While I was planning my Iron Brush tournament, I started reading the Blood in the Badlands rulebook for scenario inspiration. I was so inspired, I immediately started writing thoughts down for a campaign I wanted to run! I managed to put the idea down long enough to finish the tournament, but picked up the campaign idea again shortly after.
The last scenario in the Blood in the Badlands book is a massive multiplayer game with two tables. It’s a Storm of Magic scenario. The people on the primary table are fighting to win the campaign. The people on the secondary table are…fighting to get onto the primary table so they can win! I think it’s a delicious game mechanic, and I wanted to build some magical terrain to go with it! Floating rocks!
A friend just happened to be trying to get rid of some pink foam at the same time I needed some foam.
I recommend using a hot wire cutter with the pink foam – it makes a really nice cut. But in this case I just wanted some rough stone (and I no longer have a hot wire cutter…), so I cut away with a knife I had sitting around the kitchen. Something with a little more heft than a hobby knife, more like a steak knife…but not the steak knives.
Some rocks gluing, and some flying stands.
I cut successively smaller round sections of the foam, and made 3 layers to each rock. Then I took some of the scrap and cut some good edged pyramids from them.
This part always takes forever.
My usual method of applying gravel to bases. Take white glue and water it down. I use a GW tank brush to spread it around, and apply the gravel. I used 3 different sizes of gravel here in an attempt to make it seem more realistic – nature doesn’t have identical rocks lying around! After that layer dries, I apply another layer of watered down white glue. Wait a long time in between layers. I do more white glue until I’m happy that the gravel isn’t going to fly off when I touch it.
Another James Wappelism.
I had Patrick pick me up some red Oxid Paste from Vallejo. I’d never used this stuff before, but I watched a video on YouTube. The guy took a toothpick and applied it gently to his bases…I took a paintbrush and wazzed it all over instead. It has the consistency of one of the more solid GW paints – thick, but still able to be brushed on quite easily. I think in hindsight, that it should be used more like the varieties of gravel – to provide more “interest”, instead of being a thing that is everywhere. I’ll play with it some more.
I’ve just finished these tonight, and I’m hoping to figure out how to make a gradient backdrop and some decent lighting and maybe get some good photos tomorrow!
