hey all,

So, my wife and I have been discussing different play areas and, as we will likely be playing at home more than at a store, we would like different terrains that we are able to store when not in use.

We have a perfect sized dining room table to play 6x3' games and have been thinking of making multiple 3x3' boards that we can line up (again, purely for ease of storage) and choose to either play a 'demo game' or go for the full 800 point list. and was curious what the community would recommend using. I got a 3x4' cardboard fold out from Hobby Lobby that is pretty good but was wondering what other people were using as the basis to build their terrain?

thanks in advance!

I am also curious of this. I just bought 2 big sheets of felt to tacky spray onto 3 2’x4’ sections of mdf and I’m curious on how to base some terrain for the boards I’m building.

You can use some plywood/hardboard like this and cut to size. Additionally, if you feel confident with some simple painting techniques you can make a decent multi-purpose double sided set of boards. That video is good enough to show you how to make a mottled effect with multiple colors and a natural sponge.

For myself, I bought some wool/felt from fabric store that had natural looking color variation and there was a variety of colors that could double for desert, grass-lands and artic/stony terrain. I plan on making some elementary 3D terrain/obstacles that will help bring it to life.

Either is easy to store.

It's not hard or expensive. It just takes a little inspiration and imagination.

I've made two mats, because like you I value portability/storage, as well as the ability to change scenery. They roll up in easy to store shipping tubes. The cost is minimal, and the time and expertise needed is as well. I understand people not wanting to mess with all that stuff but it's definitely an option.

Oh hey! I just came across this video with PDF instructions.

Hope it helps out.

4 hours ago, Big Easy said:

I've made two mats, because like you I value portability/storage, as well as the ability to change scenery. They roll up in easy to store shipping tubes. The cost is minimal, and the time and expertise needed is as well. I understand people not wanting to mess with all that stuff but it's definitely an option.

the Terrain tutor is a good source of terrain making tips too.

I've got one of the older GW cloth backed grass mats that I mainly use for games at home with some of the tables I have that are big enough to spread it out on.

For smaller games, I'm probably going to be using the 2'x2' and 3'x3' boards I've made using picture frames.

If you want an easier thing that you can assemble, get some of the 1' square tiles from the hardware store. Some of them look pretty much like a sandstone or desert ground with a bit of work such as a wash or other things added to it, some even work for stonework or just exposed stone. Take those and get some nicer plywood squares that match it in size and mount it in place. The designs work decently up against each other and you have a consistent size tile to work with and very little work to make them...only real work is to optionally get a good, heavy prime/paint/seal to cover the rest of the wood...I've got access to a laser cutter/etcher which I've cut them out with, then sprayed them down with a outdoor one coat spray before mounting the tile and then attaching a felt backing to it that I gave to a friend over christmas

I've considered doing a slightly more involved set where I'd use a filler primer, then a high gloss black on the upper side, and then try for a glass coat ontop of that in order to try for the imperial flooring style with the reflective surface and all.

I also did the terrain tutor's brown/sandy/snow white acrylic caulk over linen/calico to get a 6x3 mat which rolls up nicely for easy storage. Came to £24, much better than the £60 ready-made Ines I've seen- and cheaper! The Hoth one I'm making next will be £18, because white putty is cheaper still.

https://imgur.com/7a7UTF6

I generally prefer to throw money at the problem. You can buy a vinyl specialty made battle mat for $50-$100. They work fine. Yes, it’s more expensive than DIY - if you exclude time, tools and supply costs. But ultimately I would recommend making the decision based on what you enjoy. I’m at about my hobbycraft limit just painting minis right now. So working on a bttlemat is not my priority.

I have used the foamcore display board you linked to for X-Wing, although I generally put a mousepad style FFG mat (3x3) on top of it. FFG has several 3x3 mats for Runewars that are generic enough to use for Legion. Alternatively, you can get a cheap tablecloth, or just some felt cut to size at the Hobby Lobby (or similar retailer) depending on your standard for immersion.

Beyond the mat, terrain is a bit harder. TableTop Oddity has some good YouTube tutorials that offer suggestions on “cheap and easy” terrain. Plenty of others on YouTube as well. Whether you like these depends on your definition of cheap or easy and again your requirements for immersion compared to your time and artistic skill. I have been working on a combination of homemade trees and hills using a hot foam cutter, insulation foam, paper towel rolls and poster tubes and a rock I found in the yard etc. combined with terrain pieces from Battle Kiwi. When I get home maybe I will try to post a pic. The homemade terrain ranges from meh to pretty awesome but is directly proportional to time and effort spent. The BattleKiwi stuff is expensive and also requires some time to glue together but looks very good on the table.

Again, the DIY stuff is cheaper but I have bought $100s of dollars worth of supplies and tools and paint in order to make it. Looking at the hours spent, I would not try to convince anyone that it is “worth it” to DIY unless you expect to enjoy the crafting experience.