BSC2023 AndrewBeasley's had to drop out.

[AndrewBeasley]

OK - competition virgin here but we will see how this goes...


I managed to play a few games of Palaeo Diet last year and had a scattering of scenery for the 15mm figures but lacked a 'large' centre piece for the 2x2 mat I use.

So the aim is to make a sacrificial pool (also known as a marsh / swamp) that animals and humans can skirt around / get stuck in and raft over...

No real plan yet but as a dump of my thoughts I've got:

• Swamp / marsh
• Cliff / small hill
• Broken stone similar to Sky Life video 4 or Giants Causeway
• Stepping stones
• Raft
• Mammoth tusk entry point
• Standing stone
• Wooden walkway
• Tree - weeping willow style
• Blasted stumps - burnt area / lightning
• Lean to for druid?
• Cave for druid?
• Dead body in water
• Resin for water or just Mod Podge?
• Bog bodies
• Think Roman offerings (possibly small waterside shrine - think a Scotland Minerva)?
• Stilt building (Peterborough trip)?
• Scottish lake building???

Obviously less is more (and it would be great to complete this in 2023) and some may not make sense but I'll try to tidy my thoughts and put some references in the next week or so.


Most of my materials have been piled away (not packed - just piled) so sorting that will be a win if nothing else!

[Golgotha]

Sounds like it is going to be awesome and many builds within a build. Look forward to seeing it.

[fred]

Just how big is this piece going to be!

[AKULA]

A sacrificial pool is a great idea, good luck Andrew 

[Vanvlak]

Mammoth tusk entry point is the way to go! Poor mammoths, though...

[has.been]

Good luck with this.
You've done the right thing to start, i.e. list ALL the things you might include.
Next thing is to start narrowing down the choices.
I want to see how you finally go with this.

[AndrewBeasley]

Thank you for the comments folks - most encouraging.

Mammoth tusk entry point is the way to go! Poor mammoths, though...

I have a set of Mick Yarrow mammoths from his Ice Age range and the tusks are not much ticker than toothpicks - I may risk trying green stuff modelling for these to stretch me (only used it for filling rarely). Thinking a nice two / three layer arch rather than a pile - maybe supported by wooden 'poles' at the back...

Just how big is this piece going to be!

I've been worrying about that TBH - I honestly do not want the total build to be larger than three A4 sheets of paper - that's still pretty big for the game as the normal human move (known as an amble in the game) is 8cm and would be way bigger than anything I have done recently. The advantage of this game is its mainly open / rough ground...

I'm thinking I could aim for the middle and one edge piece of the three. By concentrating on the entrance, path (or raft) and pool I reckon I could get this on the centre A4 sheet with care. Then, if time allows, I can edge the board with the hill / cliff face that just butts up to it leaving the housing or third board for another day.

This obviously drops a lot of the ideas off - maybe I'll rough out the final idea and then just extract the bit for this challenge...

First big decision I'm stuck on is:

• Do I build the swamp / marsh up from the ground using 5mm foam board and cutting the waterways out of it?
• Do I just go flat and use paint / Mod Podge?

Currently thinking the latter option as everything else (hills/ rough terrain) is built up and just sits on the mat - 5mm will dominate the current terrain.

[Burgundavia]

Could you taper up and then sink back down to get faux depth?

[Daeothar]

Sounds like an awesome idea! 

Just don't go too big, trying to put every idea you had in one piece. perhaps it would be better to concentrate on a few, and use the others for future builds? This would give you more flexibility too in the long run.

Best of luck! 

Could you taper up and then sink back down to get faux depth?

That's what I will be doing as well; I need a hole in the ground where my platform pulled out from, so I'll probably use a bit of raised edge and then trompe l'oeil painting inside to sell the idea of it being a deeper hole than it actually is...

[David H]

Most marshland is quite flat with the appearance of surface water surrounded by lots of grass tufts/knolls.

I would go the painted/mod podge route, with enough tufts and broken sticks you should give the impression of depth without having to excavate your base.

[zemjw]

ASDA and such places sometimes do giant animal skeletons. Amazon has a prehistoric skull set that I may buy myself - link

Perhaps they would give an armature shape that you could greenstuff over, which may simplify the arch building part

Either way, looking forward to seeing what you come up with

[AndrewBeasley]

ASDA and such places sometimes do giant animal skeletons. Amazon has a prehistoric skull set that I may buy myself - link

Perhaps they would give an armature shape that you could greenstuff over, which may simplify the arch building part

Either way, looking forward to seeing what you come up with

Now that's an idea - there where a few 'archaeology' dinosaur dig kits on clearance last week. I feel up to a trip into Brigg as well.

Could you taper up and then sink back down to get faux depth?

Possibly - not sure I'm up for the resin though as I do not have a work area other than the dining room table though do have a spare 'under bed storage' box that could be pressed into service that would hold any leaks and keep the dust off.

Still not seen the foam but I've found a wolf den (3D print) that I like - not sure it will fit anywhere though... 

A few links of my inspiration:

Foremost would be Flag Fen at Peterborough and their site (please do not visit the 'flagfen' dot com web site - the links are NSFW)

The 'pool' is way to large - I'm thinking more LOTR Dead Marshes but the raised path is a must.

Then there was The Crannog - sadly destroyed in a fire but looking to rebuild.

Originally the druid / shaman dwelling but more likely a cave

Looks like memory has failed me in the shrine - could have sworn it was Minerva but that's Chester not Hadrians Wall. Major problem having a professional archaeologist and an amateur one int he family - too many sites, too many ruins!

Maybe it was the Mithras site??? That's too regular a building though...

I will not put a link to the hex stones on Giants Causeway but the Sky Life video is Neist Point (YouTube) and has almost cubic blocks as the cliff edge. At first I thought of cork (well I've found my thick plate stand cork board) but the fitters kindly left me a chunk of insulation foam from the window so that's now a possibility...


One thing I have to sort out in my mind - does the druid / shamans dwelling set the tone for the rest of the buildings? Og carrier of ‘The Spear of the Ancestors’ (he likes his full title to be used) has never had a real home in my games but I fancy the idea of the crannogs / possible low stone dwellings or even a real rough version of the Taos Pueblo or Çatalhöyük style block buildings but I'm not tackling this for now... I think the occupant here can live as (s)he wishes (I do not actually have a figure for the druid / shaman yet) - well I'm not risking a curse to dictate their housing!

[AndrewBeasley]

Real Life has intervened so I've lost my workspace for the next few weeks and as access to some of my materials has provide impossible I'm reluctantly dropping out.


Best of luck to all others.

[Burgundavia]

Real Life has intervened so I've lost my workspace for the next few weeks and as access to some of my materials has provide impossible I'm reluctantly dropping out.


Best of luck to all others.

Crap, hopefully you are able to take this up after you get some workshop space back

[has.been]

Sorry to hear that. I hope to see it finished... sometime.