Base: The base size is H" by 2". Use what-ever material matches your figure basing system. I have found that J" tempered hardboard underlay makes a good base. It is easy to cut and holds up well in the gaming environment. Using masonite with the rough side down will make the bases stay where you put them. After cutting, the edges are very rough, so use a file to knock off the excess material and give a slight bevel to each edge, top and bottom.

Texture: Any poorly graded dry sand will make a good texture. I salvaged sand from the kids' sand box.

Rails: Do not use dowels or any commercial wood product for the rails. What makes this fence look good is that you are going to make real split rails. Let the hedge get a little shaggy in a few places then cut long straight sections about 1/8" in diameter. If you don't have a hedge, look for long straight clippings from any softwood shrub. Allow your clippings to dry, or the wet wood will be too hard to handle. When it is dry enough, you can bend it and it snaps.

Paint: You only need green and yellow; the rails stay their natural color.

Adhesive: Standard white glue. Nothing fancy here.

Assembly

Start by texturing all of the bases. Apply a coat of white glue to the smooth side (if you use masonite) and immediately sprinkle with sand. This can be messy, so try to work over newspaper or some such material. Once the base is dry, paint it dark green on the top and on all four sides. After the green is dry, lightly drybrush the top of the sand with yellow. For those who are new to drybrushing, place a small amount of paint on a palette and only slightly load your brush with paint. If there is enough paint on the brush to flow, you have too much; wipe it off. Lightly brush the top of the sand. The effect you should have is that of only painting the very top of each grain of sand. Once this is done, the base is ready for the fence.

Cut your clippings into slightly less than 3/4" lengths. You will need two lengths for each section of fence. Next place a good thick pad of newspaper on a table. Stand each length on end and split it down the center using a razor knife. At this point we must stress safety. This is a lot easier to do if you have a full hand of fingers. Use pressure from the knife to hold the wood upright on end and only push down with both hands above the blade. Do not rush this step.

It is necessary to be extremely careful at this point and to cut slowly until you get used to how the wood splits. Cut each piece again so that you have quartered the log. Keep splitting each piece in half until they are about as thin as a round toothpick Please note that at this point neatness does NOT count. You want each rail to be irregular. This is what gives the fence character.

Now you can glue the rails to the base. Using tweezers and white glue place two starters directly on the base. The easiest way to do this is to make a puddle of glue on your palette: dip the rail into it, making sure that one of the flat faces is down. Place the first one starting in the upper left corner, at about 30¡ to the edge of the base. Place the second one parallel to the first, starting about halfway along the base. Now glue the next two rails on these, one bridging the two starters and one sloping from a rail to the base. Continue in this manner for two courses (perhaps three if you have the patience), but two makes a good appearance on the game table. When you are finished, the fence should look like a "W," with the points at each end on the same side.

That's it. You now have usable. handmade, split rail fence sections. When you use these sections on the game table, use a little care to match the points of the W"s between sections and at corners. The bases are "handed" and can point to the left or right. When placed correctly, they have a very good continuous look. In our games they tend to become the focal points of fighting with everyone trying to hide behind them to get the soft cover bonus. Good luck with this project. We hope the finished product gives you the same satisfaction that we get.

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