Dino - i was thinking that my town would be very small, 6 or 8 buildings, saloon, livery, Marshall, dry goods store, Wells Fargo/Post Office, land registry/assay office, gunsmith, bordello, and a bank.
Basically a large way station for the stagecoach and base for miners, general layabouts and vagabonds. ;)
So I was hoping to have it surrounded by scrub land to give it a sense of isolation, rather than it be part of a larger town.
Dino I have run out of space in my small wargaming world, the town will have to be small, I will be strong. :D
The general consensus seems to be modular, but I have only seen bunker monkey use what I would describe as a modular set up, if I go that way I will not need a textured board just a table :'(
BTW: have a great time in your vacations! :D
Yeah I definitely would not advise a fixed town. I think you lose far too much versatility that way.
I disagree. Especially for westerns, the town itself is often a full character in the game.
Having it be fixed so houses and shops are always in the same spot, not necessarily physically glued, means every game is an addition to the towns history. Players come to know the town like real people do real towns. Over time, the town becomes an entity in its own right.
I disagree. Especially for westerns, the town itself is often a full character in the game.
Having it be fixed so houses and shops are always in the same spot, not necessarily physically glued, means every game is an addition to the towns history. Players come to know the town like real people do real towns. Over time, the town becomes an entity in its own right.
In our games, our town has been the same for years. It generates a lot of the scenarios just by existing, knowing who the people in the town are and how they behave (based on previous game experiences). It also lends to a "campaign feel", even if you're only playing one off games, buy creating an actual history.
"I activate that guy, the one over there where Clara stole the wagon that one time."
Another benefit is the details of the buildings. A shop specific to a town can have details or signage appropriate to that town, without having to worry about it making sense in a general context.
We have the town set-up as static, meaning it's always laid out the same, but the buildings are all individually based so we can use them in other setups when/if we want to. The Doctor's house for example has also been an outlaws hide out, the Marshal's home, and the ranch house on a cattle farm.
It's quite a rewarding experience.
As for the basing question; keep the edges of the base as small as possible, and simply flock/paint/goop them the same as the table surface. It means every building is sitting on a little "hill", but it looks fine.
We do the same "static placement" with our superhero games, and for the same history-story reasons, though in that case the city is divided into Districts that conform to the game table size. Not a major concern in a smaller western town.
I disagree. Especially for westerns, the town itself is often a full character in the game.
Having it be fixed so houses and shops are always in the same spot, not necessarily physically glued, means every game is an addition to the towns history. Players come to know the town like real people do real towns. Over time, the town becomes an entity in its own right.
In our games, our town has been the same for years. It generates a lot of the scenarios just by existing, knowing who the people in the town are and how they behave (based on previous game experiences). It also lends to a "campaign feel", even if you're only playing one off games, buy creating an actual history.
That's a really interesting take on things. However it does not preclude a modular build - you just have to assemble it the same every time. I think at the least the bulk of the buildings would need to be removable so you can use them in different settings - like you say with the Docs house.
DS615 and Warlord Frod - think that what Elbows was implying was that you retain greater flexibility for games and maybe use of buildings by not having a fixed layout.
http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=94199.msg1162593#msg1162593 (http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=94199.msg1162593#msg1162593)
This should be the link to his original topic and it is rob bresen.
http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=94199.msg1162593#msg1162593 (http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=94199.msg1162593#msg1162593)
This should be the link to his original topic and it is rob bresen.
For me what makes this outstanding is the interface between the buildings and the board.
Thanks for all your thoughts so far.
I decided against the dedicated town layout board because I really don't have room to store something like that.That's the deciding factor for most of us, I imagine.
I remember that thread - doesn't it look fabulous? And Vagabond, I think you can rest easy about using the photo - I know Rob and I doubt very much if he'd object.
Doug
I have decided to build my own to get a town that looks different even if they will not be as professional.
I decided against the dedicated town layout board because I really don't have room to store something like that. I use a roll-up mat for the ground and just set the buildings on the mat, but I always lay it down in the same way because I like the town that way and can get maximum buildings and terrain on it that way. I currently only break this out for conventions.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v521/hentzau/A%20Town%20Called%20Zenda/IMG_4920.jpg)
This is kind of the end state of what Zenda looks like. Once i get my game room re-assembled and can start up a full on campaign, my plan is to go back to the roots, and start with a little 3x3 set up of just a couple of buildings, and through the campaign watch the town grow. Add a building each game, as people invest in the business in town. Then continue to grow the town until through the campaign it looks like the above.
For me scratchbuilding is always the way to go! :D
Looking forward to see your western town! Have you already got its name?
The only thing I know for my WIP town is the name of the saloon/whorehouse: "THE HORNY JACKALOPE" ;D
[/quote
I thought of Little Whisky turning into Big Whiskey as it grew but wasn't that the name of the town in pale rider?
I like the sound of your whore house might mosey on down that way when it's built.
Smokey one your idea does work well, recently I have seen a couple of games on a Hessian cloth with various grades of sand and pebble and I thought it looked the part.]
Nice. Remember, you can sprinkle, pour and position all sorts of loose ballast rock, course and fine flocking, and various ground like clay, dust, dirt, etc. Easy to even "blend in" buildings and such into the board. When you take up the mat, just pour it all back into containers.
Its a GREAT way to make a mat or generic table tob come alive.
Definitely. Don't be afraid to use plenty of dust and dirt. While at Fort Stanton yesterday, the wind started picking up. For a few minutes, there was no visibility because of the dust flying, and when it was over, everything had a thin film of dust. Mother Nature is quite willing to sandblast painted surfaces.
Someone has suggested to spray a mist of Tamiya TS46 Light Sand Color Spray over the finished town just to get that "sandblasted" effect! ;)
(http://atomicslotcars.com.au/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/600x600/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/t/s/ts46tamiya_paint_100ml_spray_-_light_sand.jpg)
o_o Dino do you think you could try this out and let me know how you go on with it. It could go either way. ;)
Looking good! ;)
given to me as a lovely gift from the girls of my game group
Yeah, those bases are great. I had to go back and look a second time, because I didn't notice them the first time through. That really says something. Who made them?
Very atmospheric. The baseboard looks terrific, especially the tumbleweeds. :)
Looks just the kind of town The Free Range Boys would be at home in. Don't be surprised if they mosey on down Main Street some day.
I obviously live in the wrong country :) :)
Vagabond,
But, come on... WTF are those giant tumbleweeds?! :o
That is a terrific set up you have. So much detail! 8)
I like the fact that your buildings look so realistically painted. they look weather-beaten and dusty, which is how it should be. ;)
Humm - they are not supposed to be tumble weed, the big sort of lichen like things are suppose to represent shrubs and bushes sort of like this.
But... 3 m tall??? :o
lol lol lol lol lol
The transparent bases look best I ever seen anywhere too!
Have you seen the size of his cabbages? !!! lol lol
Besides - everything is bigger in Texas and this is next door. lol lol
The transparent bases look best I ever seen anywhere too! :o Did you matt varnish them or is it just incidentally that they do not shine?I do intend to matt varnish as a test to see if it cuts down any shine. I think though that because the PVC blister packing material is worn that helps cut down shine and also I was lucky with these photos. Having said that I think that the biggest distraction with commercial bases is the thickness.
I can almost taste the dust!
the 'marks' on the board which you call 'The Bad' work well, i reckon.
I shall be considering that for a future project as there is too much work involved to redo my whole OW collection.
Having said that I think that the biggest distraction with commercial bases is the thickness.
Thanks for that link Dinohunter, I hadn’t seen that before. I might try that on my next mini. I can see me changing everything I’ve painted so far! :? Dam, I now need a lot of blister packs! Do you think I can convince the wife that I need to buy a shed load of models just so I can get the plastic they come in? ;)
You don't need to convince your wife of anything, just plant the idea as if it came from her own mind and you're done! ;)
I think that's the first time I've ever seen transparent bases work.
Normally you see this big shiny thing with thick edges which looks much worse (IMO) than a normal base.
But your bases really do blend in to the terrain. Very nice.
Yes, I also remain unconvinced by the current trend of using clear bases. But I must say yours look awfully nice!
Wow, this is great! Lovely board, I will steal some inspiration for my sci-fi colony!
Marshall McKluskie views his cabbage patch. What veg grows in New Mexico around Las Vegas?
A lot, and not much. Before the arrival of the Spaniards in the Southwest, agriculture was driven around the "Three Sisters" of corn, beans, and squash (along with game, fish, and piñon). For the most part, small vegetable gardens behind a house could grow just about anything that could be sustained in dry areas, including onions and chiles. However, it was almost always sustenance farming only. Farms did not export vegetables until after the turn of the century, and mostly just along the Rio Grande. They tried wide-scale truck farming in the plains after 1915, but that required an expensive dam and irrigation canal system that collapsed during a multi-year drought. Anybody with a source of water and water buckets (and a peon or a child to carry those buckets) could grow anything if they had the desire and the seeds. The agricultural driving force was cattle and sheep, not vegetables. A cabbage patch is perfect for the area.
That is mostly around the plains, the high desert areas, and other scrubby lands. The various valleys in the mountains and mesas had spring-fed rivers and streams that, when routed with acequias, provided sufficient water for other crops, including vineyards. Some of those valleys held large cereal farms, which fed into various grinding mills. The grain was sold throughout the territory, and was the primary food source for the army outposts. Not all rivers were necessarily conducive to farming: the Navajo at the Bosque Redondo concentration camp discovered that the Pecos River was too alkaline, and could not grow plants (thus contributing to their starvation).
The easiest way to find out what the soil can support is to find a traditional cookbook. Farmers at the land grants traded their wool and excess cattle for manufactured goods from back east, not for other food. Food also did not survive the Santa Fe Trail and other trails as well as non-food; changes in diet occurred when the railroad made food transportation economical.
I'm a bit late to this thread but I have to say, your town is looking bloody lovely, well done sir! :-*
Do you think I am anywhere close with the board colour for around Las Vegas and if not what would you suggest?
The color is not bad, considering how dry and sandy the ground can get. With that said, I think th ground is perhaps a little too dry, and could use more grass. "Las Vegas" is Spanish for The Meadows, and the area is right where the Great Plains meets the Sangre de Cristos Mountains. The (lack of) ground cover is fine for Lincoln County and areas closer to the mesas.
What a great table. Plastic bases work for me, which isn't helping my own decision making about using clear bases for my western figures or going with more traditional ones so they match all my other figures lol
You know the correct answer... ;) lol
What a great table. Plastic bases work for me, which isn't helping my own decision making about using clear bases for my western figures or going with more traditional ones so they match all my other figures lol