequently, the inside of the building isn't currently accessible...

So, for the second building (a pub or possibly a town hall?), I decided to see if I could assemble it so models to move inside. To do that, I bought the same building twice and cut one of the sets so that it would fit inside the first box, providing an "interior lining" of matching walls. I also added a "floor" using wood effect tape.

After lining the inside of the lid, it can be turned over to make a roof.

The door opens, and with the roof off, the interior is accessible
for adventuring.

"The ratmen think they have us cornered lads!"

This turned out quite well I think! This box is spacious, and the overall effect (considering the low cost) is acceptable. Granted, I'm sure it could do with weathering (or even more destruction) and more general detail added, but for $1.90 it doesn't get much better than this.

I bought a few more boxes, so hope to get those made up in the next week or two.

In the meantime, here are some photos of the packaging, just in case you are interested. The maker is apparently "Karinpia".

Cheers

Blackstone Buildings #2 - Village Pub

Fancy a drink?

"Welcome to the Lord Castellan's Head!"

Once the focal point of the limited social lives of the residents of Blackstone (and those wandering through), the traditional greeting of the publican can no longer be heard. This public house is now just a shell of its former self. No laughter can be heard within the blackened walls, and the once-admired floor paneling now lies dirty, stained and rubble strewn...

Following part #1 of the Blackstone building series, where I looked at the simple hovel, in this post we will look at a more grandiose structure, the village pub. This was actually the first building I made, but as it was more challenging than the hovel I've decided to put it as the second post in this series. It is distinguished from the hovel by having 2 storeys, ornate windows and doors, more floor space and...actual floors! 

For this building, the standard equipment is required (black polystyrene board, box cutter, PVA glue) as well as a roll of floor repair/ covering tape (or any tape that looks like wooden flooring). I got all these things from the dollar store.

Here are some more photos. Bear in mind that the goal was to have buildings to put on a gaming table at very low cost, in a short period of time, and with little to no painting!

Side wall, showing damaged window frames, rubble, and cracked plaster.

Front door, with brickwork.

Making your village pub.

++Before we start, the traditional important public service message++

Please note that these buildings are not "true" scale or carefully designed to match the scale of GW or other 28mm games systems building. True to this being "quick and dirty terrain" I put them together by just literally "eyeballing" a 28mm model and taking it from there! They are going to look bigger and rougher!"

++Thanks for your attention++

Step 1: Marking out and cutting

The pub walls are 15cm in length, 12.0cm in height total. You need to:

• Gently score and cut out a rectangle 45cm x 12.0cm high in your polystrene.
• Score a solid vertical line every 15cm, so the rectangle is divided into three.
• Cut out a doorspace on the left wall (4cm wide x 5cm tall).
• Cut out a window 3.0 cm wide x 2 cm tall on both sides of the door. 
• Cut out x4, 3.0 x2.0 windows in the center panel (2 on each storey) equidistant apart.
• Cut out x1 or x2 windows on the right panel (see image below)
• Cut away part of the far right wall so it looks like it has been destroyed or collapsed.
• Cut out a base, either to fit exactly under the walls, or that extends slightly beyond each wall.
• Glue the walls to the base.
• I don't add an extensive ceiling, as I want the inside to be accessible.

Although not drawn to scale, this will hopefully give you the general idea if looking from the front:

Step 2: Interior

Once you have your basic pub shape on the base, you need to think about the interior and second floor. As I want to keep things simple, I'm not going to worry about stairs. I just want a fairly solid place to put models or treasure. 

Mine ended up looking like this:

You can see a support pillar holding up the second floor, but what you can't see is the supports I glue horizontally around the walls at the 2nd storey levels. These supports make the second floor sturdier so I can place more models or treasure on there.

Here is a drawing showing these supports from an internal perspective.

For the flooring, I found some sticky-backed wood pattern tape. This is used to cover damage to wood panels in your home (at least in Japan). It comes in various patterns, colours and sizes. The roll I found in my local dollar store was 2 cm wide and comes in a roll several meters long.

Wood pattern tape (not sure what the official name is!)

Measure this out into the number of strips you need to cover the floors, and then stick it down. It looks bright, but I think that I can later glue piles of rubble and fallen beams onto the floor to break it up, or possible dull the colour down through paints or washes.

Step 3: Detailing.

After you have the walls on the base, and a second floor, you have a structure that you can already throw on the table, but adding some details not only looks good but is also satisfying.
This is very easy to do and literally only takes a few minutes for each wall. As a general rule, you are trying to avoid having too many straight edges or flat areas.
This can be adding rubble, showing plaster damage, or having simple cracks coming out of key areas.

Rubble: Strew the same bricks that you made previously for windows or doors around the base.

Plaster damage: Starting from an accessible wall edge, with a box cutter mark out the area you want as damage, cutting no further than 1/3 to 1/2 way though the wall. The carefully cut behind this, and lift off the damaged area. Keep the surface layer that you just cut away, and glue this to the base below the damaged area where it would fall to the ground (not shown above)

Cracks: Starting from a point where a crack might naturally occur, such as a joint around a window, score a lightning pattern extending away from the join.

Wall damage: Using a box cutter, carefully dig into the wall, and using a circular motion, gouge out some polystyrene.

Optional steps:
Depending on what you have in your Bitz box, you could glue shields to the internal walls, add a pub sign hanging outside over the main door, or add wooden beams to the exterior walls all the way around where the first and second storeys meet. For me though, I'll leave it there!

In part #3, I'll look at the three storey watchtower with battlements.

Cheers,

Two Hour Terrain - The Village of Blackstone

Welcome to Blackstone!

A popular stop on the road to civilization (for fast-moving Marauder hordes, Orc warbands and herds of the shambling undead - who take a little longer to move on through), Blackstone residents spend much of their short, brutish lives rebuilding their burned-out, ruined hovels.

Still, if you are ever lucky enough to visit this little cluster of buildings on the dusty road to places far more worthy of pillaging, you'll learn the following from your (slightly-singed, recovered from-a-muddy-track) tourist scroll:

Why is Blackstone called Blackstone?
Well, every time the village is sacked, ruined and pillaged, the plucky (remaining few) residents pick up the blackened bricks and timber and rebuild. For this reason the whole village has taken on a perpetually soot-blackened, "Destroyed" (or "fashionably aged") look.

What can I enjoy during my visit?
Well, not much...
...but you might be interested in the following adventurer-friendly activities.

• Try a night in "The Lord Castellan's Head", our friendly pub. As it is only half-wrecked, there are still a few corners and rubble that any self-respecting adventurer can hunker down and shelter in (or behind). Guests will also enjoy the welcoming "Open Fire in the Rubble"*, over which warm meals can be mixed (and bandages boiled and cleaned).
• Climb the "Wailing Watchtower" (or "The old tall, haunted place" as Old Dave - recently deceased, used to call it). This three story defensive tower was built in better times (long ago). Locals attribute the fact that it remains standing to the screaming spirit said to haunt the tower, ironically said to be the lost soul of the landowner who sponsored it's creation....
• Enjoy a "Live like a Local" night. Choose an overnight stay at any of the three semi-dilapidated hovels on offer. Each offers limited shelter from the elements (available on three sides), and attractive rustic-style peasant brickwork. To round out your cold, damp evening, enjoy the pleasant views onto the main road offered via the crudely-created, solitary window and various cracks in the walls. (Human companionship optional)

*weather permitting. Note that in the interests of safety this activity may also be cancelled due to roving warbands or undead. In times of plague, meager supplies will be left out in advance.

Your friendly local "The Lord Castellan's Head"

The Wailing Watchtower

Peasant hovel (1 of 3)

What is the fascinating architectural story behind this village of wonders?

Well, as you asked...

***

...I'll be posting a series of posts looking at the different building that I made, but for today, let's lay out the basics.

First of all, I'm not under the illusion that this looks anywhere near as good as any of the building kits that are out there, or many of the scratch-builds that I have found online. I just wanted to get something that I can throw on the table without painting (but that could come later.)

This was my first attempt at scratch-building a few semi-modular buildings out of cheap polystyrene board. My goal was to start to put together enough building terrain to populate a 4' x 4' gaming board for a skirmish game of Frostgrave, and to do so in a short time, at low cost. Skirmish games usually require more terrain than a traditional battleground where you want to allow large units space to maneuver.

Time required: 10-15 hours if you have never done this before (a few evenings, but this is an estimate!) On average, I'd say it took about 2-3 hours for each building set to measure, cut, glue and add a basic level of detail (brickwork etc.)

Cost: 2-5 dollars for the whole lot if using materials from the 1 Pound/ Dollar store/ 100 Yen shop (200-500 yen)

Materials required:

1. Cheap polystyrene board, (x1 sheet maybe 4' x 3' or 4' x 4'). I went with black, which actually works well as I see less need to paint it than if it was white card.
2. x1 Cutter knife
3. x1 bottle of PVA glue
4. x1-2 pieces of thin cardboard (could be from an Amazon box or even better a cereal box.)
5. x 1-2 sheets of brown scrapbook paper.

What did I manage to get out of that board?

x3 small hovels, x1 roof, a two storey pub and a three storey watch tower.

Did I save time over buying professional pieces that I would paint? Overall probably, although the measuring, cutting and gluing takes a long time!

Did I save money? Definitely.

Do I have enough terrain now for a built-up area? No, but I'm a lot closer!

In my next few posts I'll look at the creation process for each of the kinds of buildings made. I hope you'll join me again.

Cheers,

All along the watchtower...

*Squeek*

Over the last few days I've been working on an old Citadel Watchtower I picked up on eBay. I don't think you can get these from GW anymore (they didn't have it listed on their website when I had a quick look today - which is a shame, it is a nice model.)

The original model also comes with a separate small outhouse, which I guess could represent a toilet! It can be placed on top of the tower or separately. I haven't started that yet, but thought I would share the main tower.

with Skaven champion, for scale.

I was quite happy with:

1. The brazier with hot coals came out OK. This was my second attempt to try Object Source Lighting, and the yellow glaze on the area around the brazier is subtle (possibly too subtle) but overall OK.
2. Added flock around the base, so it blends in nicely with my battle mat.
3. Added some rust effects in key areas.

Not sure about:

1. Using red/ brown for bricks, rather than just grey/ fortress gray for stone. Bricks somehow feel a bit out of place here...I might get used to it though.
2. Mould lines/ flash. The model came assembled, and there were a lot of gaps in edges etc. This is really noticeable on the chimney and corners of the structure. I really should have either taken in apart and glued it again (difficult) or used greenstuff or some other method to fill the gaps.

Here are some more photos.

A small Skaven unit marches past.

Roof detail. Sadly the sword held by the golden gryphonne is gone.

Nice details. The embedded skeleton/ alcove adds character.

Used this blue to tie the model in with the chapel I painted previously.

On the base and second floor I added some flock/ grass to add a bit of age.
Also, I added a rust effect on some key areas, like the metal reinforcements

Added some source lighting from the brazier to the edged surfaces around it.

It should made a nice companion to my Empire Chapel (below).

One thing I had forgotten - buildings take a lot longer to paint than you think!

Cheers,

*Squeek*

#warhammer #WFB #tabletopgaming #scenery #terrain

Three Things to remember in the Fog of War

*Squeek*

Following "The Battle of Big (Warp)stone" the other day (in which my verminous Skaven horde sque-eked out a victory) I thought it might be an idea to share the things that I forgot, so you don't have to!

More experienced generals will laugh at these, but I'm not an experienced general, so readily admit to making these stupid mistakes. 

1. Banners. Remember to USE them!

Now, this may sound totally laughable, but as a new player, when close combat is joined and you are throwing a lot of dice around (not to mention taking handfuls of your own dead out of a unit) it is all to easy to forget to use your banners when it comes to combat resolution.

In this case, in a pivotal close combat in center field, I forgot to use my Grand Banner of Clan Superiority.

Carried by my Chieftain, this banner would have added +D3 combat resolution per complete rank more than the enemy. VERY useful as a Skaven, because you are often likely to have at least a couple more ranks than the foe.

To add insult to injury, in the fun of charging my Plague furnace into a unit of Empire Knights, I forgot to use my Plague Banner.

This beauty would have allowed my Plague Monks to reroll all failed To Hit an To Wound rolls that turn. Tasty! (Make it even more annoying that I would forget it.)

Two banners, 60 points. Wasted!

Doh!

2. Remember to Protect your Characters from Enemy Scouts.

I thought I would place one of my lone Warplock Engineers out of a unit, but nearby my Grey Seer, ready for a bit of Skitterleaping. 

OOops!

I didn't count on the Empire Huntsmen being placed on my flank, ready to pick off the engineer with bow fire...

Perhaps it is safer to just start with all Heroes safely embedded in a nice big unit? After all, they can always detach from the unit later (or be Skitterleapt directly out of the unit!)

As a Skaven, you love your scouts because they sneak around, harassing lone characters and war-machines (Gutter Runners with poison slingshots anyone)...

...but remember, your opponent loves his Scouts too, and for the same reasons.

Yes, there is the "Look out sir" rule, but I wouldn't rely on this too much if I was you.

3. Remember, think like a Cowardly Rat Lord at all times.

Grey Seer - Monster Wizard, hopeless close combatant

When playing your first game, it is easy to be "trapped in the moment", by which I mean, the current turn or phase. There is a lot going on, and most of it is exciting, making it easy to forget stuff.

However, it seems to me that thinking ahead is a real necessity (and opportunity) for Skaven, again because of one of our easy-to-cast, but flexible and powerful spells. You guessed it...

...Skitterleap.

If you know that a unit with a Hero is going to be charged, how about Skitterleaping that vulnerable Grey Seer or Engineer out of the front row to a safe place?

Once combat is joined, unless the enemy engages you in a challenge (which you can refuse using the Verminous Valour rule, handily placing you in the back of the unit), your hero/ lord is going to get trapped in the combat at the front of the unit. Unless you have a tooled-up combat character, it is likely that the enemy will concentrate on your hero, and they will likely die pretty quickly. 

Now all you veterans out there are of course saying "how could you possibly let your bunker unit and Grey Seer get into combat in the first place?"

Good question, but it can happen right?

To help me remember these things, I have setup a memo on my mobile phone that collates these mistakes, and the rules that I forgot to use. I can read them before a battle to refresh my memory in the future, hopefully to help me remember them next game.

Are there any rules that you always forget in the heat of battle?

Cheers,

*Squeek*

p.s. Here is my current painting project, a tower/ stronghold from GW. Buildings always take longer than I think. I have put most of the base coats down now, so next up I will have some fun with washes.

A Bargain with Chaossss!

*Squeek*

I was sad to hear a couple of weeks ago of a friend deciding to move back to the States from Japan. One of the downsides to being a long-term resident of a country not your own is that seeing people you know and like leave is a bit of a downer - you know chances are slim that you will see them again...

...the upside however was that this friend decided to shift as much wargaming stuff as he could at a very reasonable price.

In light of 40K 6th edition coming out and my recent interest in Warhammer Fantasy armies I was naturally very interested in this particular collection. Here is what I picked up:

WARHAMMER 40K: Chaos Space Marines.

• CSM Defiler (unassembled)
• CSM Rhino (assembled and partially painted)
• CSM Bikes x2 (assembled and unpainted)
• CSM Khorne Berzerkers x8 (assembled and primed black)
• CSM Basic troops x40 (9 heavy weapons, 6 special weapons, 25 basic guys) (assembled with a mix of unpainted, primed black and partially painted)
• A CSM plastic bits grab bag. Enough to make 8-10 basic guys and spruce up vehicles.

Got to be honest, I have never necessarily been a huge Chaos fan - it is exactly the opposite ethos to the philosophy of my beloved Tau after all ("For the Greater...Bad!"?). 

However, with the 6th starter set including a Chaos army I thought I might be able to pickup that side of the starter kit at a later date. This would fill out the army with some leadership (Chaos Lord), manpower (Chosen), cannon fodder (Cultists) and a bit more close combat ooomph (Helbrute). Just one problem I already see is a distinct lack of vehicles in the stuff I picked up and the starter set stuff. That means a lot of footslogging...

...any remedy or recommended options for this issue? Any Chaos Space Marines players out there care to comment?

WARHAMMER 40K: Other

• Old school Eldar grab bag (10 models all partially painted)
• Tyranid Carnifex (assembled and partially painted. Arm sockets are magnetized)
• Enough Tyranid bits to kit out the Carnifex with a bunch of different configurations.

WARHAMMER FANTASY: Tomb Kings.

If it wasn't Skaven that I chose for WFB, it probably would have been Tomb Kings. I like the back story and the fact that these guys are wordless, totally disciplined, and neutral!? 

• Tomb Kings battalion box. (NIB) 
• Tomb Kings Tombguard (NIB) 
• Tomb Kings Screaming Skull Catapult x1 (metal, unassembled) 
• Tomb Kings Necrotect x1 (NIB)
• Tomb King x1 (Finecast)

WARHAMMER FANTASY: Chaos Warriors/ Orcs

• Chaos Warriors Archaon (NIB)
• Chaos Warriors Chosen x12 (metal, unassembled, unpainted)
• Black orcs x4 (metal, unassembled, unpainted)

WARHAMMER FANTASY: Armybooks (current run)

• Beastmen 
• Warriors of Chaos

TERRAIN:

• Plastic hills x2 (partially painted)
• Warhammer fantasy tower (assembled and primed)
• Warhammer fantasy temple (assembled and primed)
• Warhammer 40K downed flyer terrain from the battle for Maccragge box (unassembled and unpainted)

BEST OF ALL?

2 big Bitz boxes of Fantasy and 40k bits!

To my gaming colleague and friend who is leaving: THANK YOU and SAFE TRAVELS!
*Squeek*

Too much of a good thing?

*Squeek*

I thought that I would do a review of some Warhammer scenery...and you know what? I started to put together some thoughts, but the more I thought about it, the more those same thoughts came to be dominated by one thing only...

skulls, 
skulls, 
skulls!
From really big, carved skulls on Temples...

Temple of Skulls
Copyright Games Workshop

 To lots and lots of small skulls (to keep out a draught?)...

Witchfate Tor. Tower of Sorcery
Copyright Games Workshop

 To structural supports for "My First Megalomaniac's Evil Throne of Domination (TM)"..

Magewrath Throne and Balewind Vortex
Copyright Games Workshop

 To 360 degree ornaments for your observatory...

Skullvane Manse
Copyright Games Workshop

 To...

Deathknell Watch.
Copyright Games Workshop

...well, you get the idea.

Now, I know that this is entirely a question of personal taste, and actually, I love GW's wargame terrain pieces for the most part, but I guess I have to say:

ENOUGH WITH THE GIANT SKULLS ON ALL THE SCENERY ALREADY. 

You have an incredibly talented group of designers at GW. Surely you can find some suitable alternative visual flourishes or design elements that still communicate the gritty reality of a fantasy world torn apart by war and conflict?

With respect,

*Squeek*

p.s. Having said that, I love the jacket.
p.p.s ...and no, I don't know who designed it.