Terrain question.

[necrocannibal]

I've just received the rule books for SA and they look great. I know a lot of manufacturers for miniatures, but I don't know many for good looking buildings that can effectively be used for SA, apart from Miniature Building Authority and the two buildings Renedra and Perry Miniatures have (other Sci-Fi and Fantasy terrain isn't a problem). Sorry if this has been asked many many times, but I was wondering where I could find some good looking countryside houses, farms, barns etc. I love the look of the Miniature Building Authority terrain and I love the American Farm House and the North American Store from Perry Miniatures (although I don't know if they're the right size for 25-28 mm miniatures), so I'm looking for other great stuff like that.

[LidlessEye]

Train scenery is often a good (and cost-effective) option for the early 20th century.  S-scale is closest, but you can get away with O-scale as well (the doors just look a little big at 28mm).

If you don't mind working with paper buildings, which can look excellent with some extra detailing, there's a program called Model Builder that lets you design and output at the correct scale: http://www.modeltrainsoftware.com/model-builder.html.  Their website has a bunch of pre-designed buildings, though of course you need the software to open and print them.

[necrocannibal]

Thanks, the only problem I still have is that I have no idea what type of buildings could be found in the 20s in rural areas, as I'm from the Netherlands (I do know what type of buildings were used in the 20s over here though).
So I found some nice terrain, would buildings like these be okay to use in a 20s Lovecraftian setting?

[Red Orc]

They all look fine to me. Certainly I don't think any of them look too out of place for 1920s rural New England, but my girlfriend (who's an architectural historian) tells me that stone wasn't much used around Massachusetts, most houses being built with wooden boards.

I think the bottom one is the closest to the typical house of the period - but as I say I'd be happy with any or all of them.

[Colonel Tubby]

I think the bottom one is the closest to the typical house of the period - but as I say I'd be happy with any or all of them.

I have to agree with Red Orc - any of them seem to fit the bill.

At the end of the day if you create the right sort of atmosphere on your gametable then go for the style of building you like most.

[LidlessEye]

Nice looking kits!  Have to agree that the stone two-story is a style you'd hardly ever find anywhere over here though.  In a rural setting (or even a small town), virtually everything will be wood.

I took a quick look around, and found a Boston area photographer that has a nice collection of town and country shots to give you an idea of what things look like: http://robkipp.com/

[Roebeast45]

Even into the 1920s you might find an occasional log cabin out in the country as well. Especially for a lone hermit like the fellow in The Picture in The House.

[HerbyF]

Those houses all look really nice. Who makes them?

[necrocannibal]

Thanks for the help. I've decided that I'm going to mainly go for wooden buildings.

Those houses all look really nice. Who makes them?

These are made by JR Miniatures and are supposed to be 25mm. I think that I'm going to buy one pretty soon (2-3 weeks or so) to see how big they are compared to some miniatures I have.

[Sheerluck Holmes]

Another option is to set your games in other countries - you could use WW2 European buildings for your own country.

 I have my games set in the U.K. and I either make my own or I can buy buildings designed for VBCW games.

[Red Orc]

I'm pretty sure that most of the Netherlands would be prey to Deep Ones wanting their land (sea) back... as well as Unspeakable Cults located on small Frisian islands, in the woods of Holland, and whatnot. Not to mention Dutch explorers bringing back endless idols of Blasphemous Gods from those trips to Indonesia and Suriname.

[Uncle Mike]

I make whatever I feel like...plenty of stone obelisks and hobo villages as well as the big cities, creepy cemeteries...pretty much any horror or period piece you can imagine should work fine. 

[Mason]

I make whatever I feel like...plenty of stone obelisks and hobo villages as well as the big cities, creepy cemeteries...pretty much any horror or period piece you can imagine should work fine. 

And so sayeth THE MAN!

[ZenWired]

Have to agree that the stone two-story is a style you'd hardly ever find anywhere over here though.  In a rural setting (or even a small town), virtually everything will be wood.

...and brick. You can find a lot of 18th and 19th century brick buildings, especially in the larger towns. Also, just because stone buildings are rare, don't rule them out. Many of your wealthier folks had large stone buildings, especially from the 1800's on. (Generally mansions and large houses built of flagstone and the like, not the smaller stone cottages as you'd find in Europe and the UK/Ireland. Your second pic from the top would be a fine example.)

 

[necrocannibal]

I've decided I'm going to use everything I like...I'm now looking for a good reason to buy Tabletop World's scenery...their Merchants house and Timbered House look great (a bit Mordheim styled, but then intact), but they look a bit too medieval...their graveyard I'm going to buy and use for sure. Maybe those medieval houses could fit in with some strange old village not on any maps or something like that.