Menkeroth Posted February 21, 2018 Share Posted February 21, 2018 I propose gathering and discussing all the info on the subject here, as it's a very important one. And, not surprisingly, it crops up everywhere. It saddens me that there are people who can imagine a good game without some landscape. It's one the things that comprise the heart of the hobby, not only playing, for the miniature is only then fully alive when it participates in some diorama,even if a small one. Even if you minis just line up on the shelves or a display board, some scenery around and preferably a scene of some sort make them truly come to life, even more so on the tabletop. It's third stage of the whole process - you paint the figure first, then make some base for it second, and finally send into some action of any sort, also on a battlefield. There is certainly the difference between the bare table or bare shelves and one dotted with terrain, anything you like. After all, even some improvised one is better than nothing, and it's not hard to make good one or buy something suitable for your vision of the hobby. Here are some examples of good scenery what do you all think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BunkhouseBuster Posted February 21, 2018 Share Posted February 21, 2018 I just haven't had proper motivation to get scenery made up for my home board. Why is that? Well, because I don't have the space for it. With the house I am in, and with familial issues that will continue to haunt me for the foreseeable future, I don't know that I will have the space for it for a while. I can make the time to put some together and paint it, but that takes up my time spent on working on other aspects of the hobby (painting models, gaming, etc). And since it won't be at my home anyways, what's the point? I have tried to find the motivation to put terrain and scenery together for my armies. Heck, I even made a full-sized 6x4 board from plywood with sand, paint and flock on it! But that board is still at my parents house, and I just don't have the space for anything like that anymore. Last year, I was all set to start casting and building some buildings and castles using Hirst Arts molds (http://www.hirstarts.com/), and then I started thinking of who might live in the castles I build, and then I got the urge to make new armies again. I do like a game board with plenty of finished scenery and nice terrain features. But I just can't get anything set up for my home right now due to space, time, and budget. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 21, 2018 Share Posted February 21, 2018 I'm very lucky, in that my local store/club has an excellent selection of terrain that anyone can use. It's a perfect excuse not to build any of my own, because I simply don't need to, but one of my resolutions for this year is to work on a variety of terrain projects and even write up some tutorials written from my perspective as a relative beginner. I think everyone should be encouraged to build and use terrain because: It's a whole new avenue of rewarding hobby creativity to explore. It encourages you to think in terms of the story you're telling on the tabletop. It makes games look so much better, which I find makes games more fun and engaging. Battles fought on an attractive table are so much more inspiring and help to better promote the game to new players. The skirmish-like nature of AoS means that terrain plays a much more dynamic role in battles than just blocking movement and line of sight. I still don't think AoS has fully shaken off the attitudes to terrain that existed in the days of WHFB. For example, when everything was rank-and-flank the vertical space was irrelevant - battles generally had to be played out on a horizontal plane. I would love the opportunity to explore the possibilities of fighting across multiple levels with lots of line-of-sight blocking terrain and bottlenecks. Like a really dense and haphazard Skaven city with lots of criss-crossing walkways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stato Posted February 21, 2018 Share Posted February 21, 2018 Ive recently bought a gaming mat and made up some pieces to match it. I dont have a space to play at home but play at a club which has some pieces to use but not enough on busy days so Ive built it to take there for myself or others to use. I picked up the scenery set GW did at the end of 2017 and also some old Lord of the Rings ruins and other bits and pieces. Ive based all the buildings so they are a bit tougher for transport but also easier to play on for AoS, the basing has been matched to the mat. Dont have any pictures at the moment but it looks pretty decent when all out together and im quite happy with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soulsmith Posted February 21, 2018 Share Posted February 21, 2018 My issue would be I like to base my armies differently - who gets to have the board Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Menkeroth Posted February 21, 2018 Author Share Posted February 21, 2018 58 minutes ago, BunkhouseBuster said: I do like a game board with plenty of finished scenery and nice terrain features. But I just can't get anything set up for my home right now due to space, time, and budget. Well, that's really funny (no offense, though). If one would wish he could do all of that, it just points out what priorities you have and that the terrain just is not really wanted. Believe me, you don't need to build too large ones, and small or medium-sized landscape does not take that much space. You just can have a pair of small or medium castles, for instance, and that would be quite enough, for a start, and they will not cause any real troubles with spacing. But to each their own, anyway. 42 minutes ago, Jamie the Jasper said: I still don't think AoS has fully shaken off the attitudes to terrain that existed in the days of WHFB. For example, when everything was rank-and-flank the vertical space was irrelevant - battles generally had to be played out on a horizontal plane. It seems, AoS has not fully shaken any attitude that was previously associated with WHFB, sadly. And to terrain as well, although it should have by now. AoS is another setting where your imagination can have no bounds, and the possibilities are endless. 43 minutes ago, Jamie the Jasper said: I would love the opportunity to explore the possibilities of fighting across multiple levels with lots of line-of-sight blocking terrain and bottlenecks. Like a really dense and haphazard Skaven city with lots of criss-crossing walkways. Exactly, I am of your opinion too. Or, if someone is using lots of flying units, a battlefield with floating islands and such stuff would be good. Nothing is really impossible if carefully and thoughtfully done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Menkeroth Posted February 21, 2018 Author Share Posted February 21, 2018 9 minutes ago, Soulsmith said: My issue would be I like to base my armies differently - who gets to have the board Well, they can all fight on any field, can't they? Ideally it would be the best to have different landscape and / or board for every realm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BunkhouseBuster Posted February 21, 2018 Share Posted February 21, 2018 13 minutes ago, Menkeroth said: Well, that's really funny (no offense, though). If one would wish he could do all of that, it just points out what priorities you have and that the terrain just is not really wanted. Believe me, you don't need to build too large ones, and small or medium-sized landscape does not take that much space. You just can have a pair of small or medium castles, for instance, and that would be quite enough, for a start, and they will not cause any real troubles with spacing. But to each their own, anyway. Oh I know. And those priorities are going into the armies themselves, or into my 11-month old daughter and 9 year old step-daughter. Kids are much more expensive than I realized... Another part of the problem is that I would pretty much be the only one to use the scenery. The closest wargamers live either 45 minutes west of me, or 90 minutes east of me, and there are plenty of gaming stores in those cities that already have boards and scenery to use. In my case, it's not that I can't do it, it is because it just isn't feasible at this time. My goal is to eventually get something set up for my home like I'm hoping for. But at this moment, I'd rather work on the inhabitants and build up my army collection first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Menkeroth Posted February 21, 2018 Author Share Posted February 21, 2018 4 hours ago, BunkhouseBuster said: Kids are much more expensive than I realized... And even more than they could have been, really 4 hours ago, BunkhouseBuster said: Another part of the problem is that I would pretty much be the only one to use the scenery. Well, you lack motivation, as you've said, and that's clear, motivation wouldn't hurt. But then all of the hobby, though it's a social one, is first and foremost for your enjoyment, so it's just your priorities. Of course, I don't criticise you, I too focus more on figures, but in the meantime, a good fort won't hurt either. This one I bought recently, and other two structures I've sent to my best friend, he will appreciate them being a long time 40k hobbyist. It's not that time or money consuming, and even less space one. You have to start with it anyway, or you won't pay them attention in the future most likely. Even one good piece of terrain encourages you greatly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyriakin Posted February 21, 2018 Share Posted February 21, 2018 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arkiham Posted February 21, 2018 Share Posted February 21, 2018 you might find some good ones in there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wraith01 Posted February 22, 2018 Share Posted February 22, 2018 I've bought a few terrain pieces from GW and I love how much they add to games. Specially because of the terrain rules (I also use Ben's Scenery Dice [he should make Skirmish and Malign Portents Scenery Dice]). I mostly play Khorne and without any cover they get massacred by armies that either have a lot of shooting or a lot of magic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkspear Posted February 22, 2018 Share Posted February 22, 2018 9 hours ago, BunkhouseBuster said: Oh I know. And those priorities are going into the armies themselves, or into my 11-month old daughter and 9 year old step-daughter. Kids are much more expensive than I realized... Another part of the problem is that I would pretty much be the only one to use the scenery. The closest wargamers live either 45 minutes west of me, or 90 minutes east of me, and there are plenty of gaming stores in those cities that already have boards and scenery to use. In my case, it's not that I can't do it, it is because it just isn't feasible at this time. My goal is to eventually get something set up for my home like I'm hoping for. But at this moment, I'd rather work on the inhabitants and build up my army collection first. I am in a situation like yours. My solution is to buy already made terrain slowly. It took me 2 years to finally get hold of a gaming map and some trees (I play Aelves) within my budget and space limitations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richelieu Posted February 22, 2018 Share Posted February 22, 2018 10 hours ago, BunkhouseBuster said: Oh I know. And those priorities are going into the armies themselves, or into my 11-month old daughter and 9 year old step-daughter. Kids are much more expensive than I realized... I hear ya man... My wife and I were two income no kids for years. I knew on a kind of intellectual level that kids were expensive, but dang they will suck your gaming budget dry faster than a Vampire Lord can drain a peasant's daughter! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 22, 2018 Share Posted February 22, 2018 16 hours ago, Menkeroth said: It seems, AoS has not fully shaken any attitude that was previously associated with WHFB, sadly. And to terrain as well, although it should have by now. AoS is another setting where your imagination can have no bounds, and the possibilities are endless. Exactly! Despite being pleased that the Skullvane Manse / Warscryer Citadel was re-released, there is a nagging concern at the back of my mind - are we drifting back towards medieval European architecture being the default source of inspiration again? I hope not. One of my plans when I start my season of terrain projects is to build at least one structure for each of the Free Cities - inspired by the amazing artwork in Season of War: Firestorm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamopower Posted February 22, 2018 Share Posted February 22, 2018 I just made a new table in January: It's not perhaps very practical in normal AoS games, but playing on it feels quite nice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 22, 2018 Share Posted February 22, 2018 3 minutes ago, Jamopower said: I just made a new table in January: It's not perhaps very practical in normal AoS games, but playing on it feels quite nice Beautiful! Looks perfectly practical to me - stick to games no bigger than 1000-1500 points and maybe allow models to cross the river with a major penalty to their movement, and you're golden. I'd love to play a game on a board like this! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamopower Posted February 22, 2018 Share Posted February 22, 2018 This is what the battle looked like few turns in: [/url] I have plans on doing a third 2'x4' board fitting to the side closest to the viewer on the photo to get it to full size and allow bit more forest and stuff you can find in the forest. Also at some point I'd like to build some more fantastical AoS stuff for the table. Maybe a (walking) treehouse or something like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Menkeroth Posted February 22, 2018 Author Share Posted February 22, 2018 2 hours ago, Jamie the Jasper said: Exactly! Despite being pleased that the Skullvane Manse / Warscryer Citadel was re-released, there is a nagging concern at the back of my mind - are we drifting back towards medieval European architecture being the default source of inspiration again? I hope not. Me too. Medieval Europe is not bad, but we've seen it already plus AoS is more variable than that. It does give us endless possibilities and ideas. 2 hours ago, Jamopower said: It's not perhaps very practical in normal AoS games, but playing on it feels quite nice Fantastic! this is how it all should look like, the essence of the hobby. Great work and I see LotR dwarves in there? look quite convincing despite being certainly smaller than the chaos knights! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamopower Posted February 22, 2018 Share Posted February 22, 2018 14 minutes ago, Menkeroth said: Fantastic! this is how it all should look like, the essence of the hobby. Great work and I see LotR dwarves in there? look quite convincing despite being certainly smaller than the chaos knights! Yeah, they fit the army much better than the WH Dwarfs with their huge hands, as my humans are mostly made from Perry historicals and as they are small anyways, they work quite well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Menkeroth Posted February 22, 2018 Author Share Posted February 22, 2018 But then the chaos warriors should look like giants compared to them? And I think it would be great to have some more battlements on the table Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wraith01 Posted February 22, 2018 Share Posted February 22, 2018 4 hours ago, Jamie the Jasper said: Exactly! Despite being pleased that the Skullvane Manse / Warscryer Citadel was re-released, there is a nagging concern at the back of my mind - are we drifting back towards medieval European architecture being the default source of inspiration again? I hope not. One of my plans when I start my season of terrain projects is to build at least one structure for each of the Free Cities - inspired by the amazing artwork in Season of War: Firestorm. I really hope GW have new Scenery kits in mind! While I wouldn't mind getting my hands on Whitchfate Tor, I would really like new Fortifications for the Stormcast cities and the Ruins of the Katophranes in Shadespire, etc... I mean as I read it everything is more Steampunkish in AoS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stato Posted February 22, 2018 Share Posted February 22, 2018 1 hour ago, Menkeroth said: But then the chaos warriors should look like giants compared to them? And I think it would be great to have some more battlements on the table Battlements and castles feels a bit odd to me in AoS, at least standard stone castles. We have things like cogforts, and Chaos citadels, and living cities. I want to make my next terrain pieces more 3D, either lift them up on floating islands or on twisted and warped ground where the ground has lifted up so the walls of a building end up and the floor for miniatures. Basically make it look like the battelified has been torn apart by huge magic torments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 22, 2018 Share Posted February 22, 2018 20 minutes ago, Wraith01 said: I really hope GW have new Scenery kits in mind! While I wouldn't mind getting my hands on Whitchfate Tor, I would really like new Fortifications for the Stormcast cities and the Ruins of the Katophranes in Shadespire, etc... I mean as I read it everything is more Steampunkish in AoS. I wouldn't say that everything is more steampunk, but certainly the settlements that have received the most attention from GW so far quite often are. But even if you look at those free cities pictures you can see a lot of other influences: The Living City - mix of organic structures and stone, buildings carved inside giant trees, etc. Anvilgard - C'thulhu, R'lyeh, non-euclidean, cyclopean, lost city vibe. Hammerhal - ancient Greek. Tempest's Eye - traditional Japanese architecture meets a mystical take on Blade Runner. Greywater Fastness - your traditional medieval/renaissance European look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Menkeroth Posted February 22, 2018 Author Share Posted February 22, 2018 56 minutes ago, Wraith01 said: I would really like new Fortifications for the Stormcast cities There are rumors that GW will eventually release Stormkeeps as the counterpart of the dreadholds, so who knows. 31 minutes ago, stato said: Battlements and castles feels a bit odd to me in AoS, at least standard stone castles. True, but much depends on how you approach it. Even the standard castles can be turned into something interesting with the right color scheme, lots of things like banners, shields and skulls all over the place and such things. More problematic is that GW tries to push more larger structures possible, especially in the fluff where everything is overrated and oversized. But this is tolerable to an extent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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