Our Egyptian environment possesses all the basic terrain – doors, floors, columns and walls. Now Ben has entered a new phase in his game board development that calls for making good pieces better. A hobbyist relishes this innovation phase but it does slow overall production down a bit. There are a lot of nerves to overcome. For instance, Ben has often stared at a new pile of unassembled, molded pieces for hours before taking the creative leap. Let’s see what he slapped together this week.

Hieroglyph Column
The first set of hieroglyph columns turned out really swell (one of Ben’s favorites of the set). So, he decided to put the picture ruins to good use in some standalone, modular columns.

• Use the pieces from The Egyptian Temple (mold #94)
• Review your original inspiration
• Try a simple 3-column high configuration
• Paint the column top and rims Burnished Gold
• Utilize that same people hieroglyph color scheme from the first set
• Consider leaving the wave markings with just our original sand base color
• Now that’s a column you can peek around

One thing Ben has learned is that the Egyptians sure did love their columns. There are a slew to choose from in the Hirst Arts set. Many more to come in future posts.

Sandy Knickknacks
Ben is still trying to put a little “clutter” in his tomb. Big empty open squares aren’t much fun. Creating the right knickknacks is going to be extra challenging, especially ones that don’t have a lot of metal properties. Remember – this is a Dark Sun style environment where steel is rare.

There are two different vases to create. Stick with a simple base coat for the larger vase. It stands alone nicely. Now for the small urn, consider this plan:

• Apply a dry brush of Snot Green for the center area
• Paint the top and bottom rims with Blood Red
• Don’t panic with the initial Christmas-look:)
• Re-dip the piece in our wood stain wash to tone it down
• Dab the top with Chaos Black (empty) or Regal Blue (water contents)
• Place your new mysterious vase in a worthy spot

The paint scheme above is just one way to go. Don’t hesitate to experiment with different color combinations. Ben still considers the Dwarven Forge containers to be the very best of the accessory bunch but every DM loves options.

And don’t forget about that sarcophagus. The detail on the piece is amazing. You can stand them up or lay ‘em down. Inhabit them with or without mummies. Ben doesn’t really have a desire to paint them. If he did, it would be subtle. They really do look remarkable just with the basecoat color.

More Walls
Ben’s real goal with walls is to not settle with only two-high mundane versions. Yes, they serve a critical modular purpose but Ben has seen a lot of the hobbyist pros better utilize the space. Here are two such examples. Our inspiration demonstrates a completed ledge-style wall piece. The tricky part is the four combined pieces make it difficult to hide the unevenness and creases. Still, Ben likes its multiple uses. He uses Liche Purple for the ledge outline color and the blue tape method to ensure straight lines.

Ben also created a couple of different decorative walls. Hirst Arts has lots of smaller, decorative pieces. Ben decided to drop some of ‘em into a few of his walls to provide a little flair. The real trick is to not over paint them. Just pick a few specific markings to color and to help them raise off the piece. Lastly, Ben added an optional light source on the wall to give it some extra utility.

So now the real thinking begins. How will Ben get his MacGyver on next week?

Questions to Ponder: What types of knickknacks do you put in your rooms for the group to interact with or to improve its look? How do you change up your walls to break up the terrain monotony? What types of things would you fill a sarcophagus with?