A question on gaming surfaces for supers

[Vanvlak]

I am a hopeless newb at the supers business, so I hope I'm allowed what could be a dumb question: how important is terrain, in particular high buildings or structures and cover, in superhero games?
I am asking as I am considering making a dedicated board, which (for storage) would ideally be very flat, and as I usually prefer scenery to be integral to a board this would add up to a battle in a desert or plain or snowfield.

Thanks in advance.

[NurgleHH]

My Idea was always to make a roof of a house. ot is flat, I think

[black hat miniatures]

I like the idea of rootftops - Ainsty do a range that lets you model rooftops to fight over:

http://ainstycastings.co.uk/index.php/cPath/50/

Mike

[marcusluis]

Just read some comic books or watch some sperhero movies, plenty of inspiration there..

1.undergrond base
2.city park
3.underground car park
 
Just use what terrain you have it can be anywhere!!

[Hat Guy]

I've played games on city tables:


Pirate islands:


Board game tiles:


Science Fiction industrial areas:


Also, wooded parks, Victorian city-scapes and WWII battlefields.

I wouldn't worry too much about line-of-sight, just have some terrain that can be hidden behind and some that can be picked up and thrown and you should be fine.

[Cosmotiger]

Some of the paper terrain makers like WorldWorks sell printable urban buildings that are designed to fold flat for storage.

[NurgleHH]

I like the idea of rootftops - Ainsty do a range that lets you model rooftops to fight over:

http://ainstycastings.co.uk/index.php/cPath/50/

Mike

Mike,
I know it. Saw them first and after this I had this idea. Do you have some more significant pictures of the ainsty-stuff??

[Vanvlak]

Thanks guys - what I am uncertain about is whether you can have a game with very little scenery (due to storage).

I have to say I love the block roof idea 

[Siygess]

For the gaming surface I would recommend either the Deadzone mat or the T-Junction mat from Mars Attacks (both from Mantic). These measure 2ft x 2ft.

As for the terrain itself, there are lots of options depending on your budget but I would also have to recommend WorldWordsGames, in particular the Swift Scenics line if you want to fill up your gaming surface with lots of buildings and you aren't worried about interiors, or their Mayhem series if you are. You can then add a little scatter terrain in the form of dumpsters, park benches, computer terminals etc and Ainsty is definitely a good place to get that sort of thing.

[Cosmotiger]

I must say that modeling only the rooftops is a great idea for supers that had never occured to me.

[styx]

Really, any surface can be used for supers gaming. I always suggest if possible to invest in something that could perhaps find use in other games also.

For me my primary table is going to be the Games and Gears Hawk Board, has city streets, in 2x2 sections that clip together for a 4x6 table or I can make smaller tables. I plan to build and buy some MDF scenery to add to it. I also have other surfaces like a winter and green gaming mat also so I an always run games in outdoor places also....

Many of the ideas above are great also....I have even seen one guy in a sci-fi game use a 3 plastic drawer storage item and sprayed the drawers silver and made scenery to match to be a spaceship interior with airlocks going from one drawer to another...smaller rooms was created with kitchen storage (plastic) that you would put spoons and such in....worked well and everything stores up into a single box. This could work for a super hero base or villains lair as well...

I think that is why I like this genre the best is it is so easy to do so much with it!

[obsidian3d]

WorldWorks games makes some good paper buildings that you could use. I think it's their "Swift Scenics" line. You can print them on card and build the basic structures. If you don't glue them to bases you can collapse them for storage afterwards. I build some solid structures and they do take up some space, so I'm thinking I'll be making the next batch collapsable myself. They don't look quite as nice on the table, but it's still a cost and space effective way to get buildings for city battles.