Work on the terrain ( part 2 )

The one thing the table is going to need is plenty of woods, this has led us to develop more detailed woodlands for the table but still with the ability to be auctioned off as usable terrain at the end of the day. Normally when working on a commission layout the trees e.t.c. would be an integral part of the terrain and not free standing elements as such.

The first thing worked on was developing a larger base board that would be adaptable to varying shapes, more for use after the event.

So after a few initial ideas we decided to knock up some templates. A couple of shorter wide ones that interlock and a couple of narrow but long versions. These have been textured and dry brushed up. Both of these sets will cover approx 19 inches x 12 inches each so a a good size for 28mm games.

Next up was to work on more manoeuvrable tree stands, you will have seen how I would normally do trees and woodlands on my own blog. However for a demonstration game those would not be as practical to use.
We worked out a suitable area we would need for a good show of trees and then knocked up a set of templates and cut the bases out.

I like the aesthetic look of odd numbers on a base and we settled on three per stand and 5 stands per pair of boards. this gives 15 trees to fill the space. Also we created a stand of scatter terrain to throw in if wanted.

One of the prototypes laid out for use. there are some finishing touches needed yet to complete the look fully and that will feature in another post.

A few miniatures dropped on to check the scaling of these, we have gone for a good mix of sizes and types of trees. They should make a good representation of the type of woodlands in the area. We are certainly going to be using a lot of armatures on this project, with approx 100 trees being needed.

Work on the terrain (part 1)

We have started to design the tables for this venture. The initial thing to do when starting a project is to look at maps and images that you can get hold of. In this case its a little harder as there is not to many of them available for this battle.  However Mike found one and sent it through to me.

From this we then need to identify the area of the main battle and take this as the base to work from.

With the area selected, we need work out our table size.

We use a graphic package and overlay a grid to see how this relates on the ground using our desired table size which for the demo game will be 8ft x 6ft.

We then adapt the map to make it more war game friendly, in this case we cleaned the image of units and adjusted the forest area a little. This will allow a little more movement room around the table perimeter ( for flanking). Further adjustments will be made as we start construction of the table, the river on the table edge will end up being 6 to 8 inches wide. The main issue in construction will be the usability of the table after the event and when we raffle or sell them off.

We have settled on making 8 (3ft x 2ft) sections, This will give us 4 tables after the event each (4ft x 3ft) by bolting two sections together. This will make them easily transportable and easy for the winners to take them home. We still have some decisions to make regarding the overall finish of the woodlands possibly the most costly part of this build considering the number of trees we will need.

I will use the blog to document the build throughout the course of this project so stay tuned for more work in progress updates.

Terrain Build and Miniatures Fully Sponsored

We have a sponsor for the terrain build.

As some of you may be aware I am a senior partner in a terrain company and as such have negotiated to cover the terrain build, paying any relevant costs as necessary. I have done this so we can raise as much as possible for the two charities and not have to cover large expenses. Don't let this stop you from donating to our fund though (see the donate button on the right) as it means much more will go directly to the charities. Please take a moment to click the link above and visit the site to see examples of the quality of work that can be expected.

I am also pleased to announce that all the miniatures for this project are being given freely by Andrew at AW Miniatures for this project. A most generous gift indeed . So please take a moment to visit his site and check out his French Indian wars Ranges for yourselves.

                                                                                                                                                          

Andrew will also be sculpting more miniatures to complement his existing ranges and specifically for us to complete the project as well.

Finally I would like to Thank each and everyone of you who have kindly donated to this project already, we are all really pleased at the level of generosity and offers of help we have received since we started this venture.