Terrain Boards

Over the years I've experimented with many, many different types of terrain boards in my quest for the perfect gaming table- alas so far I have not found perfection.

The other day I was messing round with ideas for improving the edges on my polystyrene boards. Even with masking tape for additional support they tend to get a bit knocked around. I got some pine from the local DIY store and made a frame, it was simple to put together and I think I will experiment with a few more to see if they fit together well. I intend to repaint and flock them and will PVA the edges so that we get a smooth transition form one board to the next.


As you can see its a bit battered and needs some fixing up but I think this methd shows potential. The frame is 40mm thick, the same depth as the polystrene.

Gaming table for Finn
I've promised Finn that I'd make him a gaming table for his Battleground, lego and anything else he wants. As a kid my father made me one and we used to shoot cannons that fired matchsticks to kill the soldiers- that one was a single sheet for wood with terrain modelled on it and which slid under my bed. Ours will be built so that Finn can add various bits of scatter terrain if he wants.

I have a few old 4x2 terrain boards lying round so Finn and I chose a few he liked today and we will work over the holidays on making him a new modular table. The sheets will (could?) fit under his bed and be easily moved around as needed. The boards he chose are from a half finished mountain table I was inspired to try a few years ago but then lost interest in. I think it will fit the bill and with some work we can make him a half decent table.

Here are the three sheets, I am in the process of strengthening the edges on them. Also I'm changing the course of the stream so it will flow across the board.


Once the stream has been carved I'll sprinkle a coat of beach sand on it then undercoat the whole thing black- if I can find any black paint lying round!


And now the next step. The board has been covered in watered down POVA and beach sand sprinkled over it. I'll leave it overnight to dry and then paint the whole thing bblack tomorrow before dry brsuhing browns for the flat land and dark then light grey for the rock facings.