Map building "tool" for Malifaux (homemade)

[sproutchu]

Ok, I couldn't find any other place to post this, hope it's the right section.

Currently working on 2 crews at the moment, taking my time, and also on a Puppet Wars box (assembly done, bases done, remains the painting, eventually ). Since I'm new at painting, it's loooong, and I vary my activities not to get tired of it.

Meanwhile, I'm preparing the terrain for Malifaux and trying different setups. Since I bought WorldWorksGames CastleWorks, along with some buildings and roads from Graffam, I wanted to explore the possiblities. So I endend up rendering a map (in 3D please !) of some of the pieces put together. I left an opening at the front for the gatehouse (didn't model it yet), and the village still remains to be built (although you can figure out where you'd put the buildings).

Took me a couple hours yesterday with the free version of sketchup, but here is a first attempt. It's a 4'x4', instead of 3x3, since we will be 3 or 4 players. Anyway, I thought maybe the more experienced players could give their opinion on how this could work (or not), depending on the scenarios played.

So, any thoughts ?

[Fenton Crack]

It certain looks cool, but I'd be careful straying too far the standard 36" board, as the models are in theory balanced on those distances. For example, on a standard board, a focused Hans can shoot all the way across the board, the number of turns (5) may not be as sufficient for schemes like breakthrough where you are required to get close to the opposing deployment t zone, is "From the Shadows" too good on a bigger board, etc.

It may very well work great though, never played on a bigger board, nor played any home brew three or four player versions of M2E. Like many/most terrain set ups, the defining of the terrain will likely be make or break. Are the wall of the "keep" climbable? If not is it too easy to pin someone in? Will models with flight or incorporeal have too much advantage going over? Will shooty Guild crews dominate since there is no scatter terrain to advance into melee with them?

If it's modular, I say build it and just see how it plays out. It might very greatly based on faction chosen and deployment flipped, and certainly by start and schemes. If it does not work, take the pieces apart and fix the problems.

Edited December 6, 2013 by Fenton Crack
Spelling

[Pierowmaniac]

Looks cool. I've just started to get into a different 3D CAD program (Solidworks) myself and you've just given me a practice idea

[sproutchu]

@Fenton : Thanks for the input. It is indeed modular, so scalable as disired. Most tiles are 6"x6", or 3"x6" for the castle. You've highlighted more than a few good questions that I need to address, either by adapting the castle or removing it altogether. Anyway, we shall see when we start playing the game

@Pierowmaniac : You should have no problem whatsoever with solidworks, easy as pie (if only a notch or two less intuitive than sketchup). Let us see what you make, will you ?

[sproutchu]

Made some progress on the real thing since last time, and decided to try a few of Dave Graffam's models.

Here's a pic with some roads, the small observatory and the Inventor's House. No edging done (yet; forgot to do it while building).

Honestly, pretty good looking in person, if a little time consuming.

Edited January 28, 2014 by sproutchu

[sproutchu]

Added a few buildings to the village in construction, here they are :

 

 

Working on some elevated roads these days, then will attack a cemetary.

[Fenton Crack]

I have some Graffam files, but have always been too lazy to build them.  Do you find the taller buildings stay up fine despite just being made of card stock (as far as center of gravity) or did you need to add ballast to weight the bottoms?  I always figured the may be too light and would move around at the slightest bump, so intended to build them up out of foam core with the necessary adjustments (which is actually a lot more work since folding and the like are off the table), but if they work well out of cardstock, perhaps I should not bother to complicate matters.

[cfallsgamer]

I was looking at the Graffam files a couple of weeks ago. It was nice to see some pictures using some of them. I'd like to see some in person sometime. I've wondered how the foamcore would work as Fenton mentioned. I've read people printing to regular paper and gluing to the face of the foamcore. I've also read of people printing to label paper and cutting it out and sticking to the foamcore.

[Ratty]

I was looking at the Graffam files a couple of weeks ago. It was nice to see some pictures using some of them. I'd like to see some in person sometime. I've wondered how the foamcore would work as Fenton mentioned. I've read people printing to regular paper and gluing to the face of the foamcore. I've also read of people printing to label paper and cutting it out and sticking to the foamcore.

Yeah it should work well. I did all my scenery this way, using A4 stickers and foam core. Think that these buildings may be a project for next Christmas.

Though some bits like the ridges and railings would probably work well stuck onto mounting board (maybe even the roofs)

[sproutchu]

They are actually really sturdy if you print on cardstock (110 lbs generic cardstock found in office supplies stores), and this way is also the quickest way to build, having "only" tu cut, score, fold and glue.

 

They are very lightweight, true, but so are the minis (the plastic ones at least). My recommandation, build two or three (small, big, tall) and see if you think ballast is needed. If it is, pretty much anything heavy like scraps of wood or layers of newspapers can be glued at the bottom. Already based ? No problem, cut a hole underneath, and put the weight inside.

 

Remember, when the time comes to carry/store the whole setup, the light weight of it all suddenly becomes a great asset!

[cfallsgamer]

I guess I do have a bit of concern using just cardstock. But that is a worry I have no experience with. Perhaps it is sturdy enough alone. As far as carrying or storing. I don't plan to store what I build far from my gaming area and I really don't plan on transporting it at all. I think any terrain I really build is going to stay where its built for the most part. I don't really see me taking much in the way over to someone else's home nor taking stuff back and forth to a gaming store either. I am sure there may be the rare case where I am donating terrain for an event or just stuff I don't use anymore that I am giving to a store to use for their terrain. I actually would rather print things out ahead of time, take the supplies to the store and build it there with other help as well.

 

I am really thinking about giving this a go this weekend when I get home from traveling for work. I am excited to give it a go. I see some mention of cardstock and weight above. Does anyone have any advice or preference as it relates to type of printer? Is inkjet sufficient? Do those of you making cardstock terrain use laser jet or have a print shop do the printing for you on their commercial printers? Just curious.

[sproutchu]

We could answer your questions one by one, but then others will emerge. There's two things you'll want to do when you begin. First, when you buy a model (from either Graffam or Fat Dragon for example), they come with a guide on how to build your paper models. It is a general guide that gives tips and tricks and are a very useful read.

 

The other thing you might want to do is go on the Cardboard Warriors forum. There is a section called " PRINTING, BUILDING, FINISHING and STORAGE" where there's a ton of tips and solutions should you run into any problem, and it is a very nice community, feel free to introduce yourself Fat Dragon have their own forum with more specific info on their model, and many users are registered on both forums.

 

A few tips to remember :

 

1- A cutting mat, hobby knife and metal ruler are your best friends.

 

2- Glue is always a big concern and everyone has his/her preference. Something with low water content is better. Personally, I use a combination of glue sticks (those for kids, yup!) for the bigger surfaces or basing ground tiles, tacky glue (Scotch, Aileen, Elmer's, at this point I think it's pretty much like beer, everyone has a preference but the actual difference is hard to identify) for tabs, and a bit of super glue (the one in gel for me) for touch ups, or to affix parts like dormers on roofs and small pillars and wooden beams.

 

3- For better visual results, try to do some edging. This is explained in the Beginner's guides. Essentially, use a felt marker (grey, dark grey is probably your best bet, as black tends to stand out too much and give a more cartoonish result) on the edges of the cardstock you cut or score, so that the white is turned to grey, or whatever the color you use. It adds 5-10 minutes to your build and is well worth it.

 

4- Use foamcore for basing and floors. This is something I do not always do for buildings, but my ground tiles are all based on foamcore. Again, this is one of many options, but I think it is a good compromise between sturdyness, price and ease to work with. Foamcore boards can be found in office supplies stores, craft stores, big discount stores, and they are relatively cheap. They are essentially a layer of foam sandwiched between two sheets of cardstock. For ground tiles, you could even print on sticker paper then transfer it to the foamcore. If you use cardstock as I do, use glue sticks or spray glue, for their lower water content. Even tacky glue contains a bit too much for that and it could warp your tiles.

 

For the buildings, it depends what you want. I prefer to have them sit directly on the ground tiles, as they blend a little better. I could base them on foam core for a bit more sturdyness, but then you would see the black foam (or white if you bought it white) on the sides. For some upper level floors though, it might be worth it to avoid having a trempoline effect on these floors.

 

5- Now, printers. Inkjet is the most commonly used, and certainly does a great job (as you can see above). No problem there. But know that your ink cartridges will empty faster than you might think possible, so print what you need and are able to build in a short amount of time. Laser printers may be an option, but you have to be careful as not all of them will be able to handle the thickness of cardstock. As opposed to inkjet, laser printers use toner that is electrically charged and "cured" in the printer. For the cheaper laser printers, the inner system cannot handle the thickness of cardstock and the toner will not properly "cure", resulting in a messy sheet and an angry man.

 

Another option, that I've seen some modelers go for, is to have their files printed in an office supplies store (on cardstock). Considering the price of the cartridges, it ends up costing about the same (I think, not sure here) and you don't overuse your home printer.

 

Enough already, I'm reaching the novella-sized post.