World Works Games and/or Battle Systems?

[King Arthur]

Hi all!

I used to be a Warhammer player focusing on big tabletop battles, recently however my Son and I have been enjoying smaller skirmish and board games such as Zombicide Black Plague and the Walking Dead.

Having seen some play through vids on Youtube I noticed people were using some nifty looking scenery, from what I have gathered World Works Games is pretty popular and offers tons of options all be it a DIY job and Battle Systems offers a good selection of quality scenery.

Do any of you have any preferences, experiences and advice for one whom would be looking at their first venture into Card Scenery? I've read also that using Foam Core is a good option to give some substance to the structures?

Cheers

Gary

[Vampifan]

Hi, Gary. I use both and both have their pros and cons. WWG gives you loads more choice of buildings, especially if you want contemporary undamaged buildings. They can be built with or without interiors and furnishing. Obviously, if you want interior detail that will be a lot more time consuming. This is also their biggest drawback. they are very time consuming and labour intensive to make.
Battle Systems on the other hand is very quick to build (mere minutes) and can be just as easily disassembled, making it ideal if storage space is an issue. They also come with interior detail and furnishing. The only drawback I can see with their models is that they are designed for a post-apocalyptic world. So they have a more down-trodden and grungy look to them.
It is perfectly feasible to do as I do and mix and match both. Of the two, I would favour Battle Systems. But don't dismiss WWG or indeed Stoelzel's Structures who offer a similar product to WWG but which are meant to be reinforced with foam-board.
Best of luck with whatever you choose.

[King Arthur]

Hi, Gary. I use both and both have their pros and cons. WWG gives you loads more choice of buildings, especially if you want contemporary undamaged buildings. They can be built with or without interiors and furnishing. Obviously, if you want interior detail that will be a lot more time consuming. This is also their biggest drawback. they are very time consuming and labour intensive to make.
Battle Systems on the other hand is very quick to build (mere minutes) and can be just as easily disassembled, making it ideal if storage space is an issue. They also come with interior detail and furnishing. The only drawback I can see with their models is that they are designed for a post-apocalyptic world. So they have a more down-trodden and grungy look to them.
It is perfectly feasible to do as I do and mix and match both. Of the two, I would favour Battle Systems. But don't dismiss WWG or indeed Stoelzel's Structures who offer a similar product to WWG but which are meant to be reinforced with foam-board.
Best of luck with whatever you choose.

Thanks for the reply!

I was drawn to the WWG range as they offer the most depth, their road system in particular looks spectacular with the possibility to build a layered Motorway system! As we are planning to play Post Apocalyptic games the BS is fine but has a smaller range. As WWG is inexpensive I may download a set and try it out prior to any larger investments, as the base set from BS is 70 quid.

Also, do you use any Foam backings on WWG?

Thanks

Gary

[Vampifan]

For all of my WWG buildings, scenery and furniture items, I back them with artist's mounting card (roughly 1.5mm thick). This strengthens them considerably. Incidentally, this is what Battle Systems uses. However, for WWG, I use foam-board to back all of my ground tiles.

There is a load of stuff that I have made that you can check out on my blog. Just click on one of the pages listed at the top for Card Scenery and/or Card Vehicles. My current Judge Dredd batreps use a lot of Battle systems Terrain. here's a link - http://vampifansworldoftheundead.blogspot.co.uk/

I'd say that Stoelzel's Structures has far more to offer than WWG but both are worthy of support and I wouldn't dismiss either one. I agree that they are the cheaper option, but just be aware of how long it takes to make them.

[Sbloom141]

WWG and Stoelzel's Structures are superb tool sets; but don't underestimate how much work it is to build them and get them looking great, especially if you want them to look their full potential with interiors etc.

As someone who has lurked on Vampifan's blog for years I can honestly say that his stuff showcases the absolute best that cardstock/foam core can be for gaming, so definitely check it out.

The other advantage of PDF forms is that with some basic editing you can alter the kits to suit your needs.

I also have the Battlesystems Sci-Fi and Post Apocalyptic terrain sets, they are good but expensive compared to PDF stuff and definitely have a certain 'aesthetic' created by the tabs. That said, for a variable / quick layout, it's great stuff.

I would therefore recommend you do what I do and mix and match between some foam/card stock centrepieces and some Battlesystems to bulk out the table

[King Arthur]

Solid advice and tips Gents, thanks!

I've looked with envy  through Vampifan's blog! Some impressive builds in there! Did it really take weeks to build one building? How many hours per day did you dedicate? I'm planning on building a City 'Block' but if it takes a month per building 

The plan was to invest in these:

DOWNTOWN ABANDONED
http://www.worldworksgames.com/store/index.php?view=product&product=200

MAYHEM SERVICES
http://www.worldworksgames.com/store/index.php?view=product&product=191

MAYHEM ARMOURY
http://www.worldworksgames.com/store/index.php?view=product&product=99

MAYHEM STREETS OF LEGEND
http://www.worldworksgames.com/store/index.php?view=product&product=37

MAYHEM MEGAMALL
http://www.worldworksgames.com/store/index.php?view=product&product=30

Hopefully that's not 10 years worth of construction

Cheers

[Vampifan]

These are all good, solid choices, mate. Yes, building times can take weeks. I usually work two to three hours per day. The hardest building of all to make was the Mayhem Police Station, which took about a year to make! I put so much effort and work into that it eventually just wore me out. I had to take a big break during construction before I got my mojo back to complete it. But, having said that, the end result was well worth it and it's probably the building I am most proud of.

One thing to note is that when I make these buildings I always go the extra mile. So, all of my doors open and close, my windows are replaced by transparent paper, all white edges are painted and everything is reinforced with mounting card, which doubles the build time.

By the way, thank you for checking out my blog. I hope it will inspire you to make your own city block.

[King Arthur]

These are all good, solid choices, mate. Yes, building times can take weeks. I usually work two to three hours per day. The hardest building of all to make was the Mayhem Police Station, which took about a year to make! I put so much effort and work into that it eventually just wore me out. I had to take a big break during construction before I got my mojo back to complete it. But, having said that, the end result was well worth it and it's probably the building I am most proud of.

One thing to note is that when I make these buildings I always go the extra mile. So, all of my doors open and close, my windows are replaced by transparent paper, all white edges are painted and everything is reinforced with mounting card, which doubles the build time.

By the way, thank you for checking out my blog. I hope it will inspire you to make your own city block.

Yep, I read though tons of your material last night on you blog including all the extra effort you put in  It has inspired and motivated me no end! One thing I am blessed with is patience, since a young age I have been able to sit and loose myself in my hobby for days on end, so I'm looking forward to this exciting challenge and my Son is already asking when can we play!!!! Hahahaaaaa I told him perhaps not this weekend...... 

I have been looking online at some ready made components such as die cast vehicles which can be repainted and also Fenris Games has some lovely bits and pieces such Fire Hydrants, Waste/Garbage Bins, Riot blocks which will all help bring the streets into a Zombie Apocalypse setting 

Thanks again for all your tips and advice and I hope to share some stuff with you soon :-)

Cheers

Gary

[King Arthur]

I took the plunge and made a purchase  Even better now they have a 25% discount, I saved $16 on my purchase 

Here's what I got:



Happy days ahead!

[axabrax]

World Works stuff is a lot of work and a lot of printer ink to use. I have you have a lot of time in your hands, a lot of patience, and a lot of spare ink cartridges. I personally don't think the cost and time to results ratio is anywhere near worth it. The Battle Systems stuff is a much better option in my opinion although it can take quite a lot of time to set up for a big table.

[wellender]

I have some World Works.  I only ever built the gas station though.  I just started the Stoetzel's Structure Pub.  I like these alot.  It is much easier to work with the foamcore than the cardstock in my opinion.

I also have Battle Systems.  What I like about that is it all stores in a small container and is easily transportable.  I'd love to see them come out with and undamaged set for the modern range.

A third option for you might be MDF buildings.  Sarissa, TT Combat, 4 Ground, and Multiverse Games all have great options for urban and suburban buildings.

[Sbloom141]

The printer ink is quite a problem actually. If you work somewhere where they won't mind you using a few colour pages then it's not so bad, but if you're funding it all yourself it can get expensive!

[Cherno]

I have an extensive collection of WWG sets and a couple of small models from Dave Graffam.

WWG is on the high-end spectrum in regards to both visual quality and complexity. You end up putting a lot of time into it but you get amazing results and a very flexible system with TerrainLinX. However, for my tastes it has some serious drawbacks. The anchorpoints on the tiles detract from the overall visual quality and larger structures can be very unstable. and it takes a long time to assemble a whole table. It's theoretically possible to build buildings with multiple stories and lift them up when players enter, but in reality I found that it's just not stable enough if a floor has more than one room.

For games that don't have characters entering buildings, the SwiftScenics line is an excellent choice.

The best thing about WWG, however, is that it offers extreme adaptability if you want to create or modify models. I have made templates of their SwiftScenics and TLX systema (the TLX stairs are the best of all paper model suppliers!) and created tons new elements with them, sometimes even using textures from other manufactuers. For example, I made a TLX-style barn by putting the textures from Dave Graffam's barn building into my TLX template. I also made a bunch of middle eastern-style buildings without interiors by modifying the SwiftScenics system, and added TLX stairs with custom textures. So if you can find your way around Photoshop or similar, at least get a few core sets.

The Dave Graffam models are excellent value for their prices, with high quality art and multiple designs for most sets, easily selectable from the PDF file viewer. They are easy to build and can also easily be modified to add interior textures.

For Zombicide: Black Plague, I came across this cool 3d-printed system:

http://itsartinpart.weebly.com/fast-fab-3d-terrain.html

[King Arthur]

Thanks again guys for all the comments and shared experiences! I am under no illusion that work, time and money needs to be put in, but that's part and parcel of the hobby  

The vision and the game I intend to create will be worth the venture, as will the time spent with my son building and playing it  

Has anyone who's built a WWG set used other brands accessories, such as diecast cars, scenery such as benches, lamp posts etc? If so are you using 1:48 scale models?

Cheers

Gary

PS: Cherno, yes, that scenery used on ZBP is sold by a guy based in Brazil, if I recall the set for Black Plague and Wulfsburg is circa $130

[Vampifan]

Has anyone who's built a WWG set used other brands accessories, such as diecast cars, scenery such as benches, lamp posts etc? If so are you using 1:48 scale models?

This is something I do all the time. I use stuff from a wide range of sources and companies. If it looks right, I'll use it. Plastic, resin, metal or card are all worthy of consideration. Don't make the mistake of thinking that if your buildings and terrain are card products then everything on your game board has to be card. That's not so. 1/48th scale models do work well with 28mm scale figures but so do slightly smaller scaled stuff like 1/56th scale, for example.