Terrain Building FAQ

A member of the Animosity Discord suggested I should add a scenery FAQ page to the blog ... so this is it. If there are any more questions I'll do what I can to add them!

Do you follow the instructions?

I don't think I ever build a kit without adding or changing something. I follow the instructions enough to "get" how the kit works before going off-book, but I try not to let the "correct way to build it limit what I do.

Where do you start?

I generally work by building up layers: I'll build the basic structure, cut a base of foamcore card a little bigger than its footprint, cut the edges at an angle to slope down a little, and glue the scenery to it.

What do you use for the base?

I use matt black 5mm foamcore card from a local art supply store. It's easy to cut with a hobby knife, it's lightweight and fairly hard wearing. I seal the edges with PVA glue before spray-undercoating. I also use PVA for attaching plastic scenery parts to the foamcore.

How do you make flagstones?

I add any flagstones to the base before anything else. I use 2mm plasticard cut into irregularly size rectangles and "chip" the upper edge by carving them with a hobby knife. (N.B. This takes ages, it's really dull work and starts to hurt your fingers and/or thumbs after just a few minutes. It's not my favourite task!)

Where do you get all the little "set dressing" bits?

Mostly from GW kits! There's a long list.

How do you decide where to put them?

I add the larger sized accessories like barrels and treasure chests before working through progressively smaller bits; some on top of, or leaning against, the bigger ones. I don't really plan this stage, I just fiddle-about with dry-fitting parts until I find something that looks right.

I'm really finding that I need inspiration to create the terrain piece within a terrain piece. Those little bits that sit in a little nook in larger terrain, that really tell a story by itself. What's your process for this? 

I make a point of keeping any interesting bits together in several quite small, labelled boxes.

Things like:

• artefacts, treasures, loot
• boxes, baggage, pouches, non-combat gear
• supplies and "food" (in very broad terms!)

That way I know where they are and it's easy to see what I have without it being lost amongst a million other bits.

I don't plan exactly where a bit will used when it goes into one of these boxes, as I've ended up saving things for ages and getting too precious about them in the past. So I try to be "generous" when adding bits to a project, whether that's an individual figure or a large terrain set.

I tend to let the parts guide me, when it comes to the story they create in the corners of scenery. For example, I don't think I would sit down to make an "abandoned campsite with scattered possessions, where the warband who had been camping there were all chased off or killed, leaving their possessions behind". 

But I might end up with one, while looking for things to put around a terrain piece with tree and a broken wall, by adding some bags and a sheathed sword... and then lean-into that idea by adding a scrap of fabric hung over a rope, as a bivouac.

When do you add the earth / ground texture?

I add sand to texture the base after everything else is done, so I can work around and between the flagstones and other bits.

(One bit of advice I wish I'd learned earlier: Be sparing with the PVA glue on foamcore, when it comes to adding sand (etc.) for texture - and maybe weigh it down while the glue dries - the foamcore can warp if you get it too wet on one site. Warping can be fixed to an extent by applying a lot of PVA to the opposite side and leaving it to dry upside-down but it's not guaranteed to cure it completely.)

How do you undercoat it?

Once I'm happy with the build I spray undercoat the entire thing in black, making sure to get all the weird hidden inside corners and suchlike. 

Then I "sort of zenithal" spray lightly from above and the sides with grey. Occasionally I also add a few light sprays of other colours - mostly browns.

How did you make your Warcry board?

I published a very long blog post about that, here.