Scenery My plan to make Age of Sigmar/Warhammer Fantasy terrain as one set

[Scalenex]

I created a terrain generator for Lustria a while back and made an ambitious plan to make 25-30 themed terrain pieces. So far I have a whopping 6 pieces (and they still need painting and detail work), but I can dream big.

So I'm thinking a few rivers, a few swamps, a few lake, lots of forest patches, a few hills, a wide variety of buildings (huts, ruins, monuments etc)

Anyway Age of Sigmar doesn't use ANY of those things.

They have Damned, Arcane, Inspiring, Deadly, Mystical, and Sinister.

My plan is to make little tokens about the size of coin. Three or four per each of the Age of Sigmar terrain pieces.

So my plan for classic Warhammer is to use this

Lustria/Southlands
2-Impenetrable Jungle (raised impassable feature)
3-Wizard Tower or Acropolis of Heroes
4-Lake (1-3 Ordinary, 4 Boiling Flood, 5 Necrotic Ooze, 6 “River” of Light)
5-Building or Ruin
6-Mysterious Forest (1-2 Venom Thicket, 3 Abyssal Wood, 5 Fungus Forest, 5-6 Wildwood)
7-Forest
8-Hill (1-4 ordinary, 5-6 Scree Slope)
9-River (1-4 ordinary, 5 Raging Torrent, 6 River of Light)
10-Mysterious Marsh (1-3 ordinary, 4 Khemrian Quicksand, 5 Earthblood Mere, 6 Mist-wreathed Swamp)
11-Obstacle (1-3 Fence, 4-6 Wall)
12-Sinister Structure (1-2 Sinister Statue, 3-4 Banestone, 5-6 Charnel Pit)

For Age of Sigmar we'll just place the 0-3 pieces in each table section and THEN mark the terrain feature with a token. While they look different they are interchangeable, a patch of Swamp can be deadly, damned, inspiring or whatever. Just check the token.

Now if something is a really lousy fit (ie you don't want an inspiring Charnel pit) then swap the terrain piece with something else.

So I'm thinking 3 of each. Maybe 4.

Damned: Daemon head
Arcane: Slann Glyph
Inspiring: Temple Guard head
Deadly: Sotek Glyph
Mystical: Shiny crystal or jewel
Sinister: Human Skull

Anyway if you guys have a better idea for what could work as tokens, let me know.

If I wanted to go beyond tokens for small self standing models

Damned: Dead gnarled plant
Arcane: Small metal Lizardmen idol
Inspiring: Small stone Lizardmen idol
Deadly: Large bladed weapon standing in the ground
Mystical: Small shiny pylon
Sinister: Head impaled on spike

I'm aiming for the combination of aesthetically pleasing, very obvious symbolism that a player who never met me can guess what the terrain features, and hopefully simple enough that I can make the tokens in one or two evenings.
I'm open to suggestions.


So that's my plan make enough jungle pieces to have a wide variety of Lustrian setups. Use tokens as markers so I don't have to reinvent the wheel to make all new Age of Sigmar terrain.

 

[Crowsfoot]

The beauty of AOS is that terrain can be any of the 6 types and tokens are widely used to represent that, your ideas sound spot on but we need pictures of your work?

 

[Aginor]

Cool idea!

and as @Crowsfoot says:
Post pics!

 

[tom ndege]

Pictures for suggestions and comments... that's the deal!

 

[Warden]

Lustria/Southlands
2-Impenetrable Jungle (raised impassable feature)
3-Wizard Tower or Acropolis of Heroes
4-Lake (1-3 Ordinary, 4 Boiling Flood, 5 Necrotic Ooze, 6 “River” of Light)
5-Building or Ruin
6-Mysterious Forest (1-2 Venom Thicket, 3 Abyssal Wood, 5 Fungus Forest, 5-6 Wildwood)
7-Forest
8-Hill (1-4 ordinary, 5-6 Scree Slope)
9-River (1-4 ordinary, 5 Raging Torrent, 6 River of Light)
10-Mysterious Marsh (1-3 ordinary, 4 Khemrian Quicksand, 5 Earthblood Mere, 6 Mist-wreathed Swamp)
11-Obstacle (1-3 Fence, 4-6 Wall)
12-Sinister Structure (1-2 Sinister Statue, 3-4 Banestone, 5-6 Charnel Pit)

I really like this list, I am not sure which addition I have written down but it is very similiar and what I am slowly trying to work towards: a giant collection of jungle terrain able to fit a large variety of scenarios.

Have you started making any of these yet?

For Age of Sigmar we'll just place the 0-3 pieces in each table section and THEN mark the terrain feature with a token. While they look different they are interchangeable, a patch of Swamp can be deadly, damned, inspiring or whatever. Just check the token.

Now if something is a really lousy fit (ie you don't want an inspiring Charnel pit) then swap the terrain piece with something else.

So I'm thinking 3 of each. Maybe 4.

Damned: Daemon head
Arcane: Slann Glyph
Inspiring: Temple Guard head
Deadly: Sotek Glyph
Mystical: Shiny crystal or jewel
Sinister: Human Skull

Anyway if you guys have a better idea for what could work as tokens, let me know.

If I wanted to go beyond tokens for small self standing models

Damned: Dead gnarled plant
Arcane: Small metal Lizardmen idol
Inspiring: Small stone Lizardmen idol
Deadly: Large bladed weapon standing in the ground
Mystical: Small shiny pylon
Sinister: Head impaled on spike

Some of these categories are very similar... almost too similar? I am curious what the book definitions are. Some more ideas going along with a jungle theme:

Damned: a skeleton of a long-dead jungle explorer, either slumped next to a well, or chained to a post/stone as a warning to any who trespass in the lands of the First Ones. Needs to be something that will let anyone know who approaches it that they are about to be cursed if they don't leave immediately.
Arcane: i agree with using a Lizardmen idol, preferably carved with many glyphs of power. Maybe a small stone stela, or even a token for a lost golden plaque?
Inspiring: I would think this would best be a large Lizardmen standard, made with bits from the collected saurus/temple guard/cold one kits. Just a temple guard head on a spike doesn't send the right vibe to me , unless it were maybe a statue of said heroic temple guard hero of a bygone age
Deadly: either a booby trap or some poisonous/man-eating plants. Something that can kill those who get too close.
Mystical: Not sure, you ideas sound good to me. Only other thing I could think of is a shiny, mysterious spawning pool/reflective pool for the Slann too seek inspiration in. Preferably one protected by some serpentine guardians.
Sinister: very similar to the "damned" one, I am good with just a simple curse marker/head on a spike.

Pictures for suggestions and comments... that's the deal!

Agreed with all of the above! Pictures as you make them!

 

[Scalenex]

Have you started making any of these yet?

I have trees. Admittedly trees are the only terrain piece I finished. I may yet create some permanent bases for forest floors but so far I've used scrap paper or cardboard to designate the boundaries of my forests. Since my trees are free standing without magnets or anything like that, I can slide them around easily if a unit occupies a forest.

I have a few unpainted bodies of water that have been used used as swamps and lakes. After watching some Youtube videos about making bodies of water I think I may scrap them and start from square one.

I have some WIP huts. They are sitting in a friend's hobby area. We used to meet monthly to work on terrain models together. Now we don't meet for hobby night as much. I guess if I want them done i need to work them at my own home....alone.

I posted the early stage Pringles can huts here. I have applied a base coat of brown paint to cover up the Pringle's red since taking these pictures.

Next step is to assemble a pop sickle stick roof, then cover the roof with my fake fur to look like thatch. I'm not sure if I want to leave the fur brown or attempt to paint it yellow. I'm concerned that if I painted it, it would be an awkward mix of brown and yellow.

I'm still not sure what I want to do for a door, whether I want to cut a door shaped hole or paint a black door frame. Once I got the door figured out, I plan to cover the walls with burlap for texture and color. I still need to make sure the Pringles can is painted because my burlap is not completely opaque. Then either a wooden pop sickle stick ladder or a string rope ladder and I'll finally have a show piece terrain piece.

My plan for the Lustrian Charnel pit is to make a tar pit and have dinosaur bones sticking out. I bought a child's T-rex skeleton toy but it's prohibitively big, even if I only use the skull.

I bought a nice block of hard foam to cut into a blocky snake statue as outlined in the 6th ed sourcebook Lustria. I figure it can be a Sinister Statue (upright) or a generic impassable feature (tipped over on it's side). Haven't gotten beyond materials yet

I have too many competing ideas for the proper look for a Lustrian Wizards Tower, Acropolis of Heroes, or Banestone to leave the brainstorming phase.

My primary gaming opponent is rich in walls and fences so I haven't been in a rush to make my own.

The biggest challenges are hills, I want a hill that slopes gradually enough models can stand on it, but that's hard. We usually just put a book on the table to be a hill. Rivers are even tougher, we usually use neck ties. Neck ties only vaguely resemble rivers but they can be shaped easily. I have seen some beautiful examples of (sadly static) rivers, but that is master class compared to my level.

Some of these categories are very similar... almost too similar? I am curious what the book definitions are.

Preaching at the choir about too similar.

Damned: A unit within 3 inches can willing take D3 mortal wounds in order to gain +1 on to hit rolls
Arcane: add 1 to casting and unbinding (dispel) rolls for units within 3 inches
Inspiring: +1 Bravery (Ld) checks
Deadly: Similar to a dangerous terrain test in 8th
Mystical: Units in 3 inches have 1 in 6 chance to lose all actions, 5 in 6 chance to get re-roll to-wound rolls
Sinister: Units within 3 inches cause Fear to the enemy.

Agreed with all of the above! Pictures as you make them!

I heard the demand and I will hasten get around to obeying. Since the huts are my best piece and closest to completion, that's my goal. Complete my first two huts, then create a prototype icon to reveal a Sinister Hut, a Mystical Hut, an Inspiring Hut, an Arcane Hut, etc.

 

[Aginor]

I have trees. Admittedly trees are the only terrain piece I finished. I may yet create some permanent bases for forest floors but so far I've used scrap paper or cardboard to designate the boundaries of my forests. Since my trees are free standing without magnets or anything like that, I can slide them around easily if a unit occupies a forest.

I have a few unpainted bodies of water that have been used used as swamps and lakes. After watching some Youtube videos about making bodies of water I think I may scrap them and start from square one.

I have some WIP huts. They are sitting in a friend's hobby area. We used to meet monthly to work on terrain models together. Now we don't meet for hobby night as much. I guess if I want them done i need to work them at my own home....alone.

I posted the early stage Pringles can huts here. I have applied a base coat of brown paint to cover up the Pringle's red since taking these pictures.

Next step is to assemble a pop sickle stick roof, then cover the roof with my fake fur to look like thatch. I'm not sure if I want to leave the fur brown or attempt to paint it yellow. I'm concerned that if I painted it, it would be an awkward mix of brown and yellow.

I'm still not sure what I want to do for a door, whether I want to cut a door shaped hole or paint a black door frame. Once I got the door figured out, I plan to cover the walls with burlap for texture and color. I still need to make sure the Pringles can is painted because my burlap is not completely opaque. Then either a wooden pop sickle stick ladder or a string rope ladder and I'll finally have a show piece terrain piece.

My plan for the Lustrian Charnel pit is to make a tar pit and have dinosaur bones sticking out. I bought a child's T-rex skeleton toy but it's prohibitively big, even if I only use the skull.

I bought a nice block of hard foam to cut into a blocky snake statue as outlined in the 6th ed sourcebook Lustria. I figure it can be a Sinister Statue (upright) or a generic impassable feature (tipped over on it's side). Haven't gotten beyond materials yet

I have too many competing ideas for the proper look for a Lustrian Wizards Tower, Acropolis of Heroes, or Banestone to leave the brainstorming phase.

My primary gaming opponent is rich in walls and fences so I haven't been in a rush to make my own.

The biggest challenges are hills, I want a hill that slopes gradually enough models can stand on it, but that's hard. We usually just put a book on the table to be a hill. Rivers are even tougher, we usually use neck ties. Neck ties only vaguely resemble rivers but they can be shaped easily. I have seen some beautiful examples of (sadly static) rivers, but that is master class compared to my level.



Preaching at the choir about too similar.

Damned: A unit within 3 inches can willing take D3 mortal wounds in order to gain +1 on to hit rolls
Arcane: add 1 to casting and unbinding (dispel) rolls for units within 3 inches
Inspiring: +1 Bravery (Ld) checks
Deadly: Similar to a dangerous terrain test in 8th
Mystical: Units in 3 inches have 1 in 6 chance to lose all actions, 5 in 6 chance to get re-roll to-wound rolls
Sinister: Units within 3 inches cause Fear to the enemy.



I heard the demand and I will hasten get around to obeying. Since the huts are my best piece and closest to completion, that's my goal. Complete my first two huts, then create a prototype icon to reveal a Sinister Hut, a Mystical Hut, an Inspiring Hut, an Arcane Hut, etc.

Don't forget to do a Pizza Hut as well!!

 

[tom ndege]

Don't forget to do a Pizza Hut as well!!

 

[Warden]

I heard the demand and I will hasten get around to obeying. Since the huts are my best piece and closest to completion, that's my goal. Complete my first two huts, then create a prototype icon to reveal a Sinister Hut, a Mystical Hut, an Inspiring Hut, an Arcane Hut, etc.

Fantastic! I am looking forward to see what you produce. You have a huge amount of inspirational ideas here.

So I was working a graveyard shift at my grocery store replacing old reciept tape when I had the inspiration that the black plastic tubes that the receipt tape spools on would make serviceable tree trunks. So I thought about how to make a bark texture and eventually decided to use layers of masking of tape. I mounted them on little pieces of cardboard, and painted them brown. They fell over a lot so I put bbs in them for weight. then I stoppered the top with a cotton swab to prevent the bbs from falling out. Finally I cut some leaves out of construction paper.

This picture shows the progression of parts.

View attachment 4151
This picture is a close up of a completed tree to show their size relative to skinks.

View attachment 4152
My plan is to keep the trees loose so I can move them around to accomodate units in a forest. Eventually I plan to finish cutting out my foam board in 6" x 12" pieces into forest bases, putting on undergrowth for it.


EDIT: The pictures are on photbucket. If that doesn't work, let me know if there is a better way to post the pictures.

Those are some very simple (and cheap?! ) tree constructions!