How much 40k terrain is enough?

Some of you may have read one of my earlier posts on 40k Terrain where I talked about why terrain was an important part of the Warhammer hobby. One of the key changes in the Warhammer 40k 5th edition rules was line of site and another was a change to having roughly 25% of the battlefield to be terrain. Meaning not just flat open space. Trees. Hill. Building. Whatever.

There was a great post on 40k scenery this week by Disdainful this week on Capture and Control -- see 40k Zen: The Lay of the Land. This article reviews several battlefields and shows what 25% looks like on the battlefield. An example is below. I recommend you study the rest -- they are great.

This:

   

Really is 25%: 

40k Terrain making tools

Making great 40k Terrain is going to take the right tools. Brushes, scissors, craft knives, sand paper, needle nose pliers, and such make up the basic tools of the trade. As you advance in techniques, you may need power tools, heat guns, wire foam cutters, paint rollers, and a few other things. Oh, and don't forget your fork. Making fun to play 40k battlefields doesn't have to expensive, and you can get started slowly. Collect tools and materials as you go, getting what you need for the project at hand. Lots of things you may already have and others you may be able to borrow.

For a more complete list of tools, see 40k Terrain -- Tools of the trade.

Great 40k terrain lava field

Simple 40k terrain projects that incrementally can contribute to making fantastic 40k battlefields. Warhammer Denver meetup group recently had a campaign (the Tarlith campaign) and one of the game nights had some fantastically simple terrain. One of my favorites is a lava field made of polystyrene islands on an orange cloth. This fantastic battlefield was the genius of Damien Garcia, a master modeler who many of you might have met at Adepticon XXX fixing broken models in the main hall.

The color contrast is perfect for great game energy and this provides an interesting base for future rock formations and 40k buildings.

 

Great Games Workshop Opportunity

This is a great opportunity to do something cool for you expert modelers out there! Games Workshop is hosting a terrain challenge. Basically, all you need to do is to take some pictures of a fantastic terrain piece YOU have done, and send it in. Winner gets a Realm of Battle Gameboard. 

Now, it's not a 40k Terrain challenge, but it's still cool. Check out the The Great Gameboard Giveaway for details. Here's my favorite picture of sample terrain from the article provided in the contest description -- absolutely fantastic work by Ben.  

 

Aeronautica Imperialis and Warhammer 40k Together

This is a great idea from Wargame-Terrain:

"Our setup is a two-table event, in which one table features Aeronautica Imperialis dogfighting and the other is full of gritty 40K action. The outcome of the Aeronautica game affects the strength of the attacking side and other events in the 40K game. Get involved with a teammate for a battle that rages both across the skies and through the trenches! All models provided."

Imagine the 40kTerrain possibilities. Planetstrike, Cities of Death, Apocalypse -- each would be a blast.

Use vinyl terrain mat for 40k Terrain hills!

You can make a great looking hill for Warhammer 40k using a vinyl terrain mat and polystyrene. Cut the shape of the polystyrene to what you'd like the hill to look like and then use a heat gun to mold the vinyl terrain mat to the hill. Check out more detailed instructions at 40k Terrain.

40k Terrain – Surfacing your game boards

One of the first things you need to do in making your 40k battlefields is to create some game boards. Game boards provide the backdrop for your other 40k terrain items. It’s important that they look great, be reasonably durable, have a playable surface, and be inexpensive.

I like using the hard foam boards you get at the hardware store – 2” thick pink polystyrene sheets. Your standard playing surfaces for both Warhammer 40k and Fantasy Warhammer are 4’x6’ and 4’x8’. So, I like to make my boards out of 2’x4’ sheets. You may need to cut the sheets down at the hardware store if you don’t have a truck or SUV, so bring a tape measure when you buy them.

Now, here’s the real secret. I know a lot of players who put glue down on the sheets and then sprinkle sand and then put several coats of paint down. There is a much faster and less expensive way, and probably more durable, too. I get flat latex paint at the hardware store. Just like painting and high lighting your miniatures, you’ll need a base color, a mid-tone, and a high-light. For 4’x8’, a half gallon of the base and ¼ gallons of the other two should be enough. And you’ll need rollers (3/8” nap is sufficient) and roller tray, a two gallon bucket, and some large brushes.  Finally, you need sand or ballast (from the hobby store for model trains) of appropriate grain.  Take your base color and mix it up with the sand until it will just barely be paintable (use the two gallon bucket). Roller it onto the sheets, let it dry over night (it really needs to dry solid). Then just over brush the grain with your mid-tone and then dry brush with the highlight. The results are superb! You've got a good start for making fantastic 40k battlefields. Check out the images in this post to see samples: 40k Terrain -- You need it now!

I hope to have an illustrated version showing how to do this within a couple weeks on my blog at 40k Terrain.