Firstly my apologies for the lack of regular posting, I'm working on long term projects and it does mean I don't have lot to post about as I'm sure you don't want to read about how I made yet another brick wall or 28mm toilet, coupled with the lack of time due to recent real life stuff means that I missed Friday and yesterdays posts. With that in mind I think I may just cut down to two posts a week Tuesday and Friday with the occasional bonus post thrown in if I manage to get ahead and get some bits done. Anyway onto today's offering....
As regular readers will know, I'm building some urban boards for a show in february and I'm busy beavering away with those at the moment. What I thought I would do is post about how I get on with making some of the pieces, I'll block these posts into what I'll title "Urban Project". Of course I've already started with the Urban Debris and Blotz posts but that's ok.
Although I normally like to announce a new project with an exciting post with loads of pics and sparkly pieces to draw you in, I'm actually gonna start fairly low-key this time with some really basic stuff that often gets overlooked in game building - tables and chairs!
I know, I know not exactly grandiose but think about it - how many beautifully crafted buildings do we see on any number of gaming tables that look fabulously detailed on the outside, but when you open them (if you can even open them up that is!) there is just empty space.... I'm guilty of this, I've got lovely 4Ground buildings with rooms and lofts - not a stick of furniture! I also know that if we clutter a building with furniture where are the miniatures going to go? this is because model buildings tend to be fairly small so that they don't dominate the battlefield and allow us to fill it instead with our toy soldiers.
The beauty of skirmish games however, means that we only have a few models on the board. This allows us to invest more time in creating back stories for each of our heroes, breathing life into them and watching them interact in the games with purpose and with some story telling. What better way to do that than building a complete and fully developed and interactive board and this means detail!
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| Gobbo fights in yet another completely empty house! |
I'm right in the middle of building a really vital part of my board, the final objective as it were, in the plot that I have in mind. I will reveal the whole thing eventually, when it is completed and I know that the concept works but for now I need to build some of the detail and yep that detail this time is - tables and chairs.
For the chairs I used some "liberated" coffee stirrers from Mccy D's as they were interestingly shaped. Cutting the end off and then scoring the wood to fold and form the backrest and seat, I then used matchsticks for legs and viola....
using another piece of the stirrer as a cushion I applied a quick coat of paint and we have....
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| I mounted the chairs on cereal box card for stability |
Chopping the corners of the blue foam off to make a pleasing shape and gluing the lot together
With a drop of paint and a some card coasters and miliput glasses we get.....
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| 28mm zombie for scale (it was the closest mini to hand!) |
so a very low-key introduction to my new project but one I think is essential in building the level of detail into these boards and breathing life into my stories. These will fit beautifully into a pub or cafe/restaurant setting and are perfect for my main objective on these boards.
I'm afraid if this didn't tickle your fancy then the next few posts won't either as I'm concentrating on furniture for the near future, as I want to have several buildings worth of "clutter".
hope you enjoy
dGG
Looking good to me Mr Gobbo. It's work like this that brings a gaming table to life. Keep it up !!
ReplyDeleteTotally agree Phil :-)
DeleteThat was a great build Gobbo!
ReplyDeleteThank you HW ;-)
DeleteThese look great Andy, as you say very often overlooked on gaming boards as is rubble, so many times you see a ruined building where the invisible rubble sweepers have brushed all the remains of the building away ! Keep up the great work mate and if your planning to do more tables and chairs add some variation in as don't want everyone buying from that one range in Ikea !
ReplyDeleteLol, variation- got it! I will be "mass producing" other pieces soon though hopefully as I'm going to be experimenting with mounds.
DeleteI know what you mean about rubble mate and dust! No dust on a ruin....
Furniture is so useful in buildings and really helps bring it to life. I'm a big fan of furniture and I like to furnish all of my buildings where appropriate. These tables and chairs look very good, Andy. I look forward to seeing what else you come up with.
ReplyDeleteIt sure is Bryan and your excellent furnishings have always made me a little green with envy, so it's time for me to step up a bit!
DeleteMDF bases! Why didn'y I think of that?? I've been squirreling away "useful offcuts" from the MDF building sprues for pretty much the same thing.
ReplyDeleteThose bits of detail on the tables really do set 'em off nicely - cracking first post on what promises to be an inspirational series (and I've got an excuse to call in for a Mccy D as well)
It's an elegant little solution buddy and dirt cheap too!
DeleteBrilliant!
ReplyDeleteThanks Roy :-)
DeleteI keep looking at those stirrers in McD's myself (people must think we're all mad! you can tell a gamer as they're the ones starring at the yogurt pot with a far away look in their eyes....
ReplyDeleteGreat stuff as always.
Cheers Roger.
Definitely Roger, even Missus Gobbo has come up to me with a bit of packaging or junk and said "I suppose you want this for your funny little men"
DeleteAt least she ask's you before getting rid of it, my wife now comes in and says I thought we could make this out of the piece, as she's got a lot more creative since being part of the business
DeleteThose are really nice, esp considering what they are made out of.
ReplyDeleteThanks Mike ;-)
DeleteThese do look the part and appear to be an easy build, even if a little fiddly. I do like the 'extras' on hte table, something I haven't really attempted to any great degree.
ReplyDeleteThey're definitely fiddly Joe!
DeleteCreative and beautiful job!
ReplyDeleteGlad you like them Phil
Delete"You don't want to read about how I made yet another brick wall" - If you post about it Andy, I'll be reading it!! Great table & chairs :-)
ReplyDeleteI've made a few brick walls recently Simon and very soon I'll show you the result
DeleteLook great and seem to scale well. Nice work dude and thanks for the how to guide :)
ReplyDeleteNo worries mate, these are simple enough to do if not a bit fiddly as Joe said
DeleteI think these are excellent additions. They look great and really give some life to the interiors.
ReplyDeleteThanks Rod, I think it's important enough that I'm making more :-)
DeleteNice additions. Furniture does help the game but it can also make it too crowded. You seem to hev got the balance right
ReplyDeleteThat's true Clint, most of the furniture will be removable so as to allow miniatures to be placed though
DeleteFabulous job Andy, cracking detailing.
ReplyDeleteThanks Michael, more to come :-)
DeleteWe never seem to have enough of these items on our game tables do we. But how rewarding to make your own interior design decor objet. These are very nicely done and you must, rightly, feel very pleased with them.
ReplyDeleteWe cheated long ago, and (like you) realising how important furnishings are to the aesthetics of a game, turned an attentive eye to this aspect of our terrain collecting. We bought a veritable ton of Sally 4th interiors a few years back, and were prudent enough to include a large list of tables,chairs, bedside cabinets.. and so on.
It also just happened that many of these came free as well.. as at the the time Sally 4th were giving away a free item of furniture with every £10 spent, so with our two hundred plus order on terrain, we procured a lovely nice lot of freebie items with it). So we know how nice it feels to have an abundance of these items for using in our games.
Nicely done Hils, swoop when the good offers come. I think it really adds to the game especially if you are photographing it
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