Effective Superhero Terrain

[JamesFlowers]

with 40K/fantasy you can have random ruined buildings , outcrops
with sci fi like necormunda and infinity you ca have dense urban jungles


how do you model the many and varied environs for supers games cheaply and effectivly?

what environs do you need?

cityskyline
suburban street
super science lab
outer space
airbourne flying combat
villans volcanic lair
gang drug hideout
circus of crime

how do you do yours

[Elk101]

I'm slowly putting a city collection together, mainly with a mix of MDF kits. As cash and space are short I'm only looking at a 4'x4' set up. The idea being that most of it can be repurposed for other games too.

I've also got an industrial set up on the go with stuff from Systema that could be used for moderns and sci-fi.

[Hat Guy]

I've said it before and I'll say it again, supers can fight anywhere! 

Especially with games like SuperSystem, narrative will really drive the experience, so having a reason to fight on the terrain you already have is all you need for a fun game.

Yes, you can blow hundreds on a giant city set-up like me:


Or you can play on whatever's handy:


Just flip through some comics and see where the fights are happening, just taking a quick look at the pile on my desk, there are industrial plants, shipyards, tropical islands, Dark Age castles, outer space, alien worlds, deserts, cities, abandoned mines and way more besides.

[leonmallett]

One UK company that does pretty inexpensive mdf kits is TTCombat with their City Scenics range; some of the pieces have a nice big footprint meaning just a very small few may be needed.

It also depends on the game: Pulp City has no defined table size since distance between DZ's is key (basically 2' x 2' upwards is fine, 3' x 3' gives a nice playing area and 9 inch DZ's); BMG has a nominal 90 cm x 90 cm area; not sure on Supersystem 4e or Power Legion.

[maroonldr]

When I first started playing Pulp City all I had was Old West terrain so I played time travel adventures. If you like paper terrain you can download World Works games terrain.

I like Old Glorys Chicago buildings for an old town look.

Also try searching for plasticville o-scale buildings on eBay. They are fairly inexpensive and look very nice. They are a bit smaller than O-scale but I like my buildings slightly undersized as you can fit more on a table.

My wife is very unhappy with Leon because I never saw TT before and I have a new want list. She's unhappy because she knows how awesome the fire station is!

[eilif]

I dabble in superhero gaming once in a while and we've stuck with urban terrain, usually the city buildings that I've built originally for my Mecha games.  Makes a nice Gotham... http://chicagoskirmish.blogspot.com/2015/03/power-legion-rumble-in-gotham.html

The paper stuff is fine, but if given the choice I'd generally rather repeat gaming on nicer terrain rather than diversify with paper. So far this has been more than suitable, but if we wanted to go to a factory or lab then I've got plenty of industrial stuff too. 

However, if superhero is your main focus and you're a completion-ist, then you need everything you've listed and probably a swamp and classic dessert also.

[leonmallett]

...

My wife is very unhappy with Leon because I never saw TT before and I have a new want list. She's unhappy because she knows how awesome the fire station is!

Uh-oh!

How much trouble am I in?

    

[supervike]

@ Hatguy...


 

[Hat Guy]

@ Hatguy...


 

Just realised that the picture of my city table has unfished stuff on it too.

[obsidian3d]

I keep ogling the TTCombat MDF stuff but have held off on buying any. The kits I got from Knights of Dice are also really nice.

[Elk101]

I keep ogling the TTCombat MDF stuff but have held off on buying any. The kits I got from Knights of Dice are also really nice.

The Knights of Dice stuff is very good. I just wish they'd get a European supplier! TT is also pretty decent for the new City stuff. Sarissa Precision is pretty good too.

[Andym]

There's plenty of inspiration in the Pulp board on this forum. Lots of people have built really good towns for their gangsters and stuff. Depending on your scratch building skills there's simple stuff to realistic cityscapes. I made this a while ago for supers. The head started out life as a clothes softener bottle cap....