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Hi all,

has anyone got any examples of a multi level game board which would be compatible with 40k? That is to say, it can accomodate Land Raiders, Baneblades, Knights, Wraithknights etc, at least on part of the board, not necessarily everywhere.

I've been looking online the last couple of days and I've found loads of examples of really dense multi level terrain which would be fantastic for Necromunda, but seems highly impractical for 40k proper.

I currently have loads of mdf buildings, cranes, silos, and things like that, which do a pretty good job of adding the 3rd dimension to battles and blocking LOS, but I want to push it one step further.

I'm currently thinking of an 8'x4' board where one half of the board gradually gets higher to allow for a sub-level, then adds another level on top of that. Here's a side view of what I was thinking. Bear in mind that the ramps to access the different levels wouldn't span the entire width of the board, but would be wide enough to let a land raider/baneblade pass. I've left half of the board free to allow flyers, titans, etc. As you can see, the first level has a clearance of 15 cm, which then widens out to 20 cm. I think 15cm might be a bit tight, especially for moving models in the middle of the board. 20cm I think should be ok but maybe not?



Having said all that maybe I need to just go all out and do a 3 layer hive across the whole of the board?! What does dakka think of the gaming practicalities of a project like this?

I think that has the potential to be brilliant can't wait to see the results!

I'd love to know if anyone's already tried this?

Ever played DOW Dark Crusade? The level where you go underground into the Necron crypt- you could do that on the table, it'd be awesome

I've been really wanting to have a crack at making a multi-level board actually. Probably two levels of 2x2 with a standard city board up top with Zone Mortalis Necron Catacombs below, and little teleportation pads to spirit units between the two levels

Sounds awesome

Yes, and no. Multi-level gaming is pretty easy for skirmish games - harder for army games. What you want to do is to make it as modular as possible. If you design a full table and spend dozens of hours on it...and then leave it static, players will eventually "figure it out" and all of your games will become the same.

You'll want to create separate levels which can be placed on the board in various ways/places. Elevation can have a great affect on games, but it requires work and is often skipped.

This is a really cool idea, I swear I remember a multi level board from a fairly recent WD... but I don't think it was big enough for units like Landraiders sadly.

Totally agree with Elbows, you want something as modular as possible, which can be kinda tough.

I did a fairly modular swamp board by drawing everything out and making sure I could get at least a couple variations. Matching heights was fairly easy for me because I pretty much made it so either there's a big hill in the center or more hill areas along the edges.

What you might want to look at doing is something similiar but to increase your elevation possible make the ramps separate pieces, and design a few sections to match up with the areas the ramps would be, when they're not actually in use.

Basically I mean you'd want to make your top most layer as modular as possible too. I don't think it'd be *too* bad, if you were just making a few hills, that then just sat on the top layer, or a section that became the ramping area.

Anyway will look forward to seeing how your project works out!

Totally agree with the comments about modularity, and also for the movable ramps. I'm thinking 6'x4', where the first level will be a sump/ dock with canals, bridges, cranes and pipes. (I have a big MDF barge that I don't want to go to waste). The second layer will be able to hold a building or two, same for the third. I'm trying to think of ways for it to be strong, modular, with many levels but not necessarily a solid layer everywhere (to draw line of sight in between levels and to accommodate bigger models) AND to leave enough space between each level to move models around, even in the middle of the board. Also it might be dark in the lower levels, I might need LEDs... There's a lot going on!

Sounds like a fun idea. I think mocking it up in cardboard would be the best way to start. Just start chopping up cardboard, taping it together and throwing it on the table until the table is full. Then put out a bunch of units and start moving them around and rearranging the scenery to see how it works.

Looking forward to seeing how this comes out.

T

Yeah definitely agree with timd, play around with some cardboard or foam first, just to get any idea of what works. I really hope you can pull this off! Looking forward to pics