Topic: Getting some fantasy terrain done at last....

[Zygmund]

So, the bars in the windows were laser cut, ready in the buildings.

You've done a great job uplifting the basic ruins!

Thanks for the photo report. 

-Z

[The Black Knight]

So, the bars in the windows were laser cut, ready in the buildings.

Yep! Exactly.

You've done a great job uplifting the basic ruins!

Thanks for the photo report. 

-Z

Thanks mate and no problem. Can't help it I always end up doing a "how to" it seems  .

[The Black Knight]

Hi guys!

Playing some games recently made me feel like my board setups are getting a bit repetitive. I need to do some more fantasy terrain again.

I pondered on what to go after for a while. The imperial house is almost ready for painting. However, I feel that I would need to add a couple of outhouses and sheds to be satisfied with how it looks on the table. I need something more standalone and simple for now. So I’ve dug out my ‘Ruins of Osgiliath’ kit, as I feel it would fit the tiny Stonehenge and the tombs I’ve made last year.



The general idea is to build it on a hill and give it a bit more of a presence on the table. Since I am going off of LOTR inspirations again, I really liked the ruins the Fellowship passes after they leave Rivendell in the movie.



Here’s an early attempt at making a steep hill, an acropolis of sorts or an ancient temple, perhaps made by the old ones themselves.



I liked the look but realized the whole piece is getting a bit too large. I will make a smaller ruin on a hilltop one day, but I want this to be a bit more functional and double up as a flat hill. I settled on a single layer of polystyrene and some cork bark pieces to make the edges rocky.





Right of the bat I knew I wanted to add some stairs to the front and back, to make it look as they were carved in the rocky outcrops themselves. Shrinking down the hill took away from the look I had in mind, but I guess that’s the wargaming compromises we have to take.





Here the polystyrene and the cork were glued down and some shaping has been carried out. The ruins and the stairs are not yet attached permanently, as I need to tinker with them some more. Not sure where to put the statues that come with the kit…decisions decisions.

[GamesPoet]

Will the base of the statues fit, one on each side, and at the bottom of the front stairs?

[The Black Knight]

Will the base of the statues fit, one on each side, and at the bottom of the front stairs?

I would have to fiddle around with them but I think it could be done. Thanks for the idea!

[Novogord]

I always like some old weapons, skulls or other discarded bits used in terrain pieces
I makes the come more alive.

And you're giving me some great ideas for my second set of these ruines.

[The Black Knight]

I always like some old weapons, skulls or other discarded bits used in terrain pieces
I makes the come more alive.

And you're giving me some great ideas for my second set of these ruines.

I have plans for adding some  scattered bits, fear not! In particular I want to add some rubble in the middle of the structure. It always bothers me when there is a ruined shell of a building and no rubble around it or inside it. Where did it go?

[GamesPoet]

Could be stolen for use in building a farmer's cottage.

[The Black Knight]

Stealing rocks from rundown evil temples is probably the reason you have roll on a chart, everytime you go near a building in 8th edition  .

'Honey the walls are bleeding...again'

[GamesPoet]

   There are multiple reasons why I don't play 8th.

[The Black Knight]

@GamesPoet - it wasn't that bad!!!

Managed to devote another evening to terrain building and I have some modest progress to report.
The rear side of the hill was built up with some cork bits to make a little outcrop.

[/url]

I’ve also filled and smoothed out most of the joints where the cork bark meets the foam. The stairs at the front were finally cut to shape and secured.

[/url]

Nothing huge as you can see but it needed to be done, before I glue down the walls and begin texturing the base. Any time spent on the hobby is worth cash money to me right now!

I have also fiddled around with one of the statues. There are two possible places where I can see them standing. One is at the front where GamesPoet suggested:



This looks pretty cool, it’s a nice visible spot but it obscures the little windows a bit.

I could also see placing them at the back (or maybe just one of them and using the other one for some other project). Decisions! What do you guys think?



I am also considering adding a few long steps along the edges of the temple, instead of the foam you see here:



I was planning on making a gently dropping slope here with DAS putty, but now I’m thinking a few stairs might look more in tune with the idea of an ancient temple that I have. In ancient Greece the classic temple would be sat on this multi-layered structure called the crepidoma, as marked here:



I would only do the steps running from one rocky outrcrop to another at the sides, but it still might look cool. On the other hand, this would probably make balancing big units of troops on the sides of the hill even harder. Plus it's going back and redoing the sides really. Me no like redoing. We'll see on the next update I guess!

[GamesPoet]

I like the idea of the long steps in front of that side door!

Also, my previous suggestion was intended to have the statues on both sides and at the bottom of the front stairs.  I think the one at the top of those stairs gets lost because it is so close to the structure.  And I could live with one being in the back and the other in the front, although it looks like there might be more space on the other side of the stairs (if just one is being placed on the blue base.

[The Black Knight]

I like the idea of the long steps in front of that side door!

Also, my previous suggestion was intended to have the statues on both sides and at the bottom of the front stairs.  I think the one at the top of those stairs gets lost because it is so close to the structure.  And I could live with one being in the back and the other in the front, although it looks like there might be more space on the other side of the stairs (if just one is being placed on the blue base.

Okay now I get ya. I will try dry-fitting them there too, although I must say looking at the pictures now I like how they appear standing against the wall. Might have solved my dilemma already.

The wide steps will be a bit of a pain in the ass to do but I am leaning towards this more and more. Will give it a couple more days and I am going to try doing a little test mock-up.

I did however carve up a few stone blocks out of PVC for the rubble.



These are just to test the scale, I will probably do them in a different technique, as it would take bloody ages with the amount I want to add to this piece. The most important thing I think is to try and match the thickness of the walls at least roughly.