Thickets (The Hillside Thickets Scenario).

[Bergh]

Hi You will need some thickets in The Hillside Thickets Scenario.

I don't have my SA books at with me, so I can't remember the scenarios correct name.
Have a few questions, as im sitting ATM an making terrain, and want to make some thickets.

1. How many thickets does the scenario require.

2. What is a thicket exactly? Thick scrubs or?

3. How big is each thicket supposed to be in the scenario?

[Mathyoo]

Oh, that is something I should make by now!

You need D3+2 of them, so up to five. Size is not mentioned, but someone was asking this already and it was said they should probably be something up to CD based.

Personally, I'd probably just go with 5 cds because of the ease of storage - but keep in mind they can't be placed 12" from short edge and must be placed more than 4" from each other. Also completely block line of sight so 5 cd sized could happen to be too big.

Thicket is a dense group of bushes or trees, I was thinking using some trees and lichen for the undergrowth...how do you plan on making them?

[Bergh]

Tried to make a test, have ofcourse not painted it yet.

Its pieces of cork-bark, with some plastic leaves ontop.

I will paint it black first, and then drybrush the cork, to give a depth effect, and look like smaller plants.
Last i will drybush the leaves green over several layers.

I have no idea if its the meaning that you should place miniatures inside it, what does the scenario specify?

[Mathyoo]

When agents enter the ticket, you roll to see if lurker is hiding in there.

[superflytnt]

A thicket is just a dense forest area, lots of underbrush.


Like your models, though! I was going to make some using a bunch of small drink stirrers stuck in a cork mat, painted to look like thin trees as above.

[Mr. Peabody]

Bergh, I like that piece. Looks suitably mysterious and leafy.  With that piece you would just have a figure come in contact with it, I suppose to trigger the effect?

Thickets can grow up out of meadow or cleared land, a bunch of small trees & shrubs clustered together for survival. Eventually the thicket grows into a small wood and then takes over the meadow...

Also, bamboo grows as 'thickets'.

So these are areas of dense growth that block LOS but not impenetrable. You could add a movement penalty going through them....

[superflytnt]

He's from Canada....and they know thickets! 

[Mr. Peabody]

I know it.

I've planted a hundred thousand trees all over North Ontario. I can differentiate the various forms of scarification, tell duff from slash and choose micro-climates suitable for the sustenance of the ignoble black spruce and jack pine.

And I'll say this: Few places in the world look as blasted or well suited to Mythos mayhem as a clear-cut forest that stretches for a thousand square miles deep in Northern Canadian wilderness.

Just don't say Ithaqua.

[Mason]

Well, I had been thinking the same: How to model Thickets...?

Between the great build by Bergh ( ) and the inside knowledge of Mr. Peabody ( ), I think that question is well and trully answered.

Thanks, chaps!
 

[Bergh]

For me the question is now should I model it so the leaf top is a loose lid, and that actually can put a miniature into it. In this little piece there are room for one model, and thats it, and then you will have to have the leaf lid put aside, ruining the visual aspects of the board IMHO, same for me with building where you take the roof off.

And my models actually have flat enough tops for just putting the miniatures ontop, if you really need to show they are inside. The Thickets I know of, and is thinking on is so thick and full, often the ground is filled with thorny bushes, Its possible to cross into the thickets I'm thinking about, but its would take time and energy, I don't see this really happening in a stressful situation. Don't know if thinks are different here in Scandinavia then Canada.

So guys thanks for all the good answeres, but how would you proceed:
Thickets where you can place a miniature inside or just keep it on top or beside the terrain feature?

[Mathyoo]

When I started wargaming, inspired by all the big brands and follow-the-rules-to-letter, I'd say make it accessible. Now, honestly...just play as they're base to base. Why would anyone want to stop inside the thicket anyways? When you play, put them base to base, counts as going in, next turn he needs full move to cross it, so you put it base to base again. This represents the slow going of moving through the thick, thorny undergrowth. Per rules, you can't see over the thicket, so that is fine. You also get 5+ save, which I would apply to any model that is in base to base with thicket, but not actually concealed by it.

That my sound a bit weird, so here is a diagram :

C   ATB

C is a cultist. He can see agent A, but agent A gets 5+ save as he is in base to base with a thicket (so he is kinda on edge, still concealed by some of the vegetation) But cultist can't see agent B, also in base to base with thicket, but on the far side.

With a CD template, you might want to spend 2 actions for moving, to halve the 5" move of ordinary models.

What do you guys think?

[Bergh]

Here are my finished thickets, some of the easiest and fastest terrain I have made, and it will work just fine for cluttering up a woodland gaming board.








Made a little tutorial with the leftovers.

[Mr. Peabody]

Those look fantastic. 

[Mason]

These look great, Bergh, very effective!
 

Can you still lift the leafy 'lids' off and place figures inside?
That is a clever touch.
I must steal copy it.
 

[Bergh]

Can you still lift the leafy 'lids' off and place figures inside?

I glued the tops, you can easily made the tops loose, but I did think the individual pieces was too small for it to work properly.
If I had made larger pieces I would maybe had made the tops loose.

I think everyone should copy each other if its they think its nice. I have 95% copied your crypt made from a "fortified mansion"-set.