Modular Malifaux Terrain Tiles

[Xango]

@Wod... fantastic link, awesome surface to play!

[Sholto]

@Wodshow - thanks for the link! That's given me an idea. Captain Carrot of these parts makes gears exactly like that on his CNC machine. All sorts of clever, tricksy, not-quite-round gears that do unusual things. Now you mention it, it would make awesome Arcanist terrain.

[Sholto]

I downloaded the Himmelveil Canals set from World Works Games. I liked the idea of adding water to my city, but I didn't want the canals to be flat like the roads. Instead, I wanted them below ground level.

The plan was to raise all my terrain tiles up 50mm/ 2", so that I could then create canal tiles with the water surface below ground level. It turned out that raising the existing terrain tiles was fairly easily done with some blue foam sections. These come in 12" x 24" x 1", which is perfect for this build.

In these pics you can see the prototype straight canal section - a 12" square terrain tile with the water cut out and mounted 2" below the surface. Dock walls textures provide the canal walls. I put some Vallejo Water Effects on the canal itself (after experimenting on scrap pieces to make sure it wouldn't cause the label paper to detach or the ink to run). I plan another straight section and an open section, filled with water, with 4 possible canal exits - this lets me put the three pieces in a variety of configurations. I will cap off the canal ends with outflow or inflow sections (probably magnetised).

In these pics you can also see some new stair sections, a fountain and a small, walled feature, as well as the bridges from my last update.

This is pretty much everything I have built to date, all assembled:-

In the last one you can probably just about see the pillars at the canal side. These weren't an original feature (nor are they in the WWG set), but I found I needed them for stability - basically they stop the canal walls folding like a pack of cards. They also, quite handily, provide some much needed cover to any models splashing around in the water

[The Green Git]

Very nice! Like the canals.

I've come to find apparently the cork tiles are less common in the US. The home fix-it stores don't carry them. I'd have to special order.

[Sholto]

In that case I would go straight for 6mm MDF. My local Homebase have a sheet for £12, and I got all 9 squares cut from that, exactly 12" on a side.

The MDF is not as lightweight, but the label paper will adhere slightly better and if you want to turn them into raised street section you can just add legs instead of having to prop the whole tile up with eg. blue foam.

Speaking of which, it turns out that label paper will stick to blue foam. For the canal pillars I didn't want to make lots of little boxes out of foamcore (very fiddly) so I cut a 1" square stick of blue foam and then cut the pillars out of that. It sands quickly and very smoothly to a fine edge, and the label paper sticks to it without any fuss. Well worth bearing in mind for any other fiddly sections in the build.

[nerdelemental]

Love your work, Sholto!

Wish you were one of my locals- I think you and I were cut from a pretty similar bolt of cloth...

Had my eye on World Works for a long time. Then moreso at Gencon where I got to hobnob with them a bit. Now following what you did, decided to plunge in (waiting on terraclips is driving me nuts!).

So I purchased their Building set, specifically to use various pieces to make most elements of Colette's Star Theater. I'm following your lead a bit, too, in that I'm not going strictly with their linx system. Nor am I using magnets, though. Mine's going to be a static board with the images permanently mounted to either mdf or foamcore. I've been manipulating some of the tiles with Gimp to remove the tabs they have for anchors. Irritating, but it'll look good in the end.

So I'm wondering if you've done any image manipulation or other kitbashing and how it went for you? (I'm thinking of stretching their walls to make them 3" tall, too....)

edit: one more question: I've experimented with various papers such as cardstock, good inkjet paper (too thin but images are more crisp than cardstock), and now on some semi-gloss photo paper. The photo paper is totally the bomb. But I'm wondering how your paper images holds up from gaming and transport wear and tear.

Edited December 13, 2010 by nerdelemental

[Sholto]

I have done a little kitbashing, but only to the extent of changing the printing ratio. For example, although their Terrainlinx walls are based on a 3"/6" system, the 6" wall sections are not 6" long. The anchor posts make up part of the 6", so the wall section themselves are only 5.25" long. This means I have to scale up all wall sections I print to 114%. That scaling makes them too tall, so I have to measure them when I cut them out to ensure I only cut out 2" in height.

I haven't tried actual kitbashing (with Gimp, for example). Partly this is due to laziness on my part (see also: deadlines, sticking to) but mainly it is due to my method of assembly. I cut out the pieces and stick them to foamcore, then cut around them all in one go, so my kitbashing is done on the foamcore, as it were.

For example, if I wanted 3" tall walls, I would print my normal walls (making them 2" high and 6" wide), and then find a 1" strip I liked the look of and print that as well, then cut them both out and stick them to the foamcore to give me a 3" wall. It might not be as seamless as a Gimp kitbash, but I knows my limits

As for durability, I use matt white A4 label paper, and I have, err, access to a colour laser printer. I haven't had any issues with the printed textures rubbing off or fading, but since I only use the set about once every week or so, that is not saying much. However, several months and many games in, it is all still in pristine condition.

One thing you might want to experiment with is foamed pvc. It costs about the same as foamcore, but I hear it is much stronger, and that a box made of 3mm thickness material can hold the weight of a man. Yes, I know there are a lot of variables and unspoken assumptions in that claim, and that unless Eric re-releases Gencon LCB we're never likely to field a miniature weighing the same as a man, but it's got to be worth a look if you're just starting out.

[The Green Git]

One thing you might want to experiment with is foamed pvc. It costs about the same as foamcore, but I hear it is much stronger, and that a box made of 3mm thickness material can hold the weight of a man.

This is interesting stuff and certainly would be lighter than MDF. Found some here:

http://www.tapplastics.com/shop/product.php?pid=342

Cost for 9 1/4" thick 12" x 12" sheets: $33.75

Cost to ship to my location: $19.38 :261:

Looks like the MDF wins as I can get that at Home Depot and they will cut it for free.

[Sholto]

@GreenGit - I was thinking of using the foamed pvc for the actual terrain in place of foamcore. I think the MDF would still be cheaper for the base tiles. That shipping is ridonculous, though!

[The Green Git]

Sholto there was another website that sold sheets of foamed PVC for photo backing that came with adhesive already. Was billed as peel and stick photo mounting but you could just as easily stick texture maps on there...

http://www.foamboardsource.com/sintra-pvc-foam.html

[Sholto]

That shop has quite a selection. I don't think Gatorboard exists in the UK, or maybe it has another name.

[Deuce]

Very nice! Like the canals.

I've come to find apparently the cork tiles are less common in the US. The home fix-it stores don't carry them. I'd have to special order.

I'm not sure if it's the same thing you're looking for, but I found 30cmx30cmx5mm cork tiles for custom corkboards at Wal-mart in the office supplies section.

[The Green Git]

I'm not sure if it's the same thing you're looking for, but I found 30cmx30cmx5mm cork tiles for custom corkboards at Wal-mart in the office supplies section.

Thanks, I'll have a look the next time I'm in there.

[Sholto]

Then there's this, which features magnets ("****ing magnets, how do they work?") and so is doubleplusperfect

Seriously, though - depending on price that could be a cool product, and Back-2-Base-ix don't charge an arm and a leg to ship to the UK. Usually.

(the magnets quote is from ICP, via Boing Boing, in case you're wondering what on Earth I'm on about)

Edited December 14, 2010 by Sholto

[Sholto]

Thought I would add some close-up shots of the canal:-

Basic construction:-

The inserts I have made to block off the canal ends (I need one more). The magnets are in the bottom, behind a strip of card I glued along the base of each one:-

Here is one of the magnets in the canal itself. Each end has two, to match the magnets in the bottoms of the inserts. The polarity is such that not only will the magnets hold the inserts, they will also attach to other canal sections:-

And lastly a close-up of the canal interior. Nice, shiny water!:-

Edited December 14, 2010 by Sholto

[Ratty]

Just a few questions Sholto, is there anything magnet wise connecting the base boards to the extra blocks?

Secondarily have you edged the base boards after you raised them on the blue foam?

I know this is a big ask, But can I also get a photo of all the pieces you have done separately, and a photo with the location of the magnets marked in with photoshop.

Do you know the trade names of the blue core and card you used.

I love the idea and I'm visiting my parents for a week over Christmas. When I was young they build me a castle made a similar way and really enjoyed doing it. So we are going to make, making a board a Christmas Project. (Better than monging out in front of the TV)

[Sholto]

There are no magnets holding the base boards (cork tiles) in place, onto each other or onto the blue foam. I went low-tech for that, and just use blu-tac.

I haven't completed the process of raising the base boards, so cannot show you photos. I can tell you my plan, however. There will be 4x36" edging strips to go around the outside. They will be made of normal 6" wall textures, without railings on top. When you add in the thickness of the cork tiles, the playing surface is actually 2 1/16" high, so the edging walls will be slightly higher than normal walls. I might use the Himmelveil Sewer wall textures, since these edging strips are technically underground. Might look quite cool, actually.

36" is a lot of foamcore, however, and since it is purely decorative, I might just do it in 12" sections, printing directly onto thick cardstock. Sellotape them all on the inside and wrap them around the whole table. I really don't want to spend too long making them, so will go for something pretty basic. You might want to go in a different direction.

I will take some more photos of all the pieces, and show you where the magnets go.

The blue foam I got in the Art Store in Glasgow. It didn't have any labels or maker's mark, just generic blue foam. It was in 12" x 24" sections, and came in both 1" and 2" thick. Most large art shops will stock it - architecture students use it all the time. The pink foam is slightly less dense, but will do fine for the purposes of this project.

The foamcore again was just generic stuff. I bought it from Hobbycraft (also in Glasgow). Get the big sheets, as they work out much cheaper than multiples of the A4 size. 5mm thick, and make sure it is black.

In addition, you will need:-

1. A sketch-up or plan, so you know what to print out. Then make up a list of what PDFs to print, and whether you need to scale them. I scale all 6" wall sections 114%. Everything else is printed at 100%.

2. Lots of snap-off blade craft knives. Lots. Small blades tend to flex as you cut foamcore, so get the larger type of craft knife. The blades dull quickly, so snap them off often to avoid tearing the foamcore. For cutting out tight curves (like in the wall arches) I found a scalpel blade to be much better than any craft knife.

3. Black or brown edging pen.

4. Cutting surface & cork-backed metal ruler.

5. Cheap PVA glue in a handy bottle.

6. For your base boards (cork tiles, MDF, whatever) I recommend painting the surfaces and edges black before you stick anything on them. Spray paint is ideal.

7. Magnets. At least 50x but preferably 100x 6mmx2mm rare earth magnets. I got mine off Ebay. You can always add them later - you don't need to have them to start with.

8. A flat surface and some weighty items to keep your pieces held together while the glue sets up. I use tins of beans and jars and so on - hey, it's what I have to hand!

Edited December 14, 2010 by Sholto

[Ratty]

7. Magnets. At least 50x but preferably 100x 6mmx2mm rare earth magnets. I got mine off Ebay. You can always add them later - you don't need to have them to start with.

How many on each 6" wall are you using... Also how do you add them later? won't you wan't them behind the sticky label?

[Sholto]

I use two per 6" section.

I don't put them under the sticky label, as I doubt it would stay stuck. Instead, I carve a slot out of the foam just behind the surface of the foamcore and press the magnet in there (with plenty of glue). The card of the foamcore holds it in place securely. It does mean that the magnets need to work through 2 layers of card (one on each terrain piece) which is why I went with 6mmx2mm.

Take a look at the canal, and you'll see what I mean.

[Ratty]

Ah that makes sense, you can cut in from the bottom of the wall.

[Sholto]

Exactly! I wasn't sure I had described it well enough

[Ratty]

It that strong enough for the full replacement walls with the railing? I would have though having 2 magnets at the bottom would cause issues?

[Sholto]

I assume you mean the 6" wall sections with railings that attach onto bits of wall that don't have railings? If so, then the two magnets at the bottom are certainly strong enough to hold it in place without any issues. Just make sure your walls are all perfectly vertical, and you can assure this in the gluing phase by setting them against something that is itself perfectly vertical.

[Ratty]

Excelent. So I don't have to worry too much about magnets then. That makes my life easier.

[Sholto]

Yup. They are not essential, and can always be added quickly and easily later if you feel you need them.