gaming table and display boards - my veiw

One of my other parts of the hobby I enjoy is the terrain building.

I just had a listen to the latest Mantic Radio pod cast and would like to say one of my Favs I am a terrain guy and this one is about display boards, well display boards to me are just gaming tables after the shrink ray has been used. 

Display boards should tell a story that enhances the army that is displays; they add character and give context to the army in action.

Well gaming tables should do the same, tell a story, enhance the armies on the table - if a player is going to spend hours to painting those armies then the tables need to finish them off.  Each table should add character to the game and all the fun that can be had.

Five years ago I and a couple of mates started a club in the local area, now there is a whole article on that but not for now. When we stated we had to find terrain and tables for the players to use. Back then I made tables out of whatever I could get my hands on the experimented with building them.

Some were good some not so good but we always had painted tables even back then.

I also had to send my hobby money on the purchase of terrain for the club to use.

In those early days a lot of the tables had themes and character as they were all hand built the tables all had a story to tell.

these are some of the old tables when the club started a deadlands and a first type jungle table

Well one of the things I have ensured I do when I build tables is to make sure they have those elements of enhancing the armies, telling a story and adding character.

There are even times I have been known to build a table; this can take up to 60 hours of work just for an event or campaign. But to me that is what the game is.

                     above is the Castle walls I built for an event, as well as a jungle table for the club held a lustria campaign

I will event write rules for the table to use, these help add character and also help with the fact there may be terrain limitations for units, e.g. if we are playing in a dwarf hold there is only troops on foot (horses do not like the dark), and any model with flight or hover can only walk (ouch I hit my head). These to me are what I like to play on.

With that in mind I have really had to do some thinking about the topic and how do we play the game.  It also got me to thinking about the next project for my terrain efforts.

Those in mind I like to bring at least one new gaming table to life each year. These tables always have theme and character, with the only thing that is generic is the game system, I like to build them so they can be used in multiple systems. How I have a plan this year to build a series of linked tables so that if I would put them all together they will tell a story as well. The tables are always 8x4 allowing for use in larger games or for give the players more room.

This is where I hope to take the next phase of my terrain building, on the plan I hope to take the tables from the mountains to the sea. So when you look down the row of empty tables or join then together you will see the story.

So up first is year will involve a bit of a refit I made a cavern table about three years ago, this is just a basic one I hope to rebuild the table and make repairs to the table to bring it up to what I build now. Then this will lead to an abyssal table next. I am looking to having these finished by May for my Kings of War event – these will be the feature tables for the event.

        The caven table to rebuild.

But thank you for the podcast boys and keep it up I cannot wait for the terrain cast.

what is comming up for the Pathfinder

Well I have had a busy time at work and life , Dut they are all excussess so on with the show.
I have now started planing the events I will run this year.

First up a dread ball legue due to start march 22nd,
this is a season one two and three teams no Mvps,

This is about getting the players learning the game and league rules.


Second is I have booked the day for the Kings of War - Kings of Perth event.
this will take place at a local club on sunday 24 - may - 2015
I hope to get at least 12 to this event so that i can beat the number of players at Kings of Brisbaine, It is important that we west coast do it better.
This means i need a new table by May.
I am a bit of a terrain guy so when the oppertunity to build a new table is arround I will. I like to built a feature table for each event I run some thing new and different. So three months to put it together may just have time..




so two events planed and work started.

I all so have been keeping up with the tour of stores and location to demo the games I play, Mantic.

A look at my Deadzone

As a player I am a play it painted type of player.
So as a pathfinder I also bring the play it painted attitude to the hobby as all of the events and leagues I run do have painting as a component, even if only three colour blocks. So I thought I would give you a look at the dead zone I have painted so far. From time to time I will display the model collection for the games to show that even 10 Min's a day and you can have a lot of painted armies.

so not only minis have a play it painted for me so dose the terrain. if people are willing to put effort into their models i have to give them a suitable place to play.

Demo time

Well I have been out this week to do a demo of Dread ball with a new player.
He has just got the base game and had no one to play.
I is great to get out and play some more games of Dreadball,
So thanks Mathew for the games.

I seemed to not have uploaded any of the photos from the game.
But it was the base set Corp v marauders.

2015 where to for now.

well as part of the planning for the next year it is goo to set some goals.
these goals will be broken down as time goes by.
but to start lets look at the basic five points for the next 12 months.

Well here is mine

1. Paint more then I buy/or receive from kick-starters
2. Play more games then I demo.
3. Run four events during the year 2015
4. Update my blogs- at least once a week-
5. Build three display boards for three different systems.

So what will you do this year?

now that I have set down the basics of my up and coming year, I already have mad a change. As well as increased the scope of the goals for this year.

1. as well as above I would also like to paint more then I did last year,

Completed YTD

802

Deadzone – terrain x2

Dreadfleet – terrain

Mars attacks – terrain x2

Watch tower - 1

2. So I am a pathfinder and this year would like to increase my games play so I need to play more games with people the just demo games for mantic that way I still can build up the player base of my mantic games and get more games in.

3. no change

4. no change

5.. build three display tables.
the update is that I will be building an abyssal table for Kings of War, this will now mean only two display boards and one table.


One of the events I like to do is build terrain, so each year I choose a theme and build a table or two, last year it was a jungle table, so this year I am building a Abyssal table.I actually Build tables for many of the systems I play so last year there was a 8foot Jungle table for Kings of War, as well as a jungle table for dreadzone, I did not get a dreadball one built , But I bought the Azure Forrest broad with the expansion.
now one of the efforts i make is that all of my tables from different systems now link to the main table so that the games can all flow together. as you can see with the KoW table and the Deadzone terrain.
so this means that as i make the next table all others will be linked in some way.

so for 2015 I have Kings of war table to do, Then a linked in display board or a gaming table for, deadzone, dreadball and Mars attacks as these are the game systems in play as at the beginning of 2015.

 this is the jungle table

deadzone add on to jungle table.

Off topic Terrain update

One of the parts of the hobby I like is Building Terrain so over the past weekend I have worked on some terrain project for a break from painting minis.

First up some new trees,

A long dead native.

and some castle walls, there is six foot of walls next up for them will be towers.

as well as the reconditioned hill.

so Just a bit of fun for the game.

Welcome to 2015

This is a new year and I am ready for the challenge of all that is mantic
The year finished with a surprise.  I got my copy of dread ball extreme ,
well that was cool to get now season four is underway.

Also received the missing forge guard for dead zone-

as great end to 2014 - if you go over to my painting page you will get a run down of the painting I completed this year lets just say it was quiet a bit.

http://windwaterportal.blogspot.com.au/

Now back to my new stuff,
In January we started off with our monthly kings of war day at the local club, Krags.
We had six of us with the one new guy, we also have started to play at 1500pts now.

this was a great night. look forward to next month.

I have also booked in a couple of intro games at outpost south on Tuesday, for a new player looking to get into dreadball.
Next up will be getting a basic league off the ground. I will try to get 4-6 players in this one to help with getting my skills right just as well as the players,
I will do a season one league to get the new players involved, as I have now found two players new to the game wanting in.

One of the events I like to do is build terrain, so each year I choose a theme and build a table or two, last year it was a jungle table, so this year I am building a Abyssal table.I actually Build tables for many of the systems I play so last year there was a 8foot Jungle table for Kings of War, as well as a jungle table for dreadzone, I did not get a dreadball one built , But I bought the Azure Forrest broad with the expansion.

I really believe that I will only play it painted and if I asked the players to play it painted then I need to provide them with tables of the same standard.
so this year the new table is about the abyssal.

As well as building tables, The local FLGS is a magic store and has room for gaming tables so I offered to load the store three tables and terrain to get more players down to the store and show off the games mantic have. So with those tables and terrain at the store from my collection, helps me just go down and play any time someone wants a game. It is about building better relationships with the local store.

Any way back to the gaming table.