The floors and walls now form the very foundation for your new Egyptian terrain game board. Your work is done, right? Hold on there, Claudius. The real proof is in the details. You’re certainly not going to send a group of rowdy adventurers into your new RPG environment without gussying the place up a bit. What kind of host are you?

Over the next set of posts, Ben is going to show you a wide variety of the detail pieces he’s created and how little touches of color throughout can really make ‘em pop. Some might argue that the base coat step is all you really need. While that’s true, why not go for the presentation jugular? It’s not as much muss and fuss as you think.

Co-Piler, Enygma, lent a brush to this color process. Ben just asked him to keep it simple. No crazy paint formulas, mixtures or rash number of steps. Painting pieces this small was already a major psychological challenge for Ben. If things got too complicated, the project would grind to a halt.

The Pharaoh’s Sarcophagus
A striking piece filled with immense detail and a mainstay of any tomb.

• Paint the head dress, lining and details with Burnished Gold
• Use Regal Blue for the head dress stripes
• Use Regal Blue again for the eyes (leave mouth gold)
• Apply Quick Silver for the jewel in the center of the head dress
• Dab on some Red Gore for his goatee
• Leave the coffin itself alone. Let the original base coat do its magic

Small Columns
The simplest column deserves a basic yet contrasting color scheme.

• Paint the bottom and top rings with Red Gore
• Cover the top plume with Burnished Gold
• Let the sand markings naturally form the rest of the piece

Undersized Pedestal
Prefer to let its natural sand lines define the edges so Ben focused on the glyphs.

• Random dots of Red Gore
• Simple touches of Hawk Turquoise
• Hints of Blazing Orange

Hieroglyphic Walls
Color code your storied symbol walls but stick with a consistent system.

• Stick with four primary colors (anything past that gets too distracting/busy)
• Use Blazing Orange for special symbols
• Try Hawk Turquoiuse for solid lines
• Pick Skull White for birds and animals
• Apply Red Gore for all letters

Misc Tips: Don’t skimp on brushes. You need quality with really fine bristles to do this right. Ben likes Vallejo and Games Workshop brush brands. Search Google Images for color inspirations. Don’t be afraid to make a mistake and practice on some test pieces.

Finally, be careful of overdoing this color step or looking at a piece under a microscope. You must employ the arm’s length test or you will go mad. Remember, no one looks at your pieces two inches from their face. Everything on the table is at least at an arm’s length distance.

More fancy carpeting-and-window-dressing-style-pieces coming next week!

Questions to Ponder: How would you paint these pieces differently (be specific)? Would you even bother with the color detail step?

Prunella – this Egyptian project is really starting to take on a life of its own. Dropping different shades of paint onto your pieces always seems to raise the stakes. So, let’s dig deeper into this first critical base coat step and show y’all how we cracked this nut.

Read the rest of this entry »

You would think gluing your terrain to the appropriate base would be a cake walk, right? After all, this is a life skill you learned in kindergarten. Well, Padawans – think again. Glue in haste and your terrain will almost certainly warp and all that hard work thus far is for naught. Glue with pre-calculated planning and techniques and your 3D game board will flourish…let’s explore further.

Read the rest of this entry »

Now that we’ve got our project inspiration and custom molds in hand, let’s get physical with an actual casting or two. Roll up your sleeves with Ben as he shares several tricks of the trade so that you too, can behold the power of the brick.

Read the rest of this entry »

The foundation of every new terrain environment starts with the selection of your molds. The Pile begins that process with the Industry’s best – Hirst Arts and then created custom molds from those original casts to ultimately support the high-volume pieces of the set. Join Co-Piler Enygma as he shows us how he made these unique works of art.

Read the rest of this entry »

Ben’s back from vacation so let’s get to it: Land ho! That’s right, RPGers – there’s an earthy foam mass dead ahead in this week’s D&D A to Z installment. What can one do with this relatively inexpensive resource to make one’s game table come alive?

Read the rest of this entry »

Hallways – the two-by-four portion of your dungeon floor. After all, a map isn’t much of a map without a myriad of pathways to choose from. Join Ben as he explores his endless attempts at creating the spookiest D&D passage.

Read the rest of this entry »

A big bad boss isn’t too intimidating if he doesn’t have a throne truly fit for a king, right? Never fear. Ben shows you how he made sure his latest 4E Phoenix Comicon Dungeon Delve had the furnishings to back up all that evil.

Let’s start with your inspiration. Ben loves the old Mage Knight Dungeon Accessory throne but its size is quite lackluster and a little too doll housey.

Read the rest of this entry »

Pre-painted, ready-to-use water terrain can be a DM god-send, especially when it’s in the treacherous swampy variety. Ben slips on his +1 protective waders and explores some of War Torn World’s water offerings.

Ben will tell you first hand that making water terrain from scratch is a (dire) bear. It’s painstakingly slow, messy and pricey. And those bubbles – the darn bubbles can ruin a piece. Sure this technique may come natural to the pros, but Ben is common craft folk. He can’t go all Pixar Studios on his tabletop creations.

Read the rest of this entry »

Your terrain ecosystem can’t survive without a fine collection of woody plants (otherwise known simply as trees). Let Ben be your forest guide as he explores a host of fun game table options.

We start our nature hike with Games Workshop. They were the first to really plant a firm seed within this category. Their tree sets work well but do shed a bit and usually require you to do your own basing.

Read the rest of this entry »