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I am building a new board to play on. I am open to ideas on themes. I'm trying to balance looks, interesting environment, cost, ease of construction, durability, and use-ability during a game (different types of terrain, ability to fit models where they need to go, etc.). Which of these options would best work?

you are missing some details...

For example, are you building a board wtih all the features "built in" to the board? Or just a basic board, with minimal details and some scatter terrain?

Here is the right answer;

build your board to have a basic color/terrain that matches what you like, and does not have a lot of hills/ruins etc.

Then use what is referred to as "scatter terrain".
Which means terrain pieces that you can move around and place where you want.

For example, if you theme was "desert";
Gentle rolling hills, sandy color, etc.
Scatter terrain -
* big hill, with rocky outcrop.
* lots of small rock hills
* desert outpost building with sand colored border
* a n oasis, so you have some trees or cover
* a crashed ship in the desert, for some wreckage
* ancient desert obelisks, statues, etc.

Or a jungle theme...
Green table,with coolo colors..
Scatter terrain -
* Lots of big clumps of trees
* a small stream, with lots of vines
* an overgrown ruin, maybe like some mayan or incan looking
* a crashed ship etc.
* ancient overgrown statutes

A city board - a grey board, maybe with a street grid painted in, maybe some light texture...
Scatter terrain -
* some ruined gothic buildings
* some industrial pieces.
* chunks of walls
* some statues

See the pattern?

Scatter terrain gives you a lot of diversity and options.

Now, if you have friends that play tyranids, or tau - make some forests - as they have units and warlord traits that use them.

best of luck!

For sheer coolness and standing out, I'm a fan of intact cityscapes. The world has more than enough ruined cities.

For a cheap and fast layout, it's hard to beat a nice desert board.

These are my two layouts.

I like transitional boards where ya got different things at the ends.
Forest fading into desert.
Woodland/blasted earth clearing out to the edge of a cityscape.
Icey wasteland that fades to spring (but it's never Christmas).

Because I'm a pain.

Also means that if you use sectional boards, you can swap the ends around for different scenarios.

If you want something that ticks all those boxes you can't go wrong with a chaos wasteland. It's as quick to build as a desert board, but the black sands make your models stand out more. Hills, rock outcrops, crystal formations, floating rock formations are all incredibly easy and cheap to make.

Because of the chaotic nature you can add whatever theme you want to the basic terrain and taa-daa, you've got something unique and interesting. You aren't stumbling over a city fight board, so usability is way up, and you can come up with an excuse to put literally anything you want on the table..

All you need is a couple of stand out centre pieces, the rest you can knock up in no time.

Mix some sand in some grey paint, paint the board. 4x4, or 2 4x4's. one side can be grey, the other side can be tad/ desert.

Another one I saw was a board with intermittent styro cut with ruts, crags, and trench-line . Versatility, unless you only want to use the one type of board. That's what was great about the sand paint. its a good base for adding your own terrain to the table the way you all want it.

I voted grassy field and cityscape.

Grassy field is a common theme for bases, a lot of people use grass in some way, and thus it will fit to a certain degree. Grassy setups also accommodate pretty much all terrain that isn't overtly out of place like ice scenery and whatnot.

City is suitable for a lot of bases/army themes as well. Especially if it's ruined it's fairly modular, since overgrowth/nature reclaiming the city is very plausible, rocky bases on armies will also fit, etc.

They coolest boards are ones that have dangerous flora and fauna

Cities. It allows you to have all kinds of different terrain features. Low obstacles, multiple levels, impassable features, high platforms, walkways and more.

Any board with well done water features can look fantastic. If you do end up doing a city board like most people reckon you should there is plenty of potential for sewers, mud, and water features.

 Buttery Commissar wrote:
I like transitional boards where ya got different things at the ends.
Forest fading into desert.
Woodland/blasted earth clearing out to the edge of a cityscape.
Icey wasteland that fades to spring (but it's never Christmas).

Because I'm a pain.

Also means that if you use sectional boards, you can swap the ends around for different scenarios.

It's not that you're a pain. It's that you like cool boards I really like boards that fade between a couple things, have yet to see one that's a wintery wasteland that fades into a cityscape

I really love cities and ruins, as these are most often in my mind what's worth fighting over. However, I also voted snowscapes, because I don't see enough snow fights and they do look really good.

For gaming purposes, its hard to beat out a part-ruined city. Makes games really interesting and tactical.

For display purposes, an outpost or fortress is awesome.

I think partial forest battlefield would be cool, almost like the ones they use for model trains. a little ruined city in the corner, rocky outcrops and nice water features.

I'm a huge city fan. It also adds more meaningful terrain for the purposes of line of sight blocking, infantry having multilevel buildings to climb up, and all that sort of thing.

I have a thing for jungle boards but gameplay wise city is probably most interesting. Maybe a jungle outpost type thing. I like deserts too. And Arctic...

I love cities and all...but damn, arctic would be so cool.

 Blacksails wrote:
I love cities and all...but damn, arctic would be so cool.

Arctic city? Or like some kind of research lab in the Arctic would be cool. Like the Anphelion base but colder and sometimes with less tyranids.

Why didn't I think of that!?

I almost wished I played a non-canon regiment now, because they'd totally come from an arctic hive world.

 ImAGeek wrote:

 Blacksails wrote:
I love cities and all...but damn, arctic would be so cool.

Arctic city? Or like some kind of research lab in the Arctic would be cool. Like the Anphelion base but colder and sometimes with less tyranids.

Like that one GW board with some city ruins at one end at the board and a fortress at the other? That thing is a work of art.

Cities always look the best and impressive while still being playable.

I think the Massive snow Mountain pass from FW looks the best but is nearly un playable.

My second goes to a nice semi fortified Outpost. just for the variate of terrain.

3rd goes to the trenchline since it can look really nice.

I love my city board. It's super-dense, so it mks the fights more than just shelling each other from long range.

Have any of you seen that board posted here that had multiple levels to it? An above ground and a below ground

I have made multi-level structures that infantry can go inside, but I've never seen anything like that before. It would be pretty damn cool, if pretty fiddly.

 Great White wrote:
Have any of you seen that board posted here that had multiple levels to it? An above ground and a below ground

The big adepticon fantasy one with the rat tunnels?

or the big Ork space hulk one?

I'm a fan of jungle. Loads of terrain!

 Great White wrote:
They coolest boards are ones that have dangerous flora and fauna

This! Put some of these on your table!



I like grass and city mixed, with ruins of bombed out houses, like you're fighting in Central Park or something!

Cities are obviously the main choice and I can see why, a well done packed city looks awesome. But it does limit you to a certain type of play. I got the forgeworld WFB way back in December trench works tile that I'm using as a defensive works for a death korps battle field. I have the tile the board but I havnt had time to get started on it yet!! So while cities do rock, trench works occupy my mum me.