"Proper" fantasy terrain???

[Andrew May]

Inspired by LAFers Paul and DeafNala (floating island/spooky forest) I was thinking today; what constitutes "proper" fantasy wargaming terrain? Things that are not able to be reused in other games e.g. not just forest, hills, 'medieval' houses, etc.

It's easy enough to put a big skull in a cliff face or some such but what do you LAFers think? Being the most imaginative forum that I post on I thought it only right to ask here. What crazy or inventive ideas do you have? Let's start a brainstorm and see what we can come up with and build! 

[Onebigriver]

Having seen the original Clash of the Titans recently, I would love to do Calibos' swamp, lots of skellies hanging about.

[Heldrak]

Personally, I like my fantasy terrain to be rather prosaic... But if you insist:

A castle in the clouds! 

[elsyrsyn]

Personally, I like my fantasy terrain to be rather prosaic...

Agreed, but then I like my fantasy gaming to be somewhat minimally ... well ... fantastical.   

Doug

[**GS**]

Maybe those:
Elfish dwellings in massive trees with many walkways.

Extensive caves and dungeons.

Evil temples with chaotic looking gargoyles and stuff.

Skyscraping but medieval Houses.

But thats all covering whole tables instead of being able to build on a small scale base as a compact disk.

I think what makes fantasy stand out from an "ordinary" medieval setting is the creatures, not the terrain.
If you want proper fantasy settings, make up for good miniatures and proper wilderness settings.

just my two cents

GS

[redshadows]

I'm busy reading a book called Scar night by lan Campbell .

The book is set in a  city called Deepgate which hangs suspended by huge chains above the Abyss..

"A city wrapped in chains, suspended above a huge pit where a god and his army of dead live"

now that would make a cool table  



George

[Mason]

A short trip into the mind of Deathnala should provide all the inspiration you need!

[Cosmotiger]

A giant mushroom forest.  And I mean giant, like the size of trees.  I've wanted to do that for years.
Although it's been mentioned already, a curvy swirly elven city in the trees is a fantasy classic.   

...Oh, and the vast ancient underground dungeon-crawl complex.  Can't get any more fantasy than that.

[Dolmot]

A giant mushroom forest.  And I mean giant, like the size of trees.  I've wanted to do that for years.

I've wanted one since I saw this. And that was years before I even knew about miniature gaming.

[B. Basiliscus]

The bleached skeleton of some titanic monster, long slain by a mighty hero could make a neat fantasy encounter.
think of the strategic benefits of hiding in the eye sockets of The Behemoth's skull and using a crossbow to eliminate aggressors!

The concept of a mushroom forest is glorious, but why stop at simple mushrooms?
Cordyceps, mold, slime-molds and spore pods, oh my! 
A fungal forest is so much better when it's diverse.

[darthfozzywig]

A cityscape built on the back of a giant sea turtle?

[Connectamabob]

Seems like a very sliding scale sort of thing. I mean, too much of it comes down to personal interpretation.

Where and how do you personally draw the line between sci-fi and fantasy? Many of the things listed could work just as well in a sci-fi game, depending on your definition: mushroom forests (Revenge of the Sith), giant skulls of dead beasties (Nausicaa), even high-elf treehouses (plenty of space-elves to go around, some of them must have suburbs).

Where and how do you draw the line between fantasy and historical? Would you consider it okay to play a historical game with, say, a castle of fictitious design? How about a modern hostage rescue scenario in a fictitious theme park?

Okay, so the "theme park" one is blatant rules lawyering, but the rest is still valid.

[DeafNala]

A short trip into the mind of Deathnala should provide all the inspiration you need!

You don't want to go there. It's a very strange place that give an entire new meaning to SPOOKY...trust me on this.

There now that the caveat has been given...I can still hear the clatter of their horses hooves echoing off the walls of the little village as my hussars gain momentum; still see their valiant charge across the little bridge & into the teeth of the waiting artillery battery; still hear the shouts as they pass through the battery & crashed into the infantry company sending them in red ruin fleeing in all directions. It was a WONDERFUL spectacle then & remains so yet after more than 40 years.
At this juncture I should include some insightful words of inspiration & guidance. If any occur to me, I'll be sure to add them. That little scene is typical of the way I view gaming, modeling, et al. The terrain was to be honest horribly under scaled, & the minis were not up to current standards; yet the combination of all the elements provided then & now a cinematic moment the was a joy to be part of & a memory to be cherished...that's what proper terrain & its inhabitants should provide.

As to "Fantasy" terrain, it should look right with the Folks that are part of it. It should be "realistic" to the extent that its recognizable, but have something about it that in a real world sense is not quite right. The "not quite right" is made plausible by the minis; the minis are enhanced by being in a setting that feels plausible to their nature. If done properly, the imagination which inspired the whole thing will add the missing elements & set the little actors strutting across the stage.

I think this thread will be an on-going exchange of ideas; SO I'll catch up with the conversation later & go off to paint a face on a Mushroom.

[Comsquare]

I pretty much like the floating terrain seen in Dragonhunters or Skyland.
Would love to make a "Gamingtable" like that.

Also the terrain featured in the comics of "Requiem, Vampireknight" looks pretty nice to me.
Just one teaser:

[rob_alderman]

Surely the GW terrain fits the bill?

I can't imagine the temple of skulls in much else than a game of Warhammer!