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Terrain Building - Part 1
Designing And Building Terrain The Jersey Way
As the longest serving terrain builder I have been asked to explain our approach to producing wargaming model terrain.
From the very beginning the design and construction of terrains was established largely by local needs. Without a permanent clubhouse or store all layouts needed to be transportable by car. Also with our early interest in presenting displays in the UK the ease of carrying the terrain by sea or air from our island meant that weight was another factor.
The answer to both the size and weight problems was solved by using polystyrene insulation boards bought from the local builders' merchant. These boards come in a handy 1200mm x 600mm ( 4ft x 2ft ) size and several thicknesses from 25mm to 150mm ( 1 to 6 inches ). As I would have to butt several boards together in the final layout having straight sided boards was another plus. The material is also easy to cut, shape and carve to produce any of the landscape effects I may be called on to reproduce.
Before moving on to the design stage one last observation: all of us that have spent many happy hours moving figures around a table will have realised that you can comfortably reach about 900mm ( 3ft ). With players both sides of the table this gives a maximum layout width for the terrain of 1800mm ( 6 ft ) or three boards. The length of the terrain is not a problem but to meet our needs we initially kept the layouts, with rare exceptions, to 2400mm x 1800mm ( 8ft x 6 ft ). In later years it has become more usual to produce 3600mm ( 12 ft ) long layouts offering a wider range of playing options and in one instance a 4800mm ( 16 ft ) was constructed.
As a democratic society the initial design stage is to get everyone to agree on the subject matter. Over the years the design, following individual presentations of ideas for specific battles or scenarios, has been decided by the various committees. The chosen wargame, as it would be on public display, would not only have to be visually stunning but allow the players to experience the feeling of the period and the individual battle. With one eye on future use, the design should also be as flexible as possible to allow different scenarios to be played over it. No pressure there then.
Once the wargame to be staged has been chosen I spend some time in the library looking through books on the subject matter and most importantly books showing the countryside, features etc that I will have to incorporate in the terrain. I then produce sketches of the design showing all the main features which is then discussed with the group, and in particular the game's main presenter, for their comments and agreement. Since 1997 this has become a much easier process as the Siege group of Alan, Derek, Edward, Paul, Pete and myself has remained unchanged and we have developed an understanding of each others idiosyncrasies.
With the sketches approved it is off to buy the boards. I now know whether this is to be a 6 board or more likely a 9 board terrain so the only thing to decide is the thickness of the boards. I look at the layout that I have been asked to construct and how the land undulates. The height of any hills will obviously depend on the game scale, we generally work in 15mm or 25mm, so the overall height can vary from 50mm to 200mm ( 2 to 8 inches ). Depending on how the land literally lies I need to decide whether it will be easier to buy a thick board and carve the features in or get a thinner board and add the features on to it. I normally end up buying a variety of board thicknesses to suit the different layout requirements.
I first lay out the boards on the floor in their appropriate places and draw on them in chalk the general features of the design. This being the first time that the sketched idea has been drawn to its full size it gives me the opportunity to make sure it is fitting together as expected. Alterations can be easily made at this time to increase or decrease areas to improve the setting. Any features that run across more than one board can also be positioned for the best. Having a road or a river bed running up a join in two boards is not usually a good idea, as the joint needs to be disguised later, and hills sit better in the landscape when they are not perched on a board edge.
In order to carve the boards I have always used a very simple set of tools. All of the general shaping is worked with a stainless steel double edged multi purpose kitchen knife which I believe was called a "kitchen devil". This has a 220mm ( 8½ inches ) long blade with different cutting edges allowing you to remove large areas of waste, carry out quite delicate detail and when required give surface texture. I have been using this for some 14 years now and would be lost without it. With the help of a sandpaper block and the occasional tool for creating a special effect like a ploughed field that is the extent of my weaponry.
Amongst the things I need to think about while I am carving the landscape is that although everything should look natural and in scale ultimately figures are going to be placed on this terrain. When I first started to design terrain I approached the scale of the layout as if it was one of my normal architectural projects. It quickly became apparent that general landscapes should be built in figure scale and not true scale in order to create that natural look and feeling. I always have a few figures and buildings to hand all the time just to drop them in the landscape to check that heights, slopes, road widths etc not only look right but are usable.
Once the boards are all rough carved I always like to get the thoughts of one or two of the group before proceeding further. Sometimes in my desire to produce the best visual terrain I have unconsciously created a gaming problem which another pair of eyes can spot and so improve the playing aspect of the layout. In the past, on at least two occasions, this rough cut review has resulted in the terrain being increased in overall size.
With the rough cut altered and finally approved the next major step is to cover the surface with the permanent ground finishes. In order to seal the surface, polystyrene's one bad habit is to spray little beads everywhere once cut, and to provide a suitable background, I cover the whole area with a masonry paint. I have over the years used different manufacturers such as Sandtex and Dulux but for the last half a dozen models, with the help of a local shop, we have mixed some original Permoglaze colours known as Model Earth, Model Desert etc.
In order to seal the surface on the detailed terrains I use a thin coat of Tetrion or similar plaster finish before applying the masonary paint
I only work on one board at a time and whilst this is still wet I scatter the general ground cover materials into the paint. I tend to use more than one colour or texture in the same area to avoid an unnatural even colouring. Although the excess will get removed in transit there will always be a basic covering to all areas which can be added to at the time the game is played. Again, over the years I have used various scatters both home produced and bought from suppliers. Sawdust has been dyed in many shades (some of them even usable), cocoa and salt has been tried (don't even think about it) and I have successfully used sand, cork and gravel. One of our major sources for ground cover is EMA Model Supplies of Shepperton who have a great range of model making products, very helpful staff and a swift order service. I normally phone my order one day and receive the parcel the next. For some time now I have used EMA's ground cover materials Foam 102 /103 /202/ 203 which provides me with a fine and medium grade in two colours. Working my way across the board I quickly establish grasslands, fields, roads, beaches etc leaving any major features like rock formations to a later time. I then carry out the same process to all the other boards until the whole of the surfaces are covered. In order to ensure that the type of cover carries evenly across boards I always butt the next board to be covered up against any adjacent finished boards.
Once the background has dried the next step is to work on the features. Plumbing hemp can form corn fields and sections of dried flowers can make authentic looking bushes and plants. In order to turn the background shapes into realistic rocky outcrops, cliffs, caves and other natural features, I use various water based ready mixed paints. In order to lose any hard edges and to blend the features into the landscape I always scatter the ground finish around the rocks etc whilst the paint is still wet.
For the first river we tried to build a fibreglass resin mix was used which caused a disaster well documented in our Indian Wars article of 1990. Since that date I have always formed water features by using plaster and paint to give me the desired effect and colour and finished the surface with a several coats of clear matt varnish to create the apparent depth required. The terraces, river and paddy fields on the Vietnam terrain were formed in this way. Any stones, planting etc can be dropped in the varnish to give the right feeling and these will set in place.
On the day of the wargame we butt all the boards together and seal the joints with plasticine. When these are painted and scattered they disappear into the general landscape. Additional scatter, lichen (reindeer moss) for hedges and scrubland, foliage, trees, buildings and other feature to enhance the chosen period/battle are then added to complete the setting.
The above hopefully will give you a flavour of terrain building. There are also plenty of books to read on various techniques should you need particular help. The main thing is to try. It really is not that difficult, and like us all you will learn by experience.
Looking back through the society's records it would seem that I have built 14 different terrains since 1989. Although as I said in the beginning I am the longest serving terrain builder I was not the first. This honour goes to Gary Sowdon who in 1988 with a club game set in Northern Ireland gave us our first taste of playing on a terrain specifically built for the game. He will also always be remembered by all those who attended our first appearance at Salute in 1989 as the builder of the prize winning Gorey Castle terrain. Also in 1989 Gary built a 3600mm x 1800mm ( 12ft x 6ft ) terrain for the Battle of Cheriton, affectionately known as "The Valley", which became our most used and longest lasting terrain. Altered and extended in later life by myself the valley was finally retired and given to the Guernsey wargamers in 2003.Whilst discussing early terrain builders I should also mention Alan Le Couteur who in 1988 built a fine seven years war terrain which was shown to the public on a wargame weekend at Elizabeth Castle Jersey.
My proudest moment came in 1996 when we were presenting our participation game "Apocalypse Then" on my Vietnam terrain at Fiasco in Leeds. Among the very many visitors to our stand was a Vietnam veteran in a wheelchair. His kind comments and declaration "that the terrain was exactly right and how he remembered it" was to me the highest praise.
Finally I will repeat something that I have stated publicly before: although I have spent numerous hours over the years building terrains, the 2400mm x 1800mm ( 8ft x 6ft ) Vietnam terrain alone took 80 working hours, and these have received recognition and awards for which I am very proud, the end product is still a diorama. To create a wargame is a team effort and as a Society we have been exceptionally fortunate that the main movers and shakers between them can bring any terrain and period to life.