How to depict forests?

[racm32]

Another option is to make forest floor pieces, each with several tree trunks attached.  Then make forest canopy pieces to match the floor pieces, with clump foliage to show the treetops.  When a unit is under a piece of canopy, remove it so you can see the unit and move it around.  When it moves on, put the canopy piece back.

I have been 3D printing these old growth tree trunks that might work great for something like this, though I could scale them down too.

[Billchuck]

I have been 3D printing these old growth tree trunks that might work great for something like this, though I could scale them down too.

Yeah, those would work great for this sort of thing.  For portability, you could use magnetic sheet on the forest floor and magnets or washers in the bottom of the trees.  That would help them stay in place on the table, but let the system break down into flat sheets and tree trunks for storage.

[Elbows]

Your solution is definitely the most common.  However, it's also easy to "spice it up" with some bushes, lichen, leaves, pebbles, sticks to represent downed trees, etc.  You can even spray paint or flock the mat used for your forest bases, etc.

If you had money to burn (and most of us don't!) you could even buy a smaller forested gaming mat and cut it up into various shapes, etc.

For larger scale games, I tend to use my 1" and 2" hills as the wooded portions of the table, just for ease of recognition.  Are you on the hill?  You're in the woods.

[Rick F]

I love that. I wont be playing much if any on this deployment, just painting. I'm more asking because if Feb, after I get back, I'll be running a Muskets & Tomahawks 2 demo game and really want a knock out board. So looks like I need more and bigger individual trees and some based together in line, as well as a bag or two of lichen.

That set up was for Song of drums and tomahawks, but it works equally well for Muskets and tomahawks. It's very effective having the edge of the forest delineated by groups of 4 or 5 trees stuck together, then lots of individual trees, lichen and rocks in the middle that can be moved around whenever you like. But you knew that anyway

[fred]

As others have said you are on the right lines. I’d certainly be adding more trees, but for Muskets and Tomahawks games, I see to recall it was almost easier to mark the clear areas, rather than the wooded areas!

I would work on the base, the brown felt is a bit plain, and as it covers lots of the table, it could look better. For smaller woods I uses rough ovals of MDF, covered in sand, and painted brown, then flocked with 2 or 3 shades of green flock. These look less intrusive on the table. For such a big area I might forgo the brown base cloth, and just show the edges of the woods, leaving your green base cloth to show through everywhere.

[racm32]

Your solution is definitely the most common.  However, it's also easy to "spice it up" with some bushes, lichen, leaves, pebbles, sticks to represent downed trees, etc.  You can even spray paint or flock the mat used for your forest bases, etc.

If you had money to burn (and most of us don't!) you could even buy a smaller forested gaming mat and cut it up into various shapes, etc.

For larger scale games, I tend to use my 1" and 2" hills as the wooded portions of the table, just for ease of recognition.  Are you on the hill?  You're in the woods.

How do you keep your trees on the hills without falling off?

[Hammers]

Interesting thread.

[Patrice]

Polystyrene boards (made with terrain on them, or just under a cloth) and wire pins under the trees, so the trees can be stuck into the boards at will (through the terrain or cloth). If there are differently coloured areas on the boards (or cloth) it helps.



This also works to pin trees on polystyrene hills.

Diversity can be added to the terrain with very small forest boards (with some trees glued on them) but it's more encumbering to carry.

Another option is to make forest floor pieces, each with several tree trunks attached.  Then make forest canopy pieces to match the floor pieces, with clump foliage to show the treetops.

Interesting idea... Yes it would work for some parts of a very dense forest or jungle...

[Ultravanillasmurf]

In the way back when, for 6mm I used the lichen method mentioned above.

[FramFramson]

Instead of a brown or green felt map, one thing to try would be a forest-floor mat, either heavily flocked with leaf cover or something printed. That way the space is visually busy and clearly indicates a forest while being freer for play.

[Elbows]

RACM,

If you're genuinely asking, my hills are flat - just steps of 1-2" upholstery foam.  The sacrifice made for easier gaming, though less attractive.

[racm32]

RACM,

If you're genuinely asking, my hills are flat - just steps of 1-2" upholstery foam.  The sacrifice made for easier gaming, though less attractive.

Sorry when I asked your picture hadn't loaded but when I looked later I saw it.

[Elbows]

Ah, okay.  Wasn't sure!  But yeah, there ya go - the old "stepped" hills wargaming-friendly hill.

[Grumpy Gnome]

Hey Elbows, reminds me of elevation lines on a military topographical map.... so attractive in that sense. Hooah!

[warrenpeace]

I recently got to use my friend's Cigar Box mat for a Pulp Alley game involving samurai & ninja. There was a part of the mat that had a woods, top down view of course, printed on it. There were also fields and dirt roads printed on the mat. We added some trees to the woods section to make it three dimensional, and it looks pretty good. Here are some images: