The Ancient Well Takes Shape

Now, we want to start adding filler to shape the well and create a mood that fits its potential environments.  I want it fairly weathered and asymmetrical; I am thinking abandoned towns, ancient cities, and dank dungeons.   So, I am only going to add enough spackle to fill in the gaps and make it appear the mortar has either eroded away or only a small amount was used in the original project.  This is what we are starting with:

 

You can see quite a bit of gaps allowing light to shine through - that's ok; I think of these gaps as room for the model to develop personality.  Let's get those gaps filled and see what becomes of our mysterious well.
Normally, I always add a bit of water and a bit of paint to prepare the spackle for application.  When the spackle is wet, it is easier to work.  Adding a little bit of water, the spackle still holds it shape and has some spring to it; good for vertical fills and connecting two points.  Adding more water creates a slurry, good for when you want gravity to work for you and have the spackle settle into low areas.  I advise starting with a bit of water, as I almost always do, because you will be wetting your tools and fingers as you go, so the spackle will get wetter as you need it o without turning to soup.

I also recommend acrylic paint being mixed into the spackle.  The paint will make the spackle crack less when it dries, gives it some springiness once dry (resists chipping….a bit), as well as helps in the later painting stages if your spackle is supposed to be some other color than bright white.

I wanted to use up some spackle I was using for my desert terrain before it dries, so this spackle in the photos will be reddish in color because I had used a burnt sienna acrylic paint to tint it.  I would recommend using two drops of black and four drops of brown paint because it makes a nice “dirty” base.  The reddish color needed a lot more work than I had thought.  It was not as bad as  if i left it bright white, but it still required an extra few steps of inking after the spackle dried before the painting began.   I carved a popsicle stick and toothpick so I could get the spackle into every single gap, no matter how small or inaccessible.

Next step is adding the spackle.  I start with the inside gaps.  Any place light shines through (hold the well up to a lamp or shine a flashlight onto it) gets spackle pushed in.  I use my hands, but you can use a popsicle stick, too.  Either way, remember to dip your finger/tool in water periodically so the spackle releases easily.  You want the spackle to fill all the holes.  Below is a snapshot of the inside filled.  You do not need to worry too much if it cover your stones.  The next step is when you determine how much of the stone ends up exposed.  The amount of coverage depends upon the look you want to achieve. 

 

Now, get a sponge or some foam.  I use the foam that I pulled out of my miniatures carriers.  You can also use the foam that is packed in most miniatures when they ship.  Grab a cup of water.   Wear some clothes you don’t mind getting splashed (just in case) and put down some plastic or paper.  With the wet sponge, wipe across the spackle-covered stones with medium pressure.  This will smooth the spackle, push it into the lower crevices, and remove it from the upper part of the stone, leaving it exposed.  Again, you will wash as much or as little to get your desired look.  Keep the sponge wet and continuously clean it out with fresh water so you are not just smearing spackle everywhere.   I used medium pressure and I did the entire inside well once, let it dry, went back to that night and wiped it again to get my final look that I liked. 

 I wanted a look where the mortar has worn away and the only remaining mortar holds the stones, for only a few more years.  If I didn't remove enough spackle, I would wash it again for a third time.  If I remove too much, I have to add some spackle and then wash again.  I like the inside so I repeat the same steps for the outside.  This is what it looks like after the outside is done:

 

I then let the well dry for the night.  In the morning, I will begin the staining of the spackle and then the painting of my well.  Until then, make your miniature world in your image!


 

4-Player Story Encounter markers

There are story Encounters that use the four suits in their set-up and the players Scenario.
Below is an image of such a game's set-up where we had to deploy four 30mm markers representing the four suits onto the table  and the players later pulled aces or jokers to see which one of the markers was their target.  If you pulled an ace, your goal was to Interact with that particular marker and then hold onto it for the rest of the game for 3 VP.  You could get another VP for grabbing one of the other Markers.  Joker meant you could grab any marker, but each one was only worth 2 VP.   Max for Scenario was 4 VP, so Schemes were still important and even more important for the player with the Joker.


Table



Deployment from Bird's-eye view.

 
 

The silver rounds on top of the 30 mm markers have 1 of the 4 suits written on them.
 Each marker was placed on the table by a player prior to drawing their Scenario win-condition.  Most placed the Markers mid-table.  The silver rounds are Fantasy Flight plastic tokens I bought on sale and they are pretty great for writing on with a dry-erase marker, but they do stand out and I am always looking to replace them with more thematic tokens when I can.

I found some cake toppers that I am in the process of staining and dinging-up to replace a the silver tokens for these Scenarios.

I am liking how they are turning out thus far:


FYI

It has been so long since the game, I do not have a Battle report, but here are the participants seen in the set-up.

Top Left:  Ten Thunders' Kang and 3 Rail Workers
Top Right:  Arcanists' Snowstorm, 2 Ice Gamin, and December Acolyte
Bottom Left:  Guild's Sadhir and 3 Westrels
Bottom Right:  Resser Valedictorian, 2 Rotten Belles, and Effigy

Guild left the game on the 3rd turn and the game ended with Arcanists and Ressers tied.
Ten Thunders could have actually won the game, but the player dedicated the crew to attacking other than following their Schemes and Scenario (I believe they pulled the Joker which meant they could get 2 VP for grabbing any of the markers).  Combat is a means to an end in this game rather than the sole purpose of the crew which I love about Malifaux.  
 

Small Houses

The idea for these houses came from various period photos of houses that were built for the mining towns that cropped in the United States at the beginning of the 20th century.  I also see the potential for these to be used on a bayou/swamp table.  I want to capture the inhabitant's poverty - not only in the monetary sense, but also of the time available to the inhabitants.  These were functional buildings that provided shelter, but little comfort.

Right now, I have the basic structure created.  I still need to add the frames for the window and doors which will be done with a thinner strip of bass wood.  I knew I was adding frames, so you will see the edges for the door and window are not even - I did not see the need to re-cut since the edges will be covered.  I will also be staining the wood once the trim is completed.

 

 

After the staining, the roof and flooring will be created for these.  I wanted the roof and flooring modular to allow me the flexibility to use these houses in desert and bayou settings which might require different looks for each location. I will attempt a short foundation, a slightly raised porch, and a raised-on-stilts foundation.  The interior flooring will be the same wood I am using for the trim.  I have even thought of creating a dirt floor.

More of that to come!

Buildings

Slowly, but surely, I am getting to posting pictures of my numerous Works In Progress.  You will see that I jump around a lot! 

I am thinking of just editing some of my WIP posts instead of creating new ones each time I have completed a step just to keep things tidy and centralized.  I will play around with it and see what works.

 Malifaux is blends multiple landscapes as well as multiple genres.  Right now, I have gravitated towards creating desert environments for my demo games at Battleground Games.  So, I have decided to make some buildings that fit that environment.  I am thinking mining camp and early structures in a Boomtown.  These buildings can be later repurposed as bayou buildings with a branching out to a swamp environment.  Some may even work in a Victorian city setting if I make them storage sheds or even worker-class hovels.

Small Dwelling or Storage Shed.   I made two roofs for it: one moss-covered for swamp environments and a wood roof for my desert table.  The varnish is really shiny on the roof for some reason, so I am thinking of ways to dull it or refinish it.

Frontier Jail - I added a flat roof that could bear a second-story addition and it also allows characters to maneuver around on top.  I am planning on adding a floor and interior features, possibly modular features to switch between Bank and Jail - to think of a few.

More buildings to come!

Desert Terrain Tables

Although I am moving towards a focus on the Resurrectionst, I decided on creating several pieces of modular terrain that will create a desert theme.  I imagine the possibility of outposts, mining camps, mines, and boomtowns.  Here are some pictures of  the table set-ups I have used for demonstrations .   The first two pictures also feature the gaming mat I made to simulate the dirt and sand of the American West.  The third picture has a piece of orange cloth as the mat that can purchased at any fabric store or even some Wal-Marts. 

I am really enjoying the desert theme; each of these tables has every type of terrain trait in Malifaux and it is a great training ground to learn the rules on.   Also, they bring back a lot of memories from my childhood growing up in California and visiting my Grandfather in Arizona.  I hated the heat of the Southwest deserts, but those deserts were beautiful beyond belief even in their stark simplicity.  I think they would have been even more awesome with giant lizardmen, evil puppets, ice constructs, and witchlings running around!

 

 

 

 

 My next post with have close-ups of terrain pieces.