I'm sure you've done this before (well at least I have). You walk into a convention and are truly ASTOUNDED by a few of the professionally done game tables. Questions of "How did they do that?" and "Where can I buy it?" run through your head. Of course in most cases statements of "I couldn't afford it" or "I don't have the talent to make it myself" immediately follow after further investigation. Well I'm here to tell you that you can do it, and I'm going to show you how in a series of articles.
My plan over the next 6 issues is as follows:
- Base Boards
(including painted tables, scenic mats, flocked tabletops, sand tables, flat modular boards, and true modular boards)
- Hills
(gentle hills, steep hills, cliffs, ridges, mountains, and rocky terrain)
- Trees
(individually based, woods sections, and groves in all popular scales)
- Water
(streams, rivers, ponds, lakes, marshes/swamps, and coastal pieces)
- Miscellaneous Items
(hedges, walls, fences, furrowed fields, gardens, and islands)
- Buildings
(store bought and custom built)
All articles will consider cost, playability, and realism. They will include step-by-step instructions, diagrams where applicable, material lists, tools needed, and occasional photographs.
I also want to hear from you. I know that everyone has experimented with different ways to achieve a scenic effect. Let's come up with ideas that I haven't covered or by trying your way, one can save time and/or money. Together we can make the hobby even better!
I can be contacted via e-mail at: stroubs@bellsouth.net or by snail mail at: 2635 SW 35th Place, #2003, Gainesville, FL 32608. Appropriate credit will be given to submissions included in the series.
-ed note: Bryan will be running this regular column in The Gauntlet! My thanks for his continued contributions to the hobby. In the article, look for lots of pictures and diagrams. On occasion, I'll move some of Bryan's terrain shots to the full color picture section! He deserves it. For anyone who's had the pleasure of seeing Bryan's terrain, it is very, very nice. Realistic, transportable, in scale, I can't think of what else to say! It's my pleasure to carry this series and think Gauntlet readers will get a lot from it.
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© Copyright 1997 by Craig Martelle Publications
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