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DO_NOT leave this thread without giving me some input. I really, really, really need to help here.

All my chaos projects are on hold until this gets started.... I have decided to begin the unthinkable. A table-top themed to an Imperial Cruiser (maybe chaos fallen, because I am chaos after-all...) - sort of...

in Apocalypse Reloaded we have the Ork Space Cruiser so I had a genius idea... a little game I'm going to call "Breach", which runs off 40K rules. What I come to you today is material suggestion however, I will post up actual play rules at a later date (its mostly unit restrictions... and how to get from one ship level to another)

The table consists of a few 'important' parts...

First off "The Breach" which will be consisting of several important pieces. A breached hanger doorway, a wide open floor, and city-of-death like terrain along edges and exterior to keep the Gothic-cathedral star ship of death theme. This is where one side deploys his units. I'm thinking of 2 feet by 3 feet so its transportable... large enough for a sizable force to deploy... and not to big... and debri from the breach.

Second off "The Doors & Layers" - each "level" will consist of modular hall-ways, rooms, etc (or solid designs in some cases) like Space Hulk. Connecting these layers are colored/numerical doors... EG: Red DoorA1 connected to Red DoorA2 in the 'breach' - it acts like a door on a bunker, any units going through MUST go through this spot, not around, and it goes to elsewhere on the table. A separate 'table' so to speak, same game though.

Third off "Objectives" - things like (cannon breeches/interior equipment only, sadly) lance batteries, etc. These are what can count as objectives if the game is played with slightly controlled rules.

Pretty much this will play like a small city of death table, mixed with space hulk terrain using normal 40K combat...

Close, and dirty, and complex. Combat will be very rapid in this I can imagine, it will not be nice when 30 gaunts meet two cadian flamers in a hallway.... or 15 bloodclaws meet up with a squad of eldar! Thats the point though, bring something "different" yet "40k"... so people's armies can still be used, without using TOO special of a rule-set (like kill-teams or space hulk or w/e)...

So what I need from everyone is NOT comments on how this will play - but how to build the corridors! I intend to use hardware supplies and scratch build it, I do not want to use molds or kits - they are to repetitive after a while. What hardware will work best? Any plasti-card specialty items anyone may recommend? Should I increase some of the sizes for the breach area?

When I get a general idea of the resources I need to build from, I will post up my schematics and designs as a blog elsewhere, and specialty-play rule set (optional, as I intended this to be 40k play-table)

Fist off avoid plasticard and other "hobby" materials, they are far too expensive, you will run out of budget real fast.

Try to find as much as you can at Lowes or Homedepot.

Lookup photos of the inside of real naval vessels and or powerplants, google image search is your friend. Save these photos, print them maybe.

Get comfortable with the various forms of rivet-making, oh and look for something called the pegasus hobbies chemical plant or refinery, I cant remember. It's supposed to be great.

NO_SUCH_LUCK wrote:Fist off avoid plasticard and other "hobby" materials, they are far too expensive, you will run out of budget real fast.

Try to find as much as you can at Lowes or Homedepot.

Lookup photos of the inside of real naval vessels and or powerplants, google image search is your friend. Save these photos, print them maybe.

Get comfortable with the various forms of rivet-making, oh and look for something called the pegasus hobbies chemical plant or refinery, I cant remember. It's supposed to be great.

Thank you. I already have about 50 sheets of varying levels of plasticard. Should be enough to supply any minor details for computer terminals and the likes, not the hallways.

As for the pg hobby chem plant, local store has loads of that + those awesome gothic buildics, forgot the company...

Foam core is your friend for structure.

You may also want to check out the hirst arts molds. A few of them and some plaster and you could be in business for bulk heads and even textured flooring.

www.hirstarts.com

-Ashurm

My suggestion would be to make a lot of small terrain that is transferable between the ship corridors. Its not cityfight without tons of debris, rubble, ruins, crates, hulks, etc lying around! As for the corridors themselves the only thing I can think of at present is mesh grating, put it on all the floors to really give it that sci-fi ship feel.

I was thinking foam core too, maybe in the 1/4 inch variety. Light, easy to cut, and strong. Maybe cut some MDF as the base for strength.

Remember plenty of round-wound guitar strings for exposed conduits.

Modular 1 (foot) x 1 (foot) x 4" pieces of terrain Mounted on Foamcore / Insulation (pinkstuff).

You can build them individually, and because they're modular, you can re-arrange them at will.

Some are "L"'s of walls for rooms / corners, others are Corridors & some are doorways. you can build your "Breach" as a 2'x1'x8" volume to give it a real "feel".

Use Registration pins that are in "common points" (like all walls are at least 1" in from the corner) to allow stacking & keeping things aligned (so you can put minis on them).

Bonus is you can play on variable sized boards as you build your terrain.

cutting repeatable 1' blocks of Pinkstuff will be your hardest problem, there was a guy who made a Hot-wire cutter (think ScrollSaw) with a fence on the PP boards, but I can't find it at the moment.

If you have the tools, I’d actually recommend balsa wood. It’s a little more durable than foam core but a little more expensive.

Yard sale carrier models for bits and interior deck peices?

Firstly, your mad.... brilliant, but mad.

Secondly, Forgeworld already did some pretty good "Corredor Fighting" rules, Anphelian Project, which could help you out.

As for how to build the thing.... I'd agree with the Hirst Arts moulds, try these http://www.hirstarts.com/molds/molds4.html

Other then that, 6mm MDF over Foam Core much more solid and durable, but harder to work.

Invest in a scroll saw.

I'd go with 2ftx1ft sections, built interchangable with "Key Points" ie made on 1 inch grid so they will line up!

Would LOVE to see pictures if you get anywhere!

For a smaller sized ship, you could think about mounting it on an ironing board.

OK first of all WANT NEED MUST SEE PICTURES
Secondly there was a GW built board for the 13th Black Crusade which may be worth looking at. Also the Necromunda bulkheads will probably be your friend.......

I remember a thread on some Germans who made a 3d space hulk set with resin parts for which they made latex model sections, complete with floors and walls.

Just to be clear if you want to make a whole 40K cruiser for 40k scale you will need to convert a real ship. Those things are BIG.

You should make the ship to scale. The whole ship. Should only be a few hundred feet long...

Hirst Arts is good stuff, I recommend it. Another good plan for ideas is to look to sci-fi movies for dank and dirty corridor types such as Aliens. It's all about making it look evil.

Yep Hirst Arts has some cool stuff, foam core, MDF, and cannabalizre old toys. Sounds fun and a good idea.

Just make like an orc and find something that looks cool, smash it up and make it into "sumtin betta"!
No, seriously though, foamcore,plasticard, and hobby lobby are probably going to be your best friends on this. Good Luck!

Thin MDF would also be useful as a base and as some walls to add rigidity.

Detailing with get plasticard and cool packaging and plumbing parts etc.