What shall I do?

[Prof.Witchheimer]

I have a problem. Don't know what to do. Don't get me wrong, I'm really a busy lad and my time is very rare but that's exactly the reason why I need your advice. But at first I'd like to go back a bit and introduce you to my "problem"

I'm a really long time in that "miniature business". I have painted thousands of miniatures and played hunderts of games.  And that was always the same, sudden inspiration, sudden shopping, painting up to the 30-40% of bought stuff, putting it to the web site, now and then some games with the minis. And another sudden inspiration.  And more miniatures, more painting, more HTML pages, more gaming. Actually sounds like heaven. I call it "cycle of lead in nature". It's fun but you know, it is human nature to be unsatisfied.

OK, what’s the problem? Did you get it? There are miniatures, there is painting and gaming but no...building! Yes, no building. Easy, isn't it? Terrain/houses/things/etc. building! In my entire wargaming career I've built only three things, two mortheim ruines and an fantasy entrance:

http://www.witchhunter.net/terrain_01.html
http://www.witchhunter.net/terrain_03.html
http://www.witchhunter.net/images/terrain/terrain_fantasy_entrance.jpg

Yeah, three self-made things and no one table after all the years. A damning indictment, I'd say. Since a while I have thoughts about the changing of my usual way to make wargaming. And after seeing all that projects of Father Grimm and Prophet Matakishi and all that crushing Tactica pics I've decided to turn my direction and to begin a new life. A life full of  great projects which consist not only  of painting some puppies but also of building the houses for the puppies and a table for the houses. How hammershield used to say: “One day I'll show them all”

Good. I’m a new guy now. New guys need new beginnings. And a new beginning is hard. Suddenly I have millions of ideas for my first “mega-super-big-absolutely-stunning” table project. Pulp, Pirates, Back of Beyond, Gangsters, Africa, WW1, WW2, Naval, Sci-Fi and so on…Even I have thought about to make an Assyrian table but gave it up because too many minis to paint and I don’t want to paint too many minis, I just do want to make some buildings. I have enough painted minis.

To cut long story short. I need ideas. What table shall I do? I ‘m happy to hear everything you’d like to say, no matter how mad the idea is. I'm in the looking and maybe you can give me the right hint. I don’t promise to use anything of your ideas but I promise to think about :-)

[The_Wisecrack]

well i think you should (considering your other works look amazin) make an aztec village of sortsbecause this would fit in with many of your games you play. and would also be quite a challenge . depending on what you want to make with it. it would give you a goood way to try out loadsa things. e.g. forest making wayter effects building effective stone methods.; and maybe even some new sculpting. im kind of babbling. but yeh thats my oppinion.

[muppetman]

sod it, get some cork, make a city

[twrchtrwyth]

How about a desert landscape, could be used for Sudan, The Mummy pulp games, might get away with using it as a wild west desert and Assyrian historical games. :

[muppetman]

the thing is prof, your going to get hundreds of posts on this,all telling you to do somthing diffrent. you may be better off taking a step back mybe looking around at what other dudes are doing(old stuff and new) and just letting it hit you, coz it will, it just come out of the blue....

but what do i know, i'm a muppet.

[Rhoderic]

Man, I wish I had your problems

My suggestion will obviously be biased towards my own interests at the moment, but here goes: Go with the Assyrian thing, only with a swords-and-sorcery twist. Grim heroes fighting their way up the steps of a Ziggurat, past throngs of Assyrian(-ish) guards and sorcerer's accolytes. In REH's Hyboria, the Mesopotamian empires are represented by eastern Shem.

EDIT: I mean western Shem of course! Eastern Shem is bedouins, berbers and such.

[Westfalia Chris]

Good thing the "Frankfurter Schule" isn´t reading this, so I may suggest my favourite aspect:

Flexibility.

Most of your figures are, IIRC, based in that classic "Foundry Light Sand and Grass" style. So I´d start out with a playing surface in that style, with some simple terrain features integrated, such as gentle slopes, maybe a river and a pathway or two.

And once that´s done (maybe 4x4ft for starters), just look at it and listen what it wants you to place on it.

I really like that "Aztec buildings" suggestions, although I´d go for a more generic "mesoamerican" approach. I recall you´ve got some Grimm jungle pieces? Those should go fine with it. And stepped pyramids are easy to construct, but produce wonderful results when done with a level of talent such as yours.

[Hammers]

To be honest, Prof, this is really a surprise to me. I cannot imagine that I am the only one saying that you have been the positive trigger to a lot people when it comes to, gaming, paintning, displaying, concocting stories (I am thinging how you display your africans) etc., etc.,etc., etc.,etc., etc.,etc., etc.,etc., etc.,

But i *think* I know what you are saying about reaching way's end. I have not had the prob in a while but my solution has foremerly always been "dig where you stand". I am not sure if this is a Swedish expression, but I am *sure* it is a universal truth.

The point is to go back the core of who you are, what you inspries you, what you like. Re-read your childhood favorites (Jules Verne, Carl May, John Bauer, Kalevala or whatever) and let that reinspire you.

This is at least how I do it and, I know this will appear pretentious to some, but I think the way to add those extra glaces of inspiratiation?, unusualness?, singularity? is to use a bit of intellect to what you are doing. Not that you are not already doing that, IMO, but I could not tell if you have this perspective on it.

[Plynkes]

I'm not in a position to comment, really. I couldn't ever see myself with an urge to terrain-build. I hate it. It holds no interest for me. I like painting little men, not being a miniature architect. If I can't get what I need from Grand Manner, Hovels or ESLO, I put in a call to my man Grimm (he's very good, you know).

Like Hammers, I too would just like to say how much of an inspiration Alex (along with some of the other luminaries here) is to me to try and be better. In fact I would go so far as to say I have been trying to ape his style of late in my own lazy, bumbling way, at first not consciously, but now I think I can admit it to myself.

Also, following his and Hammers' examples, I'm thinking of forming my own LAF 'club', though I don't want to say too much at the minute, as it will probably just remain a pipe-dream.

Anyway, back on topic: Build some Great War aerodromes, and then give them to me.

[Lowtardog]

Good thing the "Frankfurter Schule" isn´t reading this, so I may suggest my favourite aspect:

Flexibility.

Most of your figures are, IIRC, based in that classic "Foundry Light Sand and Grass" style. So I´d start out with a playing surface in that style, with some simple terrain features integrated, such as gentle slopes, maybe a river and a pathway or two.

And once that´s done (maybe 4x4ft for starters), just look at it and listen what it wants you to place on it.

I really like that "Aztec buildings" suggestions, although I´d go for a more generic "mesoamerican" approach. I recall you´ve got some Grimm jungle pieces? Those should go fine with it. And stepped pyramids are easy to construct, but produce wonderful results when done with a level of talent such as yours.

To add to this build some generic Adobe buildings they are the most versatile for gaming whether South africa, Africa, mexico you can use them for swash buckling, colonial, wild west or Pulp quite easy to make too once you have a template or two (check out Matakishi the master for this)

[matakishi]

I agree with Hammershield, you have been an inspiration to many, myself included, and it's unthinkable that you should be bereft of ideas.
Pick some setting you already have miniatures for and build that. Start with a basic playing surface and make some smallish buildings/scenic items for it.
later, if you feel the need, you can do a fully sculpted setting but by them you'll have a clearer idea of what you can do and what you want to do.

Or, alternatively, buy some cork and build a city  ::  ::

[PeteMurray]

Of course Alex is inspiring, but it's very gratifying to hear that he considers himself a novice at something.  

I think you should build old Singapore, before it got high-tech and 2000AD on us. The Singapore of Chinese and Western pirates, of expatriates and gun runners, of smugglers looking to unload quickly, with its wharfside opium dens, warehouses, ladies of negotiable affection, money changers, mah-jong parlors, and the crazy mix of Western and Eastern architecture.

It would compliment both your pirates and your Back of Beyond/Pulp approaches. Done properly, you could use it to teach yourself how to use all kinds of material and techniques to build. The more haphazard and crazy and crowded it gets, the more it will look like Singapore. And when it was done, you could immediately game on it.

I have faith you can pull this off. No, I have faith you will pull this off in superlative fashion, and once again we will all say: Such Teutonic Efficiency!

[Helen]

Hi Alex,

We are so humbled by the man who is the 'King of Kings' of everything that oozes adventure:o

I really can't comment either like Poly I either had them made or bought and made, but I've kept it to a generic theme as I must consider space. The Gallipoli game we all got together and made the terrain needed for the convention and afterwards we had drinks and a BBQ.

Its lovely to see such postive and supporting responses from your forum pals.

Firstly, do you wish for your table to be portable? Whether its for the home or for transiting between a friends place or convention size has to be a consideration.

Are you looking at a generic setting that you can fit all your minis into your adventures on the tabletop?

The Aztec building suggestion is a good idea as it polarises what adventure is all about. So many B grade movies that have this sort of building theme, whether Tarzan adventures both in Africa and South America, Congo, Stargate, Phantom or even in the artic - Predator Vs Alien

Just a thought and one I know you will excel at

God Bless.

Helen

[Vanvlak]

It's all been said prof, so although I do not know you as well as most of the people here, I know that it will be a stunner.
I think you need to decide whether it's generic or specific - and I need to read other posts in full  before typing, as I know see Helen has suggested the very same thing - well at least I caught myself on time; and will now agree with Helen, and will not go on to mention portability etc.

Anyway - if you go for a specific table - well, look back at all the projects you've finished (ok, that may take some time.....) and then forget your choice and see what sort of scenery you'd really have fun making. And build it.
If I can suggest a topic, though, I'd say your Africans certainly deserve - ummm - King Solomon's mines? A hidden city?

[Col.Stone]

A few adobe buildings is a good way to get started imho
or maybe a secret base style board, (SG1 base or fallout vault styled) modular with corridors and control rooms etc