Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Had a bunch of friends over that I only get to see a couple of times a year so I decided to treat them to a brand new terrain board (Ok, it was also kind of due to needing more space for a 12,000 point, 6 player game, but whatever).

Took about 3 days to do in total, maybe 6 hours of actual work time (Drying takes forever for this stuff if you've ever done it before). Total cost of materials was about $35, so suprisingly cheap. Made up the trees on the board while waiting for things to dry and give it more of an organic, living feel.


Have a couple of more pieces that didn't quite get finished in time. If there's interest and I get a minute to sit down and finish them I'll post those as well.

The vast majority of the board has clear LOS board end to board end... Do you plan on placing down additional terrain pieces prior to the match or largely using the board as is? You have large open flat green spaces broken up with large open flat brown spaces and trees and rocks... I can see how hills and cliffs wouldn't really make sense in a swamp but how about a crashed/partially submerged swamp boat or maybe a little shack or something to add character? Alligators, snakes, and hanging vines would all add to its "swamp-iness." The other thing you might consider is replacing the Pine type trees with something that looks more like a Cypress:
http://duffydey.com/images/Sculpture/Professional_Museum_Sculpture/SaltwaterSwampTree_Detail.JPG

or

http://duffydey.com/images/Sculpture/Professional_Museum_Sculpture/SaltwaterSwampTree.JPG

Most swamps and marshes are home to tall grasses as well, maybe add some "tall grass" terrain:

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.jandcwaterworks.com/images/cord-grass.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.jandcwaterworks.com/most-desirable-plants.htm&usg=__MOUSynEWgQvtoTeJzi-g-2166Qk=&h=361&w=315&sz=121&hl=en&start=11&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=CVGghgCV68FDgM:&tbnh=121&tbnw=106&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dtall%2Bgrass%2Bswamp%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-USfficial%26tbs%3Disch:1

Of course your could always bring the pipeline/refinery look real strong but it kind of looks like your going for a more natural looking environment.

Anyways, it looks like you've already put a bunch of hours into it. I'd play on it for sure! What are the ponds filled with what look like wood shaving representing?

The terrain on there is actually just what hasn't been put away yet (they needed a final coat of highlights), we added some hills, rock formations, and a communications station to block a good bit of LOS when we used it - it definitely needs a few more "flavor-specific" pieces though.

The sawdust is actually a moss mat. That's what I'm using to represent the marsh grasses - I put them in the lower areas as a matter of practicality - the boards are stackable for storage.

You read my mind on the swamp shack - it's actually one of the pieces I have in progress. I also have a couple of deadfalls for LOS breaking, a cave, and I'd like to put in a ruined altar/temple (although that hasn't even been sketched out yet).

Pine trees are actually what we have in the swamps up here - white arbor vitae and cedar fill in a lot of our wetlands, along with aspens and birch. I guess I just thought immediatly to what I knew.

I like it alot, nice use of water effects.

Looks nice, but the colors seem too saturated for a swamp. I always think of swamps as grey, dark green, and brown places. A lot of that could be the lighting though.

1-UP wrote:Pine trees are actually what we have in the swamps up here - white arbor vitae and cedar fill in a lot of our wetlands, along with aspens and birch. I guess I just thought immediatly to what I knew.

I was writing that on my way out the office and on reflection I did a poor job communicating what I was thinking. Your right pine, cedar, and birch are common almost everywhere. Even cypress groves usually have pine mixed in with them. What I was getting at is that in general coniferous trees don't really lend themselves to the caricature of swamp lands. Think of it this way not every desert has a cactus and steer skull in it, but if you put them on your board people instantly think "Oh hey, a desert!" Same idea with cypress, alligators, rickety shacks, and half sunken shrimp trawlers they make people think "Oh hey, a swamp!"

Thats not to say you did it wrong or anything I was just offering my take on your sweet board.

I love the ruined altar/temple idea but you should take it even further and plan out a whole "swamp overtaking an abandoned city" look for a full quarter of the board. Moss and vines creeping in over broken dilapidated rebar reinforced concrete would look sweet as all get out. Plus it would be the perfect excuse to get that honored imperium terrain set from GW: http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/productDetail.jsp?catId=cat390003&prodId=prod630018a

1-UP wrote:The terrain on there is actually just what hasn't been put away yet (they needed a final coat of highlights), we added some hills, rock formations, and a communications station to block a good bit of LOS when we used it - it definitely needs a few more "flavor-specific" pieces though.

The sawdust is actually a moss mat. That's what I'm using to represent the marsh grasses - I put them in the lower areas as a matter of practicality - the boards are stackable for storage.

You read my mind on the swamp shack - it's actually one of the pieces I have in progress. I also have a couple of deadfalls for LOS breaking, a cave, and I'd like to put in a ruined altar/temple (although that hasn't even been sketched out yet).

Pine trees are actually what we have in the swamps up here - white arbor vitae and cedar fill in a lot of our wetlands, along with aspens and birch. I guess I just thought immediatly to what I knew.

Ha ha! moss mat! it thought you meant mark of slaanesh