15mm WW2 - Why So Ugly?

[redzed]

Why is terrain usually so ugly at 15mm?

I see lots of really good one-off pieces that have been laboriously painted but then ruined by plonking it on a really ugly game-board.
People seem to spend ages painting their figures to achieve a pleasing and scale effect, only to ruin the look by using horrid looking and garish green trees, or spending a fortune on Tanks etc only to use blue crepe-paper as a river.

Pleas someone post some solid pics of a good looking table using 15mm figures.

[Captain Blood]

Pleas someone post some solid pics of a good looking table using 15mm figures.

Can't be done. Because 28mm is God's own true scale 

[Anatoli]

Here you go, a few hundred pics:

http://anatolisgameroom.blogspot.se/2013/09/chain-of-command-german-flank-attack.html

http://anatolisgameroom.blogspot.se/2013/08/victory-decision-poles-vs-soviets-1939.html

http://anatolisgameroom.blogspot.se/2013/07/polish-cavalry-regiment-vs-soviet.html

http://anatolisgameroom.blogspot.se/2012/06/north-africa-mega-battle-event-aar.html

http://anatolisgameroom.blogspot.se/2013/02/capturing-wilno-september-19th-1939-aar.html

[redzed]

that's the sort of thing I was looking for 
top post that man.

[Sangennaru]

I've been doing for Resina Planet some scenery, at the moment the project is freezed (but not stopped):

http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=49732.msg608088#msg608088

I agree, most of the 15mm tables are...approssimative. =(

[redzed]

wow, that's impressive

[Paddy649]

We play an annual 15mm Normandy mega-game at the Bovingdon show.  Hopefully we put as much effort into making it look good as we do making it historically accurate. 
This is our latest Grimbosq:  http://www.fireandfury.com/conventions/grimbosqaar.php
http://www.fireandfury.com/conventions/grimbosqaar.pdf

More After Action reports from other games from previous years:
http://www.fireandfury.com/conventions/carpiquetaar.pdf
http://www.fireandfury.com/conventions/bovington2012AAR.pdf
http://www.fireandfury.com/conventions/bovington2010.php
http://www.fireandfury.com/conventions/bovington2010aar.php
http://www.fireandfury.com/conventions/bovington2007/si01.jpg
http://www.fireandfury.com/conventions/bovington2006.php

Paddy

[NTM]

http://www.fat-wally.com/IABSM.html

http://toofatlardies.co.uk/blog/?p=622

http://toofatlardies.co.uk/blog/?p=568

http://toofatlardies.co.uk/blog/?p=527

http://brigadatripeira.blogspot.pt/2013/08/battlegroup-overlord-part-iii.html

http://www.guildwargamers.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=311&t=28022&p=304062&hilit=15mm#p304062

I think you get good and bad examples regardless of scale and you see more in 15mm as it's perhaps more 'visible' due to the high profile of FoW (and you see good and bad set ups in those games too)

[redzed]

great post Paddy  

and thanks NTM, some really nice stuff there 

[answer_is_42]

Do you have any examples of the poor terrain you meant? I can think of plenty of examples in 28mm too. 

[redzed]

Do you have any examples of the poor terrain you meant? I can think of plenty of examples in 28mm too. 

Examples? - the FOW forum   it was whilst looking at some really nice painted figures and vehicles that I was struck by how poor the terrain was in comparison. Very few of the pictures I saw too into account the 'scale effect', although ironically they did when they had painted their armies.

Also I was looking for fantastic 15mm pictures for my 'inspiration' folder.
There's lots of 28mm, some 20mm but hardly any 15mm, considering the popularity of 15mm I was trying to determine why.

..and yes, there's loads of poor 28mm terrain but there's also some amazing bits as well. I've yet to see a 15mm table that knocks my socks off, I've seen a few 6mm tables that are stunning and some 20mm awesomeness.
Yet 15mm still seems to lag behind and there isn't really any reason for it.

[Paddy649]

Thanks Red.

Thinking about why so ugly - is it because 15mm is more of a "gaming" scale rather than a "display game" scale?

I only do 15mm and have found that while my stuff may be better painted that corresponding 28mm stuff but it is so small that often the painting doesn't get recognised.  Its the same with the terrain.  Plus with 15mm you need far more terrain than in 28mm and can't get away with one or two signature pieces. 

That said at Bovvy this year we were in the same hall as V's 28mm stuff and so couldn't compete on terrain or figure painting.

Paddy

[redzed]

That said at Bovvy this year we were in the same hall as V's 28mm stuff and so couldn't compete on terrain or figure painting.

I remember your table now   it was really good.  There was also a 15mm Rhodisain table iirc.

I don't think it's so much the gaming scale, I think it's people not getting the scale effect right for 15mm terrain.
The 20mm guys have it down pat (although it helps that there's so much kit available), with 15mm a lot has to be made from scratch.
Perfect opportunity for a publisher to release a 1/100th How To book.

This a great example of what I'm trying to say-
It's a fairly straightforward set-up, but it's painted in such a way that it could be 20mm or 28mm rather than the 15mm which it is.
There isn't anything there which isn't in any of the FOW forum pictures, but because they've painted the terrain with the scale effect in mind it looks totally different. It loos like  a bit of countryside rather than a table with some garish terrain plonked on it.
And the roads go the edge of the table, I know it's not a biggie but the illusion looks so much better than roads which just end in the middle of nowhere (there only 6x4 tables, make a bit more road people  )


(rant mode OFF)

[meninobesta]

we usually organize a big FoW tournament in Portugal, the group takes some extra care in order to provide nice gaming tables to the participants, please take a look. Although some of the tables are set up with what we have available, others do have a lot of work done

https://plus.google.com/photos/109897520023440623582/albums/5602229738704562257?banner=pwa

[redzed]

that's a superb looking table and the link is also excellent


This LINK will take you to some amazing 6mm terrain. But right at the top is a link for a pdf on How To Make Terrain, applicable to any scale.