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Thumpingbear does Mordheim: 05/09/2023: Astrologer's Tower Showcase  [RSS] Share on facebook Share on Twitter Submit to Reddit
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Made in ca
Confident Halberdier





in the computer?

Hi everyone, I've decided to start a P&M blog to help motivate myself in my goal to make a fully modular Mordheim table. I started building roughly 3 years ago and had a decent amount of terrain for my small Mordheim group to play with, but a perfect storm of the group (temporarily) disbanding, a burst water pipe that leaked directly onto the old pieces destroying most of them, and the pressures of university education caused me to drop the hobby for a time. Now, the gaming group has reunited and I'll be receiving my degree in about a week. I'm ready to rebuild the table!

What I'm looking to create with this project is a balance between quality and modularity. Looking at some of the artist-level tables people have built has me drooling, but the buildings tend to be locked into place on the board, creating a diorama rather than a wargaming table. Nothing wrong with that, however I find that the more modular the table, the more fun I have as a player.

The plan of action I've chosen is to make buildings and scatter terrain first, then move on to creating 6 2'x2' board tiles, for variety in playing on the standard 4'x4' table and the option to do multiplayer games on a 4'x6' playing field. All the terrain will be urban for the time being, when this project is finished I may create a rural setting to play Empire in Flames scenarios. But that's a long way off.

Previous works I consider worthy enough to show are this modular building created for the League of Extraordinary Riveters 30th building competition.


The building's floors are all removable, and the bridge is magnetized to stabilize it during gameplay (more pics in the gallery).

Next up is a small scatter piece I whipped up from some of the broken pieces of my old buildings.


Nothing too spectacular about this one, was a fun little project. I wrote a short story about it too which can be found here.

So, onto the current project:

This building was one of the ones caught in the great deluge that wasn't completely destroyed, however I decided it needed an upgrade. The building originally had a removable roof, which was fine and good, but it had one entrance and exit and was fairly worthless in terms of gameplay - we avoided this building like the plague. So, I decided to gut it and add another tower to give it some height and another mode of entry. My paint-test dwarf will serve as a scale mini.


Very WIP still, but I'm already much happier with it's usefulness in game. The tower will have a ladder to allow access to and from the loft.


A quick look at the interior work of the old building, and a shot of the tower loft interior - perfect for snipers! The tower will also have a removable roof, because I'm a sucker for pretty terrain.

So that's where I'm at now. More pics will be posted soon(ish)!

This message was edited 15 times. Last update was at 2023/05/09 19:32:39


 
   
Made in fr
Potent Possessed Daemonvessel





France

Brilliant to see this table getting a blog, subscribing for sure !

My P&M Blog : Warp Wanderers, Chaos warbands in the Eye of Terror

Voting for my stuff pleases the Chaos Gods and brings you luck in battle !

 
   
Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut




Central California

Thanks for sharing. Nice work, great ideas, good inspiration. Also, congrats on that degree!

Keeping the hobby side alive!

I never forget the Dakka unit scale is binary: Units are either OP or Garbage. 
   
Made in us
Ragin' Ork Dreadnought







Good lord, did you make a bin of individual styrofoam bricks? I mean, cool, but how long did that take?

Like my Facebook page!

Waaazag da Kan't Stoppable (ORKS) ~6,000 points
Orks-in-Progress, Finished Orks.
Terrain I'm making.
The Darion Sector War Campaign.
Into the Jaws of Hell 40k campaign.
I do commissions. If you are interested send me a PM and we can talk concepts and pricing. 
   
Made in ca
Confident Halberdier





in the computer?

@KernelTerror: Cheers, hope I don't disappoint!
@edwardmyst: Thank you kindly.
@Warboss_Waaazag: Yup! Took about 45 mins to make them all, and around 3 hours to glue to the tower. It's a lot slower than the usual pen carving technique, but I prefer the look of this method for stonework.

Updates:

I've finished the brickwork of the tower.


Not much more work will be done on this, save for adding some extra support beams to the exterior catwalk.

I've also begun work on the roof.


For placement, it has dowels that match up to holes in the foamcore. Not the most durable method of making it removable, but it'll do for my purposes.


And with the roof in place.


Next up is finishing the roof of the tower. More updates soonish.

 
   
Made in fr
Potent Possessed Daemonvessel





France

Absolutely gorgeous, I ought to try that stone technique one day !

My P&M Blog : Warp Wanderers, Chaos warbands in the Eye of Terror

Voting for my stuff pleases the Chaos Gods and brings you luck in battle !

 
   
Made in gb
Longtime Dakkanaut






HATE Club, East London

That is some great looking terrain.

Though guards may sleep and ships may lay at anchor, our foes know full well that big guns never tire.

Posting as Fifty_Painting on Instagram.

My blog - almost 40 pages of Badab War, Eldar, undead and other assorted projects 
   
Made in ca
Confident Halberdier





in the computer?

@KernelTerror: Thanks, it's a very time intensive technique, but gives a very organic looking hewn stone effect. Perfect for medieval settings.
@Fifty: Thank you very much!

Update:

I finished the roof of the tower.


With that out of the way, I moved to the part I had been dreading: Rebuilding the main roof.

The beams were cut to the angle and pinned into place with hot glue, then the planks laid over top. This was largely a trial and error process, I didn't match some of the beam angles exactly but it's good enough.


A shot of the interior. Nice and ruined.

Here's where the project stands at now. For size reference, it's 11 3/4" to the peak of the tower roof.


More updates soonish.

 
   
Made in gb
Crushing Black Templar Crusader Pilot






London

Fantastic work on this. But you are truly a nutter for making all of those bricks individually!! Results are awesome, but how you didn't lose your mind is beyond me.



Relapse wrote:
Baron, don't forget to talk about the SEALs and Marines you habitually beat up on 2 and 3 at a time, as you PM'd me about.
nareik wrote:
Perhaps it is a lube issue, seems obvious now.
 
   
Made in de
Longtime Dakkanaut






That building is looking really great, the individual bricks are fantastic. It's interesting to watch your progress, as I'm playing a Mordheim with friends at the moment.
   
Made in us
Stealthy Warhound Titan Princeps







That is a serious labor of love - and it looks great! I hope it brings you much joy.
   
Made in pl
Fresh-Faced New User





Szczecin

I am joining the choir here – this is fantastic!
I think the building with individual bricks gets better results anyway.
   
Made in ca
Confident Halberdier





in the computer?

@IGtR=: Thanks, I think Honestly I find it relaxing, a very mindful yet thoughtless exercise. Like meditation but nerdier.
@Viterbi: Thank you very much! You should post some pics/batreps, there's never enough Mordheim content around.
@kestral: Thank you kindly! Yup I definitely enjoy the craft, gives me peace and pride.
@Swaeig: Thank you! I agree that this definitely looks better for a hewn stone look, but it all depends on what you're trying to make - for modern brickwork, I find the pen carving method looks much more realistic.

Update:

The roof of the main building is finished.


As I expected, shingling around the round tower was a pain, but I got it to a point where no one will EVER see any of my mistakes - so, essentially, perfect.

Next I added the interior texture to the new tower and around the edges of the destroyed walls.


Only the one picture because I couldn't get any better ones.
It's green because of the mix I use to make the wall plaster: a mix of modelling plaster, glue, sand, ballast, sawdust, and paint. Smeared onto the walls and worked everywhere with a stiff brush, then stippled further to bring out the texture. I used green paint this time because I needed to see where I was putting the black paint - a crackle texture paint that I worked into the wet plaster. The crackle paint dries faster than the plaster and creates very nice cracks in the walls. Unfortunately I didn't apply it thickly enough in some areas this time, but for the most part the effect worked.

I then added some small details.


First was just this simple rope hanging from the tower. Hanging ropes like this, in my mind, emulate hanging vines in urban settings, creating a feeling of decay and abandonment. Of course I could just do actual vines, but meh.
I then added this little topper to the round tower. Originally I had built a weathervane for this with the twin-tailed comet of Sigmar. It looked awesome, but was very delicate and eventually snapped off. So this guy went on instead, which I am equally happy with.

Next I decided to throw on some rubble piles.


Besides the aesthetic, these piles have gameplay value allowing access to the building without having to go through the main door - good for ambushing or quick escapes. They were made by shaping foam pieces, gluing them to the wall, and dumping loads of stuff onto em'.

So, besides sealing the foam and some minor supergluing for strength, the build is complete!



Onto painting! More updates soonish.

 
   
Made in fi
Dipping With Wood Stain





This is simply amazing. I'm a sucker for scratch built terrain, and this is definitely one of the most impressive projects I've seen in a while. Not only have you gone all out on adding little details all over the buildings, you've also really thought about the gameplay functionality of them.

My P&M log here on Dakka [WIP and finished work]
My blog on Wordpress [Finished work] 
   
Made in ca
Confident Halberdier





in the computer?

@ mcmattila: Thank you very much! Yeah, the more I play, the more I realize that gameplay value has to come before aesthetics. Hopefully I'll find the perfect balance between the two eventually.

Update:

I've been hibernating during the always lovely Canadian winter and doing some painting.



So far the stonework, walls, wood, and rubble piles are finished. It's simple painting with lots of drybrushing and washes. I like to make fairly desaturated colours with lots of greys and creams to knock back the intensity. Looking at the photos, the walls are much brighter than they are in reality, which unfortunately doesn't photograph well in the lighting of this room.

The roof tiles are next, which I have already base coated. It looks vibrant now compared to the rest of the piece, but that will be knocked back with more painting. After the roof are the metal bits and other small details which I'll paint separately.

More updates soonish.

 
   
Made in de
Krazy Grot Kutta Driva




Nickin' 'ur stuff

Wow, those look great!!! Teyh really capture the twisted and strange vibe of Mortheim. A table full of those would almost justify flying all the way up to Canada!

Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless — like soup. Now you put soup in a cup, it becomes the cup; You put soup into a bottle it becomes the bottle; You put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot. Now soup can flow or it can crash. Be soup, my friend. 
   
Made in dk
Regular Dakkanaut






Lovely Great choice of the cold blue for the roof tiles, I would try to keep that in some way

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2019/12/20 20:54:47


   
Made in gb
Ancient Venerable Dreadnought






Wow! They look fantastic, and they’re still WIP! A good water salvage I say!

Goberts Gubbins - P&M Blog, started with Oldhammer, often Blackstone Fortress and Void Panther Marines, with side projects along the way 
   
Made in ca
Confident Halberdier





in the computer?

@Waaaghbert: Thanks! I use a lot of the Mordheim rulebook artwork for inspiration, it's chock-full of weird stuff.
@Aestas: Thank you! Yeah, I'm trying to keep with the Fantasy Blue roofs that Warhammer always had. It's very striking.
@gobert: Cheers man, thanks!

Update:

Did all of metal bits, bone, and details in the building.



The bones. As we all know, the one thing that just screams "Warhammer" is skulls. Gotta keep with tradition.



Some of the details inside. The backstory I had for this building is that it was home to an ex-mercenary that specialized in fighting Skaven before losing his hand and retiring as a ratcatcher in Mordheim. Here's his old war gear and some mounts of the ratmen he killed.



And here's what happened to the ratcatcher. This is Mordheim, we can't have nice things here.

After I finished all these bits, I moved on to the part I was very nervous about: The hanging sign.



I designed this freehand to emulate the wonderfully evil looking rats in the Mordheim rulebook, combined with the King of Hearts playing card where he's stabbing himself in the head. I had practiced the image quite a bit beforehand, I didn't get it quite to the clarity I had gotten on an untextured surface. Still, I'm quite proud of it.

And with that, the building I've titled "The Ratcatcher's Manse" is finished!



I'll be taking proper lightbox images of this later, for now I want to move on to other projects.
More updates soonish

Also, as is tradition with the League of Extraordinary Riveters, I've been tasked with hosting the next round. This round, titled "A Drink to the New Decade", challenges contestants to build a piece of terrain using a beverage container. The League contests are a lot of fun, so if you have any interest in joining, you can do so here. Thanks for looking!

 
   
Made in fi
Foolproof Falcon Pilot





Finland, Espoo

Wowzers!
That thing reeks of Mordheim, well done!
Liking the fact that you take into account the gaming qualities of the terrain pieces.

The freehand especially is really solid. Hats off!

Been playing miniature games for 15 years or so, and just now have I started to get familiar with Mordheim. Started my first campaign during the spring and it's still going on. And I gotta say, I'm enjoying it quite a lot and am happy to see that there are others posting Mordheim content as well

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2020/01/04 11:36:46


   
Made in gb
Ancient Venerable Dreadnought






Great work on the Ratcatchers Manse. The Skaven Heads and warhead hanging on the wall add a great touch. Loving the humour of the rat eating the catcher too!

Goberts Gubbins - P&M Blog, started with Oldhammer, often Blackstone Fortress and Void Panther Marines, with side projects along the way 
   
Made in de
Battlefield Tourist






Nuremberg

Absolutely love this. Looks like the illustrations from the Mordheim book came to life. Love the little details like the giant rat heads!

   
Made in gb
Regular Dakkanaut




This is amazing stuff! I've always thought Mordheim makes for some of the most evocative boards going and this is exactly why!

   
Made in us
Ragin' Ork Dreadnought







Cool terrain. I love the complex shape.

Like my Facebook page!

Waaazag da Kan't Stoppable (ORKS) ~6,000 points
Orks-in-Progress, Finished Orks.
Terrain I'm making.
The Darion Sector War Campaign.
Into the Jaws of Hell 40k campaign.
I do commissions. If you are interested send me a PM and we can talk concepts and pricing. 
   
Made in au
Regular Dakkanaut





Australia

Far out these look great! The rockwork and shingles are really well done. Look forward to seeing your progress!

 
   
Made in ca
Confident Halberdier





in the computer?

@Ezki: "Reeks of Mordheim" is what I was going for, thank you!
@gobert: Thanks, I had a lot of fun with it!
@Da Boss: "Like the illustrations of Mordheim coming to life" is the best compliment I could possibly receive, thank you very much.
@fingol23: Thank you. I do love the aesthetic of Mordheim, it's this obscene mix of decay, madness, and death. Hopefully I can get the whole board to reflect those themes.
@Warboss_Waaazag: Thanks - sometimes the "smash two things together and see what happens" approach pays off.
@zahnib: Cheers, hope I don't disappoint!

Well, it's been a while since I've posted, and now that we're all in full pandemic mode I have a chance to work on some terrain. This one I started building a while ago and will now complete.

The building is designed from this piece of concept art from Warhammer Online. There are so many great art pieces for that game, it's a great resource for any WH Fantasy terrain projects.



And here's my take on it (still very WIP)




So far, I've done the main building construction. brickwork, and wall spackling. The building will have 3 stories, of which only the first and second are currently installed as I discovered too late how difficult it will be to paint while the floorboards are in. So, the 3rd story floor will only be put in after the rest of the building is painted.



A bit of the interior. I started painting the interior a while ago, then got distracted with other projects. The rubble pile was created by carving a couple pieces of foam to shape, then coating it with glue and dumping loads of foam bricks, broken coffee stirrers, model ballast, and sand to build it up and make it look natural. It was then soaked in water and diluted PVA to seal it all in. I still need to do some more rubble piles in the building...



There are a few design elements I deviated on from the original image, most notably the arches on the stone foundations of the building. Gives the building an ancient feel IMO, plus I think it looks rad.

Overall this is the largest building I think I'll make (9x6" at the base, and will be 13-14" tall with the roof). Currently the issues I'm having with it is breaking up the brickwork on the side and front of the building. On the side I think I'll add a bunch of posters, and the front I'm thinking of some sort of crest. I have to do some research on crests and guild signs to come up with something for it.

Also, if you've read this far already, I'm going to direct your attention to the League of Extraordinary Riveters Terrain Contest - Round 31 public voting poll, hosted by yours truly. This round tasked the contestants with building terrain from beverage containers. If you'd like to see some great terrain, go take a look at the contestants work and throw in your vote - they put in a lot effort into their pieces.

Thanks for looking. More updates soonish.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2020/04/09 22:39:53


 
   
Made in ca
Fixture of Dakka





Surrey, BC - Canada

Very nice start there Thumpingbear.

Cheers,

CB

   
Made in be
Nimble Pistolier





Antwerp

Very cool stuff. Would love to see a game on those pieces.

'The whole art of war consists in getting at what is on the other side of the hill.' -- The Duke of Wellington

My hobby log: https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/770007.page 
   
Made in gb
Longtime Dakkanaut






HATE Club, East London

It's all wonderful. So much patience and care shown!

Though guards may sleep and ships may lay at anchor, our foes know full well that big guns never tire.

Posting as Fifty_Painting on Instagram.

My blog - almost 40 pages of Badab War, Eldar, undead and other assorted projects 
   
Made in de
Longtime Dakkanaut






That's some serious building, love the overall look and it will make a great addition to a Mordheim table!
   
 
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