Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => Fantasy Adventures => Frostgrave => Topic started by: Philhelm on August 04, 2015, 03:58:51 AM
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While we have a few terrain threads already, I'd like to get recommendations for some relatively easy and inexpensive terrain to use in order to get started with a standard 3' x 3' game area. Cardstock is obviously cheap, but I don't want to have to print, cut, score, and assemble a ton of terrain pieces that aren't very durable.
As an example, Renedra has an affordable, plastic tent kit with campfire, which could be put on a hill for one terrain piece. Frosted pine trees on a snowy hill (like Harry's terrain) are an obvious choice. What other things are there for some quick and relatively cheap terrain pieces. I can get more elaborate and expensive later, but for now I just want to get a good start.
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Would a link to building tutorials that utilize cheap materials count? Or is the goal cheap as well as fast (as in, stuff that's ready to paint/base with minimal effort and get on the table ASAP)?
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I'm going through a similar process myself. Having played a couple of games my opinion is you need some terrain that has access to higher levels and some low level 'rubble' type stuff, it all helps to break up line of sight and gives people some cover.
At the moment, I like the look of the Pegasus Gothic Buildings, they do some blocks to make rubble too. The other terrain that has caught my eye is the self assembly mdf terrain, there are various manufacturers out there all doing a variety of stuff. Some do starter sets with a bit of a discount compared to buy individual pieces.
I guess it depends how deep your purse is! Or how handy you are and what time you have if you want to make your own.
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Take a cinder block , smash it with a hammer , and bam, instant scatter terrain. I use this at uni .
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I've suggested this for Sci-fi terrain before, but it's just as good here I guess...! ;)
Step 1: Get some cheap nested gift boxes. Something like these (http://www.containerstore.com/s/gift-packaging/gift-boxes/color-block-nested-boxes/12d?productId=10033305) perhaps, but you may have a local dollar store or such that sells 'em cheaply (Ikea sometimes does for example). Be aware that they even come in different shapes too, so that could be an easy way to add variety.
Step 2: Cut windows and doors into them. Some of them you may want to cut into more to represent damage, or in half to make a ruined corner.
Step 3: The lids make good low-level ruins or can be used on more intact buildings to represent roofs/floors.
Step 4: Add some details like buttressing, lintels, cills, etc with some strips of card. I'd keep these fairly flat (I'll explain why in a sec).
Step 5: Spray the whole lot in cheap grey primer. You can use other colour primers too, both for some variety, and to build up a gradient of colour on the buildings quickly.
Step 6: Once dry, you can stack all these back together for easy storage and transport. (That's why appliqué details are best kept fairly flat).
If you have a stencil or a stamp (a sharp knife and a cork or vinyl floor tile will let you make one), you can use this with some cheap paint to add some blockwork details to selected areas of the ruins. Likewise, you can add scraps of suitable textured wallpaper samples (these are usually free) or plasticard to add more texture and interest.
Some of the nested boxes sets come with very small boxes in the centre - these can be dressed up to make chests/crates for cover, or might make little guard posts or such if not.
A few packs of boxes like these will easily fill a table. :)
As for other things... Well, you can probably find a lot of what you need at home:
- Scrunch up some paper, cover it in a couple of layers of aluminium foil (scrunch this lightly around the paper core) and glue to a base. Spray grey, wash with thinned black and drybrush light grey - instant lightweight rocks or boulders in any size you need.
- Rough ground can be anything from pieces of fabric to textured wallpaper scraps. Just paint these quickly and drop a few around the table to represent areas of difficult terrain. They also look good with a couple of trees parked on top for area terrain (where the trees are moveable to let you place the figures "inside").
- Christmas/Halloween decorations and wedding favours are also a good source of things like trees, crystals, figurines (to paint as statues), etc. Dollar/Pound/Euro stores too; they seem to sell this tat valuable treasure all year-round.
- Whilst you're in the Dollar/Pound/Euro store, look out for cheap kids' toys that you can appropriate for set-dressing. Dinosaur skeletons to partially buy into a base (the bones of a perished magical monster in Frostgrave), playsets that may be re-purposed into lairs or temples, figures than can make statues, pirate sets with crates and barrels that you can pinch, etc.
Obviously, if you spend time sourcing, making, and re-painting stuff, then it will look proportionally better. However even the basic stuff (like the boxes) can look great in a pinch. :)
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Pegasus' cathedral sets are decently priced and can be pretty good at spreading out with strategic damage.
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I know you said affordable or cheap...but I like 4Ground stuff...Maybe try Warlord Games. They have some ruined European houses that look nice as well...
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For small scale pickup skirmishes using SOB&H my wife and I often use a Jenga set. You can use the wooden blocks like building blocks to create ruins, then pack them all away again. A couple of sets should do to cover a 3x3 table, especially if you can get them in some of the larger sizes.
I've also seen some really good terrain made from the blocks in some Angry Birds playsets.
G.
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http://us-store.warlordgames.com/collections/bolt-action/products/ruined-hamlet
maybe this set...