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First Malifaux terrain attempt

dapatrick

By dapatrick
in The Hobby Room

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dapatrick Apprentice

dapatrick

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Big things are happening in the world of Boston.

After about a month or two interest in Malifaux I have managed to tug a bit of my 40k group towards the game with small subtle suggestions. Its funny because they think that this is their idea now. I have one guy in fully, with 2 starter box sets of Guild, another just has a rule book, while yet another just spent $100 ordering stuff - and he already has a rulebook. God knows what he will come back with.

So we now need terrain. I have decided to work on that straight away, before even assembling the models - heck, I even started before I bought anything!

I really like almost all things Jack the Ripper (except for from Hell, although the movie was ok). I pulled out one of my Ripper books;

front%20cover%20of%20%20Jack%20the%20Ripper%20book.jpg

what it lacks in content, it makes up for in atmosphere. Using the building designs of White Chapel London, I began to construct a possible Victorian city Malifaux terrain. Living in Boston, I was never very far from great architectural inspiration and a quick drive along the Charles across from Harvard University was all I needed to get the creative juices flowing.

AC Moore currently has foam core for $1.29 a sheet. couple that with an exacto, a fine point sharpie and a metal ruler and I have all I need to make the early stages of some cheap terrain. I was thinking that with this kind of a board, quantity will win over quality. The goal will be to get as many building as possible on a board and to get as many as possible as historically accurate as possible to the London slums of the 1900's

I planned on building removable floors on all of my buildings so that you can get inside and really play around. I am toying with the idea of stairs, but I may leave this as a detail left out currently. After completing a few, it became a bit too much work and it appeared that the entire city wouldn't be very strong. I decided that if I made about every other building modular, that would likely be good enough to really allow movement without being too much unnecessary work.

Before I picked up the mini's, I was making the floors 3" high. This turned out to be too high, and now only the bottom floor is going to be 3" high, with all other floors 2.5" high. Both should be enough room for most size 3 models to move into. (I assume, but am not playing any size 3 models - what is the largest model in the game?)

I am going to shingle up the roof and use some plasistruct and card to make loose bricks in various spots, but I am not totally sure where and how I will do it. I don't plan on covering the whole building in card, but maybe some spots.

So I guess I am about half down. It has cost about $5 at this point (pretty cheap) but I will need to pick up another few sheets of foam core.

This is my vision. To be added are a 'workshop', likely with a large big ben style tower, possibly a hotel and a new orleans style graveyard.

CIMG3899.jpg

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I also just got some of the plastistruct tile. I plan on pouring into the recesses of this to create a cobblestone road. Well, back to work for me! Just thought I would throw this up here to see if there is interest. I will try to keep it fairly up to date.

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goblyn13 Grand Master

goblyn13

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So, jack the ripper huh? you aren't looking at playing Seamus by chance are you?

Love the buildings and to be honest, being able to get in the buildin'g I wouldn't worry about too much as just being able to make the creepy scenery is decent enough. Might also want to take a look at Sherlock Holmes the move for additional inspiration as its buidling are absolutely gorgeous (movie itself on the other hand is so-so)

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dapatrick Apprentice

dapatrick

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Thanks for the great feedback! The buildings have been made from foam core off of pictures. I don't have blue prints, I simply make a sketch of the building and figure out the orientation of it in terms of the larger city and then convert it into foamcore. I sketch it directly on the foamcore and cut it out, making the design as I build a level.

Today was the second stage. I used the last of my polystyrene to build a second level to the city. RIP my turkey knife as apparantly the flesh of birds is stronger than the flesh of panthers.

turkey%20platter.jpg >Pink%20Panther%20OC.gif

CIMG3922.jpg

This will be the sewer system. I made this so that it will go beneath either the city streets or some of the solid buildings so that they can be picked up and the mini's in the sewers can be moved around. As you can see in the pictures, the sewer layout is pretty simple. I may make this a little more complicated as the city design shifts, but the idea isn't necessarily to be a board in itself, but a different way to move about. I will put sewer caps coming up periodically.

I haven't decided if this will be the first part I finish, or the last part.

As this has progressed, I have begun work on a tower. I am still monkeying with the design for it, but I think it will have a steam operated elevator so that you don't have to spend all game walking up stairs. No pics yet.

I have begun to put siding on the buildings however. I have been wrapping sheets of uncured resin around them to good effect. I don't want to go into too much detail and have these posts run too long, but if you want more info, just let me know.

CIMG3920.jpg

That is what they are starting to look like. I should have done this step before I put on any window sills, so for those following along at home - remove anything that sticks out. Again, I have to amazing hidden secrets so I would be happy to go through one for you.

Here is a final picture of how the layout is looking and to give you a sense of what the cobblestone will look like over the sewers. I really lucked out by happening to have built buildings that you can't enter, as they will need to be moved to get at the sewers under them.

CIMG3917.jpg

The sewers have no base in historical accuracy, or even necessarily make sense in terms of where and how they are placed, they are really just there. Whatever, I play the artistic license card on this, live with it.

I also visited a local watch shop, Marcou Jewlers in Waltham Ma, world famous for making their watches and was given a few broken watches after I explained the project to them. They are full of amazing gears and whatnots. Look for them to appear in future installments.

Thanks for the great feedback guys! Awesome encouragement!

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  • 1 month later...
the good doctor Contributor

the good doctor

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Love the terrain so far. am doing something similar myself. would like to see how this progresses especially that lovely resin brickwork. I live in england and work as an estate agent- the only criticism would be that victorian style period properties do not have flat rooves. the one you have done with the pitched roof is exellent. unless you plan on using the flat rooves as a part of the playing area in which case i take it all back. keep them 3 story but i would look at putting piched roofs on them all. oh and majority of properties that old have celler access at eh front or rear as well if you are looking at linking the sewer to your board

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  • 5 years later...

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