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So lately I've been a bit on a basing crusade as I've become somewhat disappointed in the look my dark elves have going. There suppose to appear as though they're fighting up in the mountains, and so i'm building up my basing supplies to help improve the look. To add some more texture to my bases I've been thinking of investing in some slate. I've tried using cork before, but unfortunately cork doesn't hold up to the regular abuse of game play, plus it doesn't always come out the way I like it. As such I have a few questions regarding slate:

1. Why is slate so popular (ie: price? easy to work with?)
2. Why slate over other rock materials?
3. (or maybe 2.1) What would be the advantage (if any) of using slate over finding some stones out side and crushing them with a hammer.

Also, any recommendations for using pumice or those other textured paste materials from Vallejo to blend rocks/cork in the base? It just may actually be my answer to using cork as it'll hold it together better, and more importantly, make it easier to blend the cork 'rocks' in as over time the cork seems to curl up and leav gaps between the base (especially when I decide to go back and add some to previously painted bases.

*Edit: just to give some reference these are the kinds of stones I had outside my house that I thought of using as a slate substitute (already some what crushed with a hammer)

Slate has a grain to it and is typically found as flat pieces with parallel sides. The result is that it usually suits the look that most are going for, i.e. the model standing on a rocky outcropping.

 WarlordEXE wrote:
1. Why is slate so popular (ie: price? easy to work with?)

Reasonably easy to find, and easy to work with.

2. Why slate over other rock materials?

Mostly the ease to work thing. Slate is soft enough to break, chip or carve it into the shape you want, can be drilled with a normal drill, and is slightly porous so takes glue well.

3. (or maybe 2.1) What would be the advantage (if any) of using slate over finding some stones out side and crushing them with a hammer.

See above.

Head over to James Wappel's blog if you want to see texture paste in action. He does some fantastic basing and uses Vallejo's Oxide Paste religiously to that end. Honestly, it's mostly just a matter of smearing it around the uncovered portions of the base, but if you think seeing some WIP pictures will help, he's got plenty of them.