rodtheworm's first real terrain (and later models too)

[rodtheworm]

Hi all,

I used to play a fair bit of Necromunda and a few games of Mordheim back in the early 2000s, but ended up selling or giving away all my Warhammer after university when I realised it had become an unaffordable addiction (IG mechanised company with multiple tanks and fliers…)

15 years on - and in discussion with my wife - we've agreed some safe limits, and I've decided to stick to tabletop skirmish games. They're way easier to keep under control.

One thing that will be different this time around is that I will make some proper terrain. As teenagers, we saw all the great stuff on the Necromundicon, TerraGenesis, etc… then went and played on the basic card terrain, supplemented by books, boxes, pots and Pringles cans.

I can do better.

The foamcore and coffee stirrers are here, the hdf board is on its way, and the xps foam is in the basket for next month.

For my first piece, I've sketched out an inn- the end result will be rather more ruined!:

For scale, with a couple of Frostgrave barbarians (the hammer was too big, so I made him an English bill instead):

Two walls with stones scribed in, and laid out with coffee stirrers marking the stables/kitchens:

From above:

From my previous experience, I always hated it when there a beautiful piece of terrain on the board but no reason to use it. This inn needs to be playable!

Blue is the common room - the collapsed corner in the top right provides another access point, and will also make the bar a useful piece of cover.

Red is a small kitchen area. I will probably partially collapse this for a third access point.

Yellow will be the stables, accessed through the archway seen by the front door in the first sketch. To make these useful, the lower half will be stone wall (~1” high), with posts holding up the roof. This will give cover for firing positions, and the roof should provide an alternative route up to the second floor (or remains of it.

Anyway, that's where I'm at so far for terrain. I have 10 models made up (3 by my 5- and 2-year-old), so I'll get pictures of them up once I have some paint on them.

Any and all feedback much appreciated!

 

[Ben_S]

Looking good so far.

What are you doing with it? (Sorry if I missed that.) Mordheim? Or something else?

 

[Punktaku]

Bet that could work with Pillage as well.

 

[rodtheworm]

Looking good so far.

What are you doing with it? (Sorry if I missed that.) Mordheim? Or something else?

Thanks - I don't have a gaming group here yet, so probably a heavily modified mashup of my favourite parts of Mordheim and Necromunda with the Chaos stripped out and more realism/options for weapons (for example, shields being more effective and hooked weapons such as axes/halberds being able to use an attack to pull down the shield for a follow-up).

 

[rodtheworm]

Bet that could work with Pillage as well.

I haven't heard of that one, I'll have to look into it!

 

[Punktaku]

I think there’s a couple Yaks that have created Pillage threads. (I’m not one.). It sounds interesting, and the models look good.

 

[rodtheworm]

Threw my back out over the weekend and lost a bit of momentum, but recovered enough to get a bit more done today. Frustratingly, the hdf boards were delayed again (now expected tomorrow) so I couldn't get anything onto a base yet.

Two more walls of the ground floor, as well as the bar. The upper wall will have the kitchen area built onto it, so stones only drawn on the section which will be outside.
I noticed the window dividers had shifted after taking the picture, so those have been fixed (slow drying glue...)

Here it is mocked up on a bit of card, which is helping me check exact lengths of foamcore needed and start visualising how I'm going to add onto it. I've drawn out the stables and am happy with the plan there, but still considering how to make the kitchen area playable rather than dead space - it could have another door, perhaps?

I'm thinking stairs will probably start going up from the lower right corner to the second floor, which will probably just cover the lower third/half of the building and a narrow strip running up that right wall (I still want it accessible from the roof of the stables).

I've also decided on a way to do the floor which I'm pretty happy with, but will save that for tomorrow!

 

[rodtheworm]

Ok, next update!

The hardboard arrived, so I've now glued the walls down and started laying floorboards. I'm a bit concerned they may be too regular, but I'm sure it will be less visible once dirtied up, covered with collapsed tables, etc.

I've also started planning out how to do the upper floor. You can see above that I'm going to lay beams across and then board them rather than use a solid sheet - I'm hoping that the missing boards every now and then will make the space beneath them more visible as well as adding character.

I'm thinking probably something like this for the final floor space (plus ~1" jutting out over the front door that I forgot to include in the template):

I've also been doing a bit of work on the models. No paint yet (it's too wet down here to spray primer), but I've done some more conversions to avoid using the same two hammers over and over.

I struggled to get it to focus properly, but there are two English bill heads, the guy on the floor has a flanged mace, then two attempts at hammers from a cut-down axe and completely from plasticard.

Here is the current set-up for a starting Middenheimers warband:

I do enjoy modular kits like this that really let you make figure your own, but you still always have to to hand swaps, weapon swaps, etc.!

I'd imagine feedback on composition probably needs to go in another thread, though.

Anyway, that's it for now, hope you're enjoying it - I certainly am!

 

[rodtheworm]

Not much to remark upon tonight. My eyes had flared up a bit after meeting some dogs earlier (two English mastiffs, a Newfoundland and a Great Dane. I'm allergic, but worth it!), so they were a bit tired by the evening.

I managed to cut and lay a few more boards which can be seen in the background below, but quickly got distracted by Googling mini bench saws.

I did get around to testing out one idea, though:

This looks OK to me as a less cartoonish dwarf. I'll extend his beard a bit and perhaps give him some glasses or a monocle, then he could work as a Thunderer or Engineer in a future Dwarf Treasure Hunters warband.

...

I already have ideas for 5 warbands. So much for keeping things small!
Well, so long as I stick to sensible spending limits, they can grow gradually throughout the year. I'm in no hurry.

 

[Fold]

Enjoyable thread, thanks! Like the attention to detail and thorough progress updates.

I think your walls could benefit from being doubled or even tripled up - especially for this size of building where the single layer of foamcore looks off scale somehow and a bit flimsy?

 

[rodtheworm]

Thanks Fold, I appreciate the feedback.

I can see what you mean. I'd thought it would be enough, as 5mm foamcore:30mm model height represents ~12" thickness. I suppose older buildings did have thick walls, though, and having multiple thicknesses might sell the ruined edges even more.

I'm not sure how to thicken them up and make it look right, particularly while avoiding having to redo all the stonework. I'll have a play around with bits on the inside, but might have to chalk this one down to experience.

At least the upper floor will probably remain a single thickness, as wattle and daub is thinner than stone walls

 

[rodtheworm]

No progress on the building tonight, but got a bit of paint onto the models - it's amazing how skin tone and a few patches of colour can really start bringing it to life, even if most is still grey.

It's not much at the moment, but this is more to keep my motivation up than because I think it'll be particularly interesting!

 

[Fold]

Thanks Fold, I appreciate the feedback.

I can see what you mean. I'd thought it would be enough, as 5mm foamcore:30mm model height represents ~12" thickness. I suppose older buildings did have thick walls, though, and having multiple thicknesses might sell the ruined edges even more.

I'm not sure how to thicken them up and make it look right, particularly while avoiding having to redo all the stonework. I'll have a play around with bits on the inside, but might have to chalk this one down to experience.

At least the upper floor will probably remain a single thickness, as wattle and daub is thinner than stone walls

Doesn’t look like you’ve done stonework on the inside, so an extra layer should be straight forward?

 

[rodtheworm]

Doesn’t look like you’ve done stonework on the inside, so an extra layer should be straight forward?

Often windows and doors are recessed into deep walls like that, rather than sitting on the outside. I will give it a go, though, as you have a valid point.


I've not been too well recently, so no progress on the building yet (although some XPS foam has just arrived...)

The warband is getting there, though:

Youngbloods on the left, champions on the right, Captain in the centre

Henchmen:

Still a few little touch-ups on some, the archers have some unpainted areas, and the whole lot need basing. I'm generally happy with how they are turning out considering how long it is since I picked up a paintbrush - I think the speed paints are doing a lot of heavy lifting!

Hope you enjoy the pictures.

Apparently there's someone near me (Somerset, UK) who plays Mordheim, and even recently an event down in Exeter, so I should be able to get a game sometime.

 

[rodtheworm]

Well, a family emergency took me away for most of the week, but back now and made a little progress tonight:

The common room floor is finished, main walls are thickened, and I've made a start on the stables.

I'll get there eventually!

 

[Stoof]

The thickened walls really do help

 

[rodtheworm]

Progress today limited for obvious reasons...

 

[radulykan]

Lovely stuff, as a fan of mordheim, frostgrave and hopefully soon guards of traitors toll and pillage, I like these a lot. You should try to get to a tribemeet, we only need zero encouragement to play a different game lol

 

[rodtheworm]

Lovely stuff, as a fan of mordheim, frostgrave and hopefully soon guards of traitors toll and pillage, I like these a lot. You should try to get to a tribemeet, we only need zero encouragement to play a different game lol

Thank you!

Yes, it would be good fun to join you all at some point. I'm a bit limited in health and budget, though, so will probably have to wait for one that's not too far away (which is most places from Somerset!)