Building a 4'x4' tabletop. Wargaming and D&D even (no gr

Heya Guys.

Well, here is my latest little project. A 4'x4; gaming table. Primarily for WH40K but easily usuable for D&D RPG or any other minis based game I suppose.

A while ago, on another forum, I showed a gaming table based off one of the maps from Battlefield Vietnam, that I was working on. Well, I have gotten a bit further on it, and thought I would get peoples insights. I cannot for the life of me remember the name of the map, sorry, but it is the one with the US base at one end, rice paddies in the middle and a large fortified farm house atop a hill at the other end.

Well, only having a 4x4 area to work on, I have set about making said map, but minus the US base.

4x4 table was given to me. The rest is coming from this pile of styrofoam here:


First 'layer' of foam added. I had to scrounge around for enough heavy items to sit on the foam to keep it flat:


My 'mud map' for my table layout. Stop laughing! :


C&C welcome as always

DarkFather

With all the styrofoam in place, I decided to dress up the table a little and give myself an idea of what I was going to do. The 4x Square areas in the center are the rice paddies. (Considered aquatic areas - difficult terrain unless aquatic [or a chimera]). This has since since changed. A game against my friends Tyranids showed me the errors of my way. Making the terrain 4 large areas of water terrain, completely stuffed the nids (both movement wise and cover wise). These rice paddies are going to change slightly:

All the 'dressings' have been removed, and my wife and I applied PVA glue and fine river sand to the entire table. Areas that are going to be impassable (cliff faces, sheer drops) have been dressed up with small stones, and flat pieces of bark:




Well, it is currently 10:30pm here and I have just finished adding a protective edge of MDF to the sides of the table:


Boredome has gotten to me since it is too late for me to start up my air compressor and begin the painting of the table, so I 'painted' it in Paintshop Pro instead to give me an idea of what I will be doing. The colour chart as it were, is this...

Bright Green = Goblin Green - Standard Green Flock - Grassy areas - free movement.
Dark Green = Dark Angels Green - Trees/Plant growths - difficult terrain/cover/etc.
Light Grey = Black with Grey drybrushing - Roads - free movement.
Dark Grey = Black with Grey drybrushing - Impassable/Cliff faces.
Brown = Vermin Fur - Rice Paddy areas - Shallow water - difficult terrain.
Black = Chaos Black - Table Edge. (To 'frame' the tabletop).



Fingers Crossed - I'll have pics of the actual table really painted by tomorrow night.

Well, I got some paint onto the table. Also managed to get the cliff faces and the roads/tracks drybrushed as well as the rice paddies themselves.





Next job on the to do list is flocking. I am going to use GW Scorched Grass on all the dark green areas (vegetation/trees areas), and a mixture of GW Glade Grass & two lots of other flock I have to do the rest of the table/light green areas.

DarkFather

That is going to be an awesome table once its done DF!! I cant wait to see some work done on it!! Is this table going to be for D+D Rpg or Warhammer? Both?

That looks really cool. I appreciate the process being put up as you make it, I look forward to several of these being up on the site when I go to make my terrain. Quick question, do you have to use an air compressor? I know spray paint would melt the foam, but I'm not even sure what the compressor does, let alone if I could afford one haha. Feel free to call me a noobzorz.

I'm pretty sure that the air compressor is for an air brush (possibly even a large one) to ease his painting times. But that's just a guess, and I'm sure DF will correct me if I'm wrong.

That's some very impressive work and looks great so far. I'm really looking forward to seening it all painted and decorated up (especially if there's a painted Tyranid army sliming its way across the field).

Thanks for the kind words guys.

Over here in Australia, the Airbrush that I use cost me $250, and the compressor only $100. $350 is a big outlay, originally, but the amount of time and money saved over the last 2 years is well worth it.

The Airbrush/Compressor does not hurt the foam in any way shape or form. Due to the fact that there is nothing but paint and air coming out of the airbrush. No Hydrocarbon = no foam deformation.

As I stated in the title, this table should be usuable for either 40K/Fantasy or even D&D. (As far as D&D is concerned, I am trying to come up with a way of doing a removable grid - currently considering the costs and viability of using a projector to project the grid onto the table?!)

DF

Looking at your setup after the pieces are going to go on, the only thing I can think of whatsoever is to do the overhead idea or the longer route of getting a net with 1" square holes in it and cutting out squares to go over buildings and such, but that would be a hassle to store and to set up.

You Can use spraypaint on blue/pink/white foam!! You just need to make sure its an acrylic based paint. I use acrylic spray bombs all the time.

awesome, I did not know that. That may save me from getting an airbrush for the sole purpose of terrain building. I'm curious as to the final steps involved, DF, hurry up and build some terrain!

Your request is my wish of Master ZERO... hehe

Another update.

With the help of my darling gamer-chick wife, I have managed to complete the flocking of the table and have also gotten all of the vegetation 'planted'. Due to a distinct LACK of any good LGS, I have to order myself a bottle of 'Water Effects' online from GW-Aus, so until it arrives, my rice paddies are all dried up. Anyway, on with the pics...

With all the Scorched Grass added to the Dark Green areas, I went about applying a mixture of GW Glade Grass/GW Static Grass to the rest of the tabletop.




With that task completed, MrsDregga ( :biggrin ) and I took to 'planting' all the vegetation. Hopefully terrain can be easily made out. There are Impassable forest areas ad the rest are difficult terrain forest areas.




As I stated earlier, I have to wait for my order of 1x Bottle of Water Effects to arrive before I can complete the rice paddies. In the large clear area atop the 'level 1' hill will be either an Ork settlement (removable), or a removable 'ruin', or a removable crashed ship. (Depends on the game, the way I feel, and the army I play at the time. On the Dark Green Area atop the level 3 hill will be one painted (by MrsDregga) Fortified Manor. These are yet to be painted, so not currently on the table.

With the table effectively finished (for now), I thought it would be cool to take a few pics of something on the table for size comparison. I wonder what Loodo thought of his new [cough cough] Stompin' Ground?








C&C Welcome as always.

Warboss GargDregga.

That is a sweet map Darkfather...you and your wife should be proud :)

Very cool. Is that it all finished up? (besides the water I mean)

Yep Zero. Besides the water and the two main pieces of scenery. (Fortified Manor & Settlement/Ruins/or Crashed Ship).

DF

Awesome, it looks great. I look forward to any more work you guys put up. Thanks for sharing!

-Also, how long did that setup take you?

Man, oh man. That is just too much. That beastie looks right at home stomping through the battle ground.

'Ere we go! 'Ere we go! 'Ere we go!

Thanks guys.

ZERO: About 2 weeks from woe to go.

DF

Only 2 weeks....man you guys really must work like crazy on your projects!! My maps take me at least 1 1/2 months to make. (usually longer)

You made her do all the work, didn't you?

LOL.

Not at all. This project would be more a 90% DF - 10% MrsDF job. Compared to our usual 50%-50% jobs.

DF

Somebody had to get drunk while relaxing! It's hard work, and you should be proud of it, DF. Seriously though, thank you for putting up the process involved, it's really helpful to know not to just grab some styrophome and start painting it grassy, heh