Pulp Alley - Terrain

[EndTransmission]

Ainsty Castings also do some great bits to make buildings. If you have a look at the various Streetwise sections they have walls, doors, rooves and lots of furniture options http://ainstycastings.co.uk/index.php/cPath/51/osCsid/4ec42d292d64647950bf1b4df48c8add

[d phipps]

Ainsty Castings also do some great bits to make buildings. If you have a look at the various Streetwise sections they have walls, doors, rooves and lots of furniture options http://ainstycastings.co.uk/index.php/cPath/51/osCsid/4ec42d292d64647950bf1b4df48c8add

Oh yes, I'd forgot about Ainsty. They also have some cool bit and pieces. 



THANKS!

[Wolf Girl]

I got some help getting ready for our Pulp Alley Halloween Party.



Josh is sculpting the Great Pumpkin.




Here's some of the pieces we finished already.

[The Hooded Claw]

Gah! I love themed events.

I always have grand plans and never get them done in time.

Can't wait to see.

-Eli

[Wolf Girl]

Gah! I love themed events.

I always have grand plans and never get them done in time.

Can't wait to see.

-Eli

I wrote the rules for the scenario a couple weeks ago and now we just need to finish up some of the terrain.

Not only is it a Pulp Alley Halloween scenario but Dad and me both have our birthdays in October, so its a Halloween-Birthday party. 

[Mad Lord Snapcase]

Happy Birthday to both of you. Looking forward to your game report!

[Anpu]

In preparation for our VICE ALLEY expansion, I'm thinking our next big terrain project will be a modern city with tall brick buildings, paved streets, and dark dangerous alleys. I've been planning the layout for about a year, but I still don't know how we're going to make the buildings. O-Scale Plastics, MDF, Paper Buildings, or just do it all from scratch?

What have other folks used?

What has worked?

What didn't work?

What are the relative costs?

I have been using a mix of plastic, mdf and paper buildings. They all work.  For paperbuildings I go mainly for Scalescenes pdfs and have been looking around for others, now test building a Clever models pdf building. The pdfs are cheap, from 5-10 dollars each. I will try to get some pics and comparisons between paper and the others.

I got some help getting ready for our Pulp Alley Halloween Party.



Josh is sculpting the Great Pumpkin.




Here's some of the pieces we finished already.

Love the pumpkins!
Looking great Wolfgirl!
Happy birthday to you both.

[jet]

In preparation for our VICE ALLEY expansion, I'm thinking our next big terrain project will be a modern city with tall brick buildings, paved streets, and dark dangerous alleys.

I'm sure it will be a feast for the eyes. I have to say however, when I think of the busy, "occupied" parts of a city, I always think specifically of mob style games and super hero games. When I think of Pulp, I'm more inclined towards the warehouse district, the docks, lumber yards, chemical plants. If I were ever to construct a 3x3 urban play area for Pulp, I would lean towards just a few buildings, maybe three. These would be warehouse or storage facility type constructions. Maybe a couple of small shed-like constructions (foreman's hut, security guard station). I would also have room for chain-link fences, piles of crates, dumpsters, delivery trucks, a few street lights, and of course, a single phone booth. 

In short, it might be urban, but I would like it to be desolate as well. The perfect places for hooded cultists and crooked mobsters to conduct their evil plans.

Just my 2 cents

P.S. Have a great Pulp Alley Birthday!

[Elk101]

Regarding an urban setting, reading pulp 'noire' stuff from the 1920s onwards, there are many stories set around large city town houses or mansion houses, estates, etc. so a large house in its own grounds with some outhouses and maybe a gardener's cottage, etc. would be good.

[Argonor]

I completely missed the 'modern' part of the question.... but again, there's  as well paper solutions to be had (I like Worldworks Games), as mdf, and resin. I think Ziterdes makes some foam for modern settings, too, but I haven't checked lately.

[Carpathian]

Re, Vice Alley buildings,

If going for a 'Chicago' look, you don't necessarily need tall buildings.    It does have its famous highrise district of course, by the lake, but a lot of the historical action took place out in the suburban districts, which are characterized by 1-3 story buildings.    

Al Capone based himself in the township of Cicero, several miles from downtown which probably looked like a distant backdrop at the time.    His HQ at the Hawthorne Hotel was the site of one particularly infamous drive-by machinegun assault.

The typical building would be characterized by a front façade with some architectural gingerbread in a quasi-classic style, and plain brickwork on the alleyways or rear.

 You can get strips of craft wood at Michaels that look a lot like the 'gingerbread'.   You can also get brick mat (gluing a few bricks on here and there gives a brick look without having to model all-brick).    Have given it some thought, but it's on my long term to-do list.

[d phipps]

Re, Vice Alley buildings,

If going for a 'Chicago' look, you don't necessarily need tall buildings.    It does have its famous highrise district of course, by the lake, but a lot of the historical action took place out in the suburban districts, which are characterized by 1-3 story buildings.    

This is what I'm currently leaning towards. Maybe mostly 2-3 story buildings, with a few 4 story buildings mixed in.

I'm looking at needing 12-14 buildings, base on my drawings. To get the sizes and shapes we'll need, we may just have to build them from scratch.



THANKS for all the ideas and suggestions.

[Anpu]

Here are a few of the buildings I am working on at the moment, mostly WIPs.
Papercraft buildings from scalescenes (left) and Clever models.





This is a scale scenes railway station that I will be using for a library or other public building.



Micro art on the ledf, (MDF) and Dust tactics building with scratchbuilt roof, both still WIP.

[Braz]

Beautiful buildings Anpu . Love the 2.5-D elements that make the buildings pop visually.

IMHO illustration board or foamboard backed papercraft buildings would be the way to go. Stylish but rugged and there are lots of free options available too on the Interweb. Here is a great source for free Chicago style buildings: http://www.illinoishistory.gov/ps/construct_mainstreet.htm  (Might need to be resized)
I have several buildings with lift off floors/roofs but now I'm tending towards solid shell buildings with separate floor plans played on a side area when the action goes inside and/or buildings with open backs. 
Also to remember that with tall buildings, alleys will have to be wider to be able to reach in easily.

Looking forward to see what you come up with.

[d phipps]

Sweet! Thanks for that link, Braz. I think we'll try doing some of those. Anpu's paper buildings may have sealed it for us.

Looks like Mila and I will try our hand at putting together some paper buildings and see how it goes. 


THANKS for everyone's ideas, suggestions, and pics!