At the start of the year I used the Paint What You Got Challenge as an opportunity to prepare for the first Rangers of Shadow Deep mission. This was mostly building, kitbashing and painting minis, but I did want to add to my terrain collection as well. I managed to finish five Nest Trees, but there were several other bits that weren't quite finished.
They were all built and painted by the end of March, but I couldn't decide how I wanted to base them. Long time readers of the blog will recognise this as a common fault in my hobbying, especially with regard to terrain.
Other things got in the way, of course, but I've just got around to finishing these three pieces.
Rocks
Many skirmish games benefit from cover, and rocks and boulders are one possibility (they are a big part of many Rangers of Shadow Deep scenarios). These were simple to make, just carved scraps of XPS textured with a ball of foil. I'm experimenting with different forms and colours, as I plan on making more of these. Each piece has a slightly different function in game;
Boulder This is the simplest; a big rock that provides cover and acts as an obstacle. The colour scheme is similar to the Tors, classic wargamers grey rock. This, and the tor, was designed to allow minis to be placed on the rocks.
Rock Tor This blocks line of sight or provides cover. It can be climbed over, and minis can be placed on it. The form and colour was loosely based on the gritstone formations found locally, though those tend to be darker, thanks to a couple of hundred years of industrial pollution.
Rock Spires These block line of sight and can't be crossed, at least by creatures limited to surface movement. I painted them a lighter sandy colour not so obvious on the photos, possibly influenced by vague memories of Bryce Canyon.
Back to Bases
For years I simply stuck terrain on to MDF, prior to that I used hardboard, which is even more prone to warping than MDF, and in the early years, just cardboard.
Fairly recently I discovered foam board (NOT the XPS sandwiched by thin card stuff). Waterproof, so it's much less likely to warp, and very easy to cut. This is now my basing material of choice, at least until I discover something better.
To texture, I used to use sand and paint, latterly with static grass and tufts to finish off. But this gives a fairly uninteresting result.
I've seen some great terrain and basing, for instance, this Middle Earth themed set from Microforge Minis; if I can achieve something like that, I'll be more than happy.
A lot of hobbyists use dried, baked soil, but round here this tends to be quite dark, almost black. To match my mini bases I want something more traditionally brown. I'd like to grab some of the lovely rich brown soils from the Vale of York, but so far I've not got round to it.
Failing that, I've been collecting dried tea leaves (loose tea*, as it has a nice granulated texture) and dried coffee grounds.
There are potential issues with using these; they can go mouldy, but I've dried and baked them thoroughly first, and I plan on sealing them well, so no additional moisture or air should contact them.
Fingers crossed, this should work.
The Answer's in the Soil
For my first try (the individual rock) I mixed up some brown grouting powder with dried tea and coffee in roughly 2:1:1 proportions. I found that the pale grout was by far the dominant colour, so mixed in a bit more of the coffee.
The base was given a coat of Mod Podge and the mix sprinkled over, making sure that everywhere was covered.
For the other two pieces I applied patches of tea and coffee to parts of the base; this bit of variety in colour and texture gives a much more interesting and realistic look. I then filled round with the grout and scattered some over the tea and coffee to blend them more into the ground.
Seal of Approval
Once the Mod Podge was well on the way to drying, I gave the base a spray of isopropanol. This helps break surface tension and allows the sealant to soak in to the ground texture.
The sealant is simply watered down Mod Podge, a 1:1 mix, though a bit more water won't harm. When I'm doing this stage with minis bases I just dollop it on with a brush, but on a larger bases like these, a dropper or syringe is much better, and doesn't disturb the carefully piled clumps of foliage in the second seal stage (see below).
Unlike just PVA glue, the Mod Podge contains a resin. It's this that I hope will protect the tea and coffee from moisture, as well as making sure that the texture stays on the base.
Green Fingers
With the soil firmly in place, I added some Fine Turf. I clumped this around the base of the rocks to look like low bushes. I also added some static grass in several different colours and lengths, and finally a few tufts (including some 'flowers').
The vegetation was then sealed in just like the ground texture.
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| Rangers explore the rocky borders of Alladore |
Finally
So that's three small pieces of terrain.
It might not look like much, but it's important because I've now got a method I'm happy with. I've several more pieces of terrain just waiting for basing, and plenty more that I want to build, such as the Bogel's Farm.
Now I can get these done and maybe, perhaps, end up with a box of terrain that I'm happy with.
*In this case Rington's Breakfast Tea, though of course other teas are available. It's very tasty though.
** Unless, of course, it all goes mouldy in a few months, in which case it's back to square one.
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