Flat gaming surfaces and non-integrated scenery question

[Vanvlak]

I have a storage problem - the only space I have for gaming surfaces is underground, damp, and thus very limiting.

I am considering constructing a modular board composed of 4-6 panels, but for the sake of storage I intend to keep these VERY flat. I can of course place buildings, tress etc. on them, but I usually find this approach less desirable than having scenery integral to the board surface, giving a blended, very much fixed-in-place look.
I can of course have a flat board with vehicles as the bits of scenery. But are there any other useful suggestions? I have tried based and unbased buildings, and am happy with neither.

[snitcythedog]

You are going to have to figure out how to trade off between you aesthetics (wanting a sculpted board) and what works for your storage space.  My solution is to base the terrain and paint it just like the board.  Here is an example. 

Basing the terrain in the same colors does not make the fact that it is modular disappear, but it can greatly mitigate the visual impact.  It is not a perfect solution but the effects can still be very effective.  Hope that helped. 
Snitchy sends.

[Vanvlak]

You are going to have to figure out how to trade off between you aesthetics (wanting a sculpted board) and what works for your storage space.  My solution is to base the terrain and paint it just like the board.  Here is an example. 

Basing the terrain in the same colors does not make the fact that it is modular disappear, but it can greatly mitigate the visual impact.  It is not a perfect solution but the effects can still be very effective.  Hope that helped. 
Snitchy sends.

It will probably be a question of considering pay-off.
The fence looks remarkably built-in; and is that an aqueduct on the left hand side?

Basing (pardon the pun!) on your recommendation, I wonder whether a grassy surface can be made as close to invisibly-seamed as possible.
Thanks. 

[AndrewBeasley]

I tried cutting into a thin layer of cork covering a whiteboard to get a flat board that scenery could sit in:



Main issue I had was cutting the cork close enough to the base as I do not have much luck with cork (in fact I would rather never use it but it was exactly the right thickness)...

Someone with decent motor skills should be able to do a better job 

I also slipped up and flocked them at different times with different mixes - that did not help either

[snitcythedog]

The fence looks remarkably built-in; and is that an aqueduct on the left hand side?

Basing (pardon the pun!) on your recommendation, I wonder whether a grassy surface can be made as close to invisibly-seamed as possible.
Thanks. 

The walls have a very thin base edge so it tends to visually blend in.  Yes that is an aqueduct.  Before I immigrated and sold my terrain I had six feet of it in 28mm.  Here is another shot of it. 

For me grass is a problem.  First of all if you place scatter terrain onto it, after prolonged use it crunches down and it damages the grass.  Secondly, I can never get the same effect on the terrain as the board for grass.  My solution is to texture and paint the base the same as the game board.  Then I use random patches of grass that tend to visually blend into each other.  One other thing that helps is covering the underside of your scatter terrain, buildings, etc with colored felt.  I use spray adhesive to attach it to the bottom and cut it to shape.  If it does not match the color of the board I use inks and acrylics on the felt to match it.  One nice thing that this does is it makes it so the terrain will not slid off the board or damage other surfaces.  Again it is a trade off but if storage is the issue then you have to find a good workaround.  Hope that gives you some ideas. 
Snitchy sends.

[AndrewBeasley]

...
For me grass is a problem.  First of all if you place scatter terrain onto it, after prolonged use it crunches down and it damages the grass.  Secondly, I can never get the same effect on the terrain as the board for grass...
Snitchy sends.

Same for me, I find more and more of my boards are just flock rather than grass or I glue the grass flat rather than vertical.

[FramFramson]

I've thought about doing fur mat for the sort of situation, but also went with flock, then I add tufts to terrain bits or have standalone separate patches of taller grass. It's not ideal, but it's workable.

I think that if I was doing boards instead of just using a mat, I'd have some boards which were properly flat to allow for placement of large terrain, and other flat boards which were more "natural", with grassy areas and rougher terrain.

[tin shed gamer]

It's not an easy one,Fake fur. work's if you trim the fur to different lengths.I personally am not a fan of the trend to cram as many different types of tuffs and grass on one base.I prefer to use a more nuteral earth brown base with a small number of static grass patches.Then use the same colours of brown on the base boards that way your eye is drawn to the grownd not the grass.For me the trick is to paint the fake fur first and take a sample to match your static grass too.
Theres no super fix to stop wear and tear on areas of static grass,Hair spray will slow it down and resist flattening.Less is more ,and repairs are easier.If I've a display game to do ,you can bet theres a bag of static grass and a bottle of super glue handy,and just out of sight.

[cacofold]

I would also suggest fake fur. That'll be tall enough to hide modular terrain edges and the fibers won't get flattened like static grass. For tips check out elladan.de as well as inspiration pictures.

As for modular tiles, wood will warp in a damp environment. I suggest the new secret weapon miniatures tiles when they come out in a week. They're gonna be pricier than build-your-own-solutions but will be damp proof and store very very flat. They won't be very good at blending modular terrain into the base of the board though, but no worse than wood.

[tin shed gamer]

I've just had another look at my post,and what I ment to say was A single figures base.A 28mm figure with half the amazon glued to it.
These bigger tufts are Ideal to help reduce the profile of the edge of the houses,hedges/trees etc you put on a table.If you slope the edges down to about 2mm and colour the same as earth tone of the board.If you leave only 1cm max of boarder on the detail scenery board,and slope down to the 2mm then add your larger tufts in random groups along the edges.You can lead the eye away from the harsh contrast between the base board and the detail.As I mentioned before colour matching is the key.
This will give a more natural feel,as longer grass tends to run along the edge of fields ,hedges,fences,buildings,etc.With woods run patches of longer grass/coconut mat,back amongst the trees it tends to blur the line between table and wood(also gives the feel of a bigger and thicker wood with less trees).

[frogimus]

Have you tried using bath towel material for the game surface? You could use it over the top of the cork you've cut out. Seams should tease to nearly invisible, and it won't wear/mat down like static grass. You could shave out paths and roadways, then turf. Spray paints and drybrushing could give variation.  Seams for hills could be cut away from the bottom of the slope - since the eye would expect to see them there, they would be less noticeable an inch or so away.

[Vanvlak]

Thanks for all the replies.
Just to clear one point, I am not storing the wood sections in the damp cellar - where I would alas have loads of space for large terrain pieces, but where they would not survive due to damp! I have less space outside the cellar, hence the conundrum of surfaces and removable scenery.

@snitcythedog - that aqueduct is grand, thanks for the pic.

@AndrewBeasley - interesting, could work for me I think - somehow the cut out bothers me less than an object placed on the surface.

@grass or fur supporters  - sounds good, and tin shed gamer - that IS very nice terrain there, which does not look detached.

[frogimus]

Maybe this video would be an option. It won't help integrate your scenic pieces as well, but would give you more board options in your space constraints.

[tin shed gamer]

  the fields are.Thats the point by letting the detail shade the board edge you don't see the join.

[Vanvlak]

the fields are.Thats the point by letting the detail shade the board edge you don't see the join.

Brilliant 
@Frogimus - thanks, looks better than I expected, as I am not a big fan of mats, which are two flat for my taste, but the texture here makes a big difference.