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Hello all. First P&M Blog.

I started working on a modular trench system about a year ago. Got a good start, planned the whole thing, and then life got in the way. I found it all in our recent move, and now I'm in a place to start working on it again.

Let's start with some design concepts, and then we'll move to existing pieces.

I wanted a modular set of trenches for play at home. The pieces are 12" x 12" square, with entry points at a consistent midpoint of a given side. Pieces will have 1, 2, 3, or 4 entrances.

The initial layout called for:

4 corners
4 straightaways
2 T junctions
2 Four-way junctions
2 single-entry bunkers
2 entry/exit pieces

So 16 pieces, arranged in any number of ways, and capable of taking up half a 4x8 game board, either long or wide.



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Here's my first 'test' piece:


Pardon the photo. As you can see, a three-way T Junction. The numbers are designators for total layers of foam. So the top edge of the board will have a step up into a firing line. Once finished, this will be supplemented with sandbags, etc.

Photo isn't working for me.

A few steps later. I've cut foam, glued, and attached some wood framing to the exterior. I don't necessarily want a perfect, clean set of lines, but some semblance of order is nice.



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Size comparison. For the most part, I wanted my troops in full cover while in the trenches. Otherwise, what's the point, right?



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More wood added, and I've used a Devlan Mud wash on the wood to darken it up.


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Foam rough cut and glued together, set for placement.



And again, from a different angle.


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Some wood planking added for flooring. Eventually we'll add some dirt and water effects.


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My next step was to cover the top with glue and add copious amounts of ground foam bits, gravel, and sand. Obviously it's not all staying.


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When shaken free, here's what we're left.


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Black basecoat.


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As that dried, I played with some water effects in the trench itself.


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First drybrush, Calthan Brown, if memory serves.


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Drybrush two, Snakebite Leather.


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Drybrush three: Bleached bone.


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Aaaand..... that's as far as I got before the real world set in.

I'm starting back up this week. More later!

Comments obviously welcome. (Why else would you do one of these?)

This is looking excellent! One of the more realistic looking trenches out there. I have seen a few people decorate their trenches with propaganda posters scattered throughout, any plans to do this with yours?

Here's one more showing the bases laid out in a 3x5 arrangement, with an exit (to another board, maybe?)

Also note that my initial layout plans changed in the course of a year.

I've got some niches set aside for ammo stores, some blown in walls, rubble, and I'm planning on having a crashed thunderbolt in there somewhere.

That'll look absolutely fantastic when finished o.o with that much cover, it would make interesting games. I'd love to see what a flyer would (or wouldn't) be able to do in a game with that many trenches.

That's pretty awesome dude.

Would make for amazing kill team style games or something similar to that.

Can't wait to see this finished, it should look awesome. It would be good for a zone mortalis type game.

Freaking epic! Well done!

Well, looks like it will be slightly larger than I was expecting, subbed!

A move huh? Get more space?

I have so many plans for terrain, but no room. Your trenches are damned cool. I'm subscribing to this, can't wait to see more, enjoying all the painting, water effects, etc.


You ever play with weathering pigments? They'd add a nice mud/dust effect to the trenches.

Impressive work so far... keep up the momentum!

High all. Thanks for all the positive feedback.

@Commander Cain: I haven't seen anything like that, but it's a fantastic idea. I'll have to do some research and see what bubbles up.

@Gorgrimm: I've looked into a number of weathering powders and pigments, from Vallejo to Forge World, but I haven't settled on any I just love yet.

As several people have said, this would make for amazing small-team scenarios, and when I started the design, it was with a zone-mortalis-style gameplay in mind.
Not much room for vehicles, obviously. In a 6th edition environment, that's less tricky than 5th.

Nothing sexy in the way of updates, but good progress all the same:



Our good friend Hunter was over, and she offered to help shape some rough foam. Naturally I took advantage of the help.





Several shapes repeat themselves across multiple boards (I suppose that's true with most modular systems.) So by the end of the night, we had a couple of stacks of good starter material to play with (with which to play? Stupid internal grammar nazi.)

I'll glue those together before bed, and let them dry overnight. The plan is to do the bulk of the development off the board, and glue the finished sections down. So a black basecoat and we're on to wood slats on these.

Thanks again for all your kind words. Stick around, we'll have more later this week!

Well my first big terrain project was a trench table. (Link is in my index page) ill gladly email you the pdfs of the posters I have. Note if you print em out on a laser type printer the ink wont blead if they get wet. (Such as when you glue them on)

Galorn, you're right. Those propaganda posters are simply fantastic. I must have some for my trenches. Please send them my way.

I love the idea of doing trenches as a board and also you are doing it very well! just some fun ideas
- maybe you can have the flyer as a downed heldrake "what does this thing do?" *rumble rumble rumble.
- an objective system with flags, very easy to determine capped territories,
- add an armory, or other buildings.

hoped i can help!

daemonhunter187 wrote:
Galorn, you're right. Those propaganda posters are simply fantastic. I must have some for my trenches. Please send them my way.

Pm sent...

This is epic!!! I can't wait to see more.

That is going to be fantastic when it's finished even the small section you've already painted looks great, good luck with it I look forward to seeing more.

That's going to be really cool the play on and to look at when it's finished. I've often thought about doing something similiar. I'm probably going to make a dense city scape board soon and actually try to make it realistic with streets, alleys, hospitals, appartements etc.

Small update. Nothing glamorous, but progress all the same.



At first I liked the stepped wall, but the more I work with it, the less attractive it feels to me. I may fix it, or I may mitigate it with rubble and dirtfall. We'll see. At a minimum, I'll probably rework the vertical braces.





There's five more in similar state. It's worth noting that this process is being slowed by my Dark Angel army. They're in their finishing stages, and I've been pushing to base and clear coat them.
The going plan for these trenches is to rough all the shapes out over the next few weeks, then finish one square a week. That should finish us up before Christmas.

I hope.

I really like this idea. Would like to see more. How do you cut your foam?

These trenches are awesome.

Looking good so far! I'm subscribing. ^^

the "tiered trenchwalls" is a very cool idea... i think a bit of sand here and there wouldn´t hurt but the very idea of tiers i really like... keep it... it makes it look more like the trenchers have to really work for keeping the trenches maintained!

Nice project. Keep up the good work!

Yeah the tiers are great! They are just begging to have little scenery bits on like a lamp or something, keep up the good work.

This is a very good work!!

i really want to see it finished!

 Commander Cain wrote:
Yeah the tiers are great! They are just begging to have little scenery bits on like a lamp or something, keep up the good work.

that is even more brilliant... good thinking there!!!

Nice work. I may have to steal your ideas to make my own. I would make a double layer table though to I could place another flat sheet on top of it for when I wanted a normal game.