Dark Elf table for the HolyWarsGT

The cold lands of Naggaroth

Well it has been a LONG time since I have made any posts to the blog. I have been completely consumed with The Holy Wars GT a tournament the Holy Hammers (my gaming club) are putting on. You can find more info here http://www.holywarsgt.com

After attending Paca last year I was inspired to bring that style of tournament to the land of Lincoln. So in August I began building tables and terrain and that is all I have been doing. 

If you follow me on twitter @HolyHammerHern you have seen that all of me tweets since August have been of table and terrain updates. As a result I have been asked to share my knowledge on how I created terrain and tables for The Holy Wars GT. 

First up, the Dark Elf table the cold lands of Naggaroth.

The Boards

First all the boards for the Holy Wars GT are built on 1/2 inch 2x4 MDF sheets with dowel pins inset on each. This step keeps the boards from sliding during game play. It was worth the step and I give full props to Patrick Brynildson from the Lords of War for the idea.

The pinning is done before sanding. Three 1/4 inch dowel rod pins are glued in place, one on center and 2 inches from each side. 

After the pins are set the table is sanded using PVA and play sand. After the glue is set the entire board is sealed with watered down PVA this is mixed to a consistency of cream. The watered down PVA makes sure the sand is locked in and I have found it provides a better surface for painting.

 

The Techniques & Recipe

During the process of creating terrain and tables my muse and Warhammer Widow suggested I keep a "Recipe" (THANK THE WARHAMMER GODS!) this has been a HUGE help keeping me sane and saving me time. 

My Warhammer Widow helping out the cause.

The Board

Once I have painted the board with the base coat of paint I ALWAYS use a wash of watered down black I do this on all my boards I have found this gives the board a quality of realism and I have always strived for as playable realistic terrain as possible. When have you ever seen soil that was all one shade of color? After the wash was applied I hit the board with a light dry brush for addition depth.

After the paint has dried it's time to flock. I randomly paint on PVA be sure to break up any long swishy edges I do this a 1/4 of the the table at a time. For this board I applied Woodland Scenics Turf: Earth Blend over the PVA first making sure to allow some PVA showing through then I immediately applied Woodland Scenics Fine Turf: Yellow Grass. 

Test layout of the terrain after the flock has been sealed with the watered down PVA.

Once the flock has absorbed the glue and it's dry to the touch I then seal it in with watered down PVA the consistency of milk. I know that sounds crazy but I have been building tables for a LONG time and this does work well. The flock will not move and will be durable during the rigors of game play and this step is the most important step for successfully applying the snow effect. 

I have used snow flock in the past and I have had mixed results. For this board I wanted to have the feeling that snow was just beginning to gather and was blowing across the battlefield. So I attempted something very risky that if it failed I would have a big problem. I painted all the snow using dry brushing and over brushing. You can see the final results below in the photos below.

Here is the recipe and the steps. 

Board

1. Americana: Dark Chocolate (base coat)
2. Craft Smart: Black (heavy wash)
3. Craft Smart: Golden Brown (light dry brush)

Flock and Snow

1. Woodland Scenics Blended Turf: Earth Blend
2. Woodland Scenics Woodland Scenics Fine Turf: Yellow Grass
3. Snow: Craft Smart: White (dry brush and over brush)

Rock Crags

1. Apple Barrel: Pewter Grey (base coat)
2. Citadel Shade: Nuln Oil (wash)
3. Craft Smart: White (dry brush)
4. Woodland Scenics Blended Turf: Earth Blend
5. Woodland Scenics Woodland Scenics Fine Turf: Yellow Grass
6. Snow: Craft Smart: White (dry brush and over brush)