Coming up with a variety of new materials for your terrain environment is critical. After all, you don’t want to stare at the same humdrum pieces game in and game out: different building materials means different color schemes. Ben turned to The Google for a little history lesson and came up with ivory as yet another world resource. Let’s see how he’s begun adding this material (and more wood) into his new game board.

We’ve already settled on the natural stone (otherwise known as “casing stones”). That limestone is the core material for our walls and floors. Thanks to the RPG community, Ben also started introducing wood into the setting. And now we’ve got ivory as yet another building material (hooray). Here are some possible fits.

Wooden Door
Ben has already made a series of ornate heavy stone doors for his tomb but decided he needed a simple alternative. If you think about it, there are plenty of common areas that simply don’t require a Fort Knox style entrance. Try these steps:

• Use the rickety old door from Hirst Arts (Mold #81)
• Paint it the Stronger Wood scheme for a somewhat sturdy feel
• Create two simple door supports
• Add a hieroglyphic brick for some message intrigue
• Slap on some optional stone décor or keep it simple
• Now that’s a nice door

Ivory Altar
Religious zealots need their space too. Ben has a couple of nice existing fieldstone options but this was his first tomb top attempt.

• Grab the column top from Mold #84
• Sand the bottom down so the piece can rest flat
• Prime it black
• Apply a flat coat of Bestial Brown (straight on but avoid big cracks)
• Put on a flat coat of Bleached Bone (straight on but feather it out with your brush)
• Dry brush on Skull White
• Allow for a couple exposed but subtle crevices
• Adorn with an appropriate object of suspense for a final touch

The Gothic mold series has some great options too (#41, 42 and 80). Ben made a couple in the ivory motif. These also work nicely as special décor or as bases for statues. The gothic ones just seem a tad large for tables or altars but it’s dealer’s choice of course.

Ivory Column
The Hirst Arts Egyptian pieces have an intentional gritty sand blast coating to them. That bumpy effect somewhat works against our ivory desires. The paint job normally works best on a smooth casted surface. No worries though – Ben thinks this idea is still a winner.

• Use the column from Mold #99
• Cast two toppers and a half a column
• Apply our ivory paint scheme (as noted above)
• Build a taller staggered wall to rest it against
• Imitate the partial column top from our inspiration
• Not bad, ey?
• Add this beauty to your column collection

See how great a room looks now with all our new materials diversity. That sand color no longer dominates our landscape. Benny like.

Questions to Ponder: What are some common room types that could use our simple wood door? What object would you place on your ivory altar? What do you think of our latest column – does it work with the rest of our tomb theme?

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Rubble can raise a game board’s landscape to newly entertaining and eye opening heights. Yes, yes – some of the build steps can be meticulous at times but the payoff is bountiful. Hobbyists will also enjoy a cavalcade of artist expression…more so than most terrain creations. After all there’s no wrong way to make modular ruins is there? Let’s take a look at the Pile’s piles.

Wood Paint Scheme
Let’s start by understanding some color schemes that Ben utilizes for his timber (easier said than done). Depending on the object, there’s actually two nice ways to go here.

Traditional wood: Flat brush of Bestial Brown (2 coats), dry brush of Snakebite Leather, lighter dry brush of Bubonic Brown and a Citadel Gryphonne Sepia ink wash to top it off. Ben applies this tone to his more common wood objects.

Stronger wood: Heavy dry brush of Scorched Brown, lighter dry brush of Bestial Brown, and a P3 Brown Ink wash finishing step. This wood color speaks more to a stronger, rarer material origin.

Caveman Clumps
Little smatterings of rubble throughout one’s dungeon was something Ben first discovered from legendary Hirst Arts officiando, Caveman. Nobody does it better. Just jaw dropping detail. An envious Ben wanted to incorporate that same style effect in his own terrain but has always been gun shy. Well, one can’t start to mimic that effect happen without first readying some actual rubble.

Modular Rubble Pile
Ben got a great insight from a Dungeon Master Mark video regarding Egyptians and their use of wood. Of course, this raw material wasn’t abundant but it had real uses back in the day. For example, the Egyptians were the first recorded people to use sails on their ships. Wood was used from planks to the mast and oars. This is excellent news as Ben needs another resource option since metal in Dark Sun is so rare.

The revelation reminded Ben of a modular rubble pile he made for some feisty Gnoll Archers in Phoenix Comicon’s 2012 Ark of Souls. Now he had a chance to create a new one with some Egyptian flair.

• Study your inspiration
• Gather painted test pieces
• Use a jagged wood plank as your rubble base (Mold #220)
• Grab a snippy thingy to weather and break up the pieces
• Paint any of the individual pieces before gluing (easier)
• Glue down your rubble
• Cover any glue spots with flock
• Enjoy your new

Your new creation works great for archer fire, combat cover, athletics skill checks and movement over difficult terrain.

(Purple) Worm Hole
Sometimes Ben will inexplicably go off on a random terrain tangent. Remember the wolf lair? Well, here we go again. There sat Reaper’s iconic Purple Worm miniature on his bookshelf. He suddenly decided to make a pyramid worm hole of sorts with oddly stacked rubble. It would also serve a spin-off on stairs to go between tomb levels.

• Grab a four by four square to serve as your gluing base
• Create circular rubble outline around your miniature (like a nest of sorts)
• Glue a mix of shattered pieces down
• Color in the details (using previous Rover series palettes)
• Paint the center black to indicate a deep dark tunnel
• Put in some special touches with flock
• Drop in some warning skulls or luring treasure piles
• Behold! A Purple Worm lair fit for a Pharaoh

Standing Rubble Piles
Let’s carry that permanent square rubble pile a little further with some semi modular pieces. These types of terrain squares are a little limiting but still fun to make. Here are some quick ideas. Ben drew from his non-traditional squares trick from our crumbled Passageways video. It’s fun to have a square not really be a square on the piece. The key is just making sure your mini base fits accordingly as you glue. Also, you don’t need to be Einstein but at least try to make the fallen terrain seem somewhat plausible.

Start simple and try some broken pottery and fallen stones. You could drop this square in a room or in the middle of a hallway. Simple but classy, ya know?

Or, get a little more elaborate. Ben liked the idea of a blasted wall that ultimately reveals a secret passageway of sorts. So gather some bricks and shake (or break) things up a little by introducing your own rubble scatterings. Remember, these weren’t the steel high-rise days…every stone eventually crumbled.

Questions to Ponder: What effects do you place on rubble for your game board? Got any fun ideas on rock pile combos? Got any flock tips?

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They say imitation is the greatest form of flattery and when it is comes to terrain buildin’, you would be a bumbling fool not to utilize the vast array of RPG resources sitting at your keyboard. Countless photos, how-to guides and videos are scattered across this world wide web of ours. Let’s see how Ben called upon a few old friends for some help with this week’s new Egyptian pieces.

Sky Pillars
Yep – there’s yet another pillar to gawk at this week. This particular column is best suited flush against a wall…a very tall wall. Rather than build a uniform four bricks high, Ben considered this an opportunity to stagger the bricks in unique patterns and heights.

Coming up with a color scheme was much tougher. Ben had his heart set on Dark Angels Green for the leaf design but picking a complimentary paint was a biatch. Six different, frustrating colors (including red, silver, orange and purple) were paired with the pre-picked green. In the end, all the test pieces just felt too dark.

So here’s where Ben ended up:

• Check your inspiration (too Christmas-like)
• Use Burnished Gold for the rims
• Apply Dark Angels Green for the leaf-like points
• Fill in Skull White for the intertwined décor
• Enjoy another imposing tomb column

Narrow Staircase
Adventurers gotta go up and down a chunk of stairs inside your tomb, right? Of course they do. Ben decided to re-create a staircase piece originally crafted by his Gen Con DM. Here’s how:

• Study the original
• Use a piece of 2 wide by 3 long foam core as your base for gluing
• Try going 4 bricks high for the walls
• Stack the bricks by making a flat bed foundation so you can stagger the steps
• Utilize a spacer brick to ensure equal distance between steps
• Venture down your new stairs – wealth and glory await!
• Want a quick tip? Use dice to track which step the mini is on

Consider dropping in a couple hieroglyph bricks for the inside walls to show some nondescript warnings for what lies ahead. Ben stuck with a single mini width for this staircase as a pyramid’s passage ways are typically cramped by nature. Plus, occasionally forcing the party march single file makes gamers a bit nervous.

Coffin Stand
Now it’s time to pull a page right of Bruce Hirst’s own book. His site is a quintessential King’s Tut haul of magnificent terrain building ideas. Ben gleefully decided to re-create the coffin stand.

• Review the prototype
• Cast and sort your pieces from mold #96
• Follow the tutorial
• Apply our traditional sand base coat
• Use our previous accent materials (flames, mummy, & coffin)
• Enjoy this ornamental tomb piece

It’s worth mentioning that Ben couldn’t figure out the stair railings to save his life so he just improvised with some sandpaper to make it work. Still, he sure would like to know how those railings truly fit together in the tutorial.

Small warning: there’s a lot of “tiny gluing” here. That’s a made up term by Ben. It means the project has numerous, small pieces that have to be carefully glued in separate stages with a lot of required dry time between steps. Also, be sure that your pieces are level before gluing (so keep some sandpaper within arm’s reach).

Emulating fellow hobbyists’ masterpieces is a bit of an adrenaline rush. Sometimes you find an example that morphs into your own unique terrain. And other times, there’s no reason to mess with perfection. In the end, it’s just swell to be a part of a community so rich in supportive resources.

Until next week, fellow tomb raiders…

Questions to Ponder: What color scheme would you have used in the sky pillars? Do you like narrow hallways? Why or why not? What are some of your favorite terrain websites and videos?

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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?

Thunderspire Labyrinth’s module finale is filled with all sorts of unique terrain pieces. And your last dance with Paldemar is meant to be a real humdinger. Every DM always want that final battle to be a memorable one so let’s see how Ben set forth to do just that.

Symbol of Vecna Paper Floor Tile
This floor mosaic is a beauty but not exactly easy to implement on your 3-D game board. Never fear – this is where our terrain paper trick comes in handy. Jason, the voice of Craggy and Toates on our weekly video podcast, went to work on a comparable design. He nabbed an image from the 1990 Greyhawk Adventures module entitled “Vecna Lives!” and applied a light d20 grid to it. Ben built the room around this symbol as the centerpiece. You can download a PDF for your own game here.

Crystal Pillars
Boy, this was another head scratcher. It’s not like Ben had a set of arcane absorbing energy columns just lying around in his Pile. Thankfully, the Cavern Accessory Mold (#85) from Hirst Arts came to the rescue. Bruce has a most excellent tutorial on how to make crystal piles from that mold (which Ben followed to the letter).

He made separate piles and then utilized the ggargoyle column from the Lava and a Cup of Java Comicon adventure to hold them. Tip: casting on small glass mirror squares ensured Ben had the right piece width from the start.

To paint the crystals, Ben liked a contrasting light blue color pallet:

• Prime black
• Use a basecoat of Ultramarine Blue
• Apply a medium dry brush of Ice Blue (but avoid the deep crevices)
• Finish with a light dry brush of Skull White on all the raised edges
• Now bask in the glory of your own crystal pile

Ben used a series of colors (Tin Bitz, Shining Gold and True Silver) on the column itself to show the column was built out of a series of precious metals. Complete the piece by applying a rock flock mixture to help illustrate the crystals rising up from the column itself.

Statue of Vecna
Ben reached into his 2011 Gencon bag to come up with a representative statue. He had asked pro painter, Bob Ladd, to whip up a bunch of statue options for his modules. There’s no one-armed/eyed skeletal figure in that batch, but this robed wizard seemed like a nice homage to Paldemar.

Ben decided to make a matching pedestal for the statue and room:

• Prime a piece from the HA mold (#41) black
• Put on a heavy dry brush of Codex Gray
• Follow that up with a light dry brush of Fortress Gray
• Take P3 Thrall Flash and mix it with Fortress Grey for an evil green hue
• Now that’s a base fit for the room

Lava Caldrons
Ben placed two of the lava pits from the Inner Sanctum on this map. A hobbyist always relishes re-using some TLC custom pieces. He’ll probably re-populate them with a couple tentacles but this time increase their reach to 3 and have them leave their safety nest on Paldemar’s command. They’ll be easy to hit (AC 15) and kill (10 HP) but will pack a wallop (4d6).

Idol of Vecna
A nice coincidence with this element as Ben actually had some rock terrain from Pegasus Hobbies that nearly fit the mod’s original description…like it was meant to be.

He also wanted a what-the-heck item in this room. A simple urn (guarded by a Nentyar Hunter sharpshooter) at the very top of this stone formation should pique the characters’ interest. It rests on a pressure plate containing an arcane fire trap (DC 20).

Ben used the Potion Taste Chart from D&D Wiki to help determine the container’s contents. He settled on a Haste elixir which has a dark red color, licorice smell, goopy texture and spicy flavor. The vase has 2d4+1 doses (unless the trap is triggered). Its effects include: movement +3, +2 to attack, +8 damage, 1 extra basic attack, and counteraction to a slowed condition.

The potion’s chunky consistency requires it be violently administered via special +8 darts (in Paldemar’s chamber) which force the substance into one’s body but deal 1d8 damage to the host. So, basically your teammate must perform a ranged strike against you with a dart in order for its effects to take place on your next turn.

Chained Prisoners
Lots of NPCs have crossed the party’s path in this adventure. Remember, poor Crag McBeard? The party’s original dwarf was left for dead so that others may live. To help tie that storyline together, Paldemar has brutally tortured and chained him up here. He has a magic ward cast upon him to prevent any healing. His last words to the party will be “but why?” – that should strike a nerve with the group. Another buxom, attractive woman is chained up to introduce a little damsel in distress predicament. Saving her before combat ends will result in an 800 XP reward for the group.

Final Puzzle Piece
And finally, just one puzzle piece remains. If you recall, the group has been collecting them throughout the adventure as a full set will ultimately reveal the location of the Pyramid of Shadows. It’s the perfect transition to the next module. Paldemar wears it around his neck and isn’t exactly eager to give it up.

And there you have it folks…the final showdown with Paldemar inside Thunderspire Labyrinth. A labor of love.

Questions to Ponder: Did you play this module and defeat Paldemar? How did your DM change things up? Did you have a favorite terrain piece in this post? How often do you make your own magic potions? What module is your group going to play next?

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Nearly done? Guess again, Pharaoh. There are plenty of support pieces still to be made for this new Egyptian RPG landscape. In fact, sometimes Ben feels like he’s just scratched the pyramid’s surface. A daunting revelation for him yet wonderful news for you. Let’s get to the nitty-gritty…

Torch Column
Light source terrain gets an occasional bad rap, especially when the DM delivers the ol’ “this-dungeon is lit by magical torches” line. Resist the urge to take the easy road and try making a few of these beauts.

• Build a single-square, three-block base wall
• Prime black
• Mount on a block with Sticky Tack for easier painting of this small piece
• Paint on a slightly watered down Sunburst Yellow
• Highlight with P3 Khador Red Base (via dry brush)
• Use P3 Molten Bronze for the sconce base
• Remember use more red at the fire’s base and more yellow at top of the flame
• Enjoy a glimmering, glowing tomb staple
• Place your new piece next to a hallway door

Ram Head Statue
Certainly your tomb needs many a statue or god-like symbol. The Egyptians were cuckoo crazy for that stuff. So, we better get to steppin’ if we want to have our own terrain board fit the part. Let’s start with Khnum, the protector of the sun.

• Study your inspiration (it’s spot on)
• Color the horns and eyes in Burnished Gold
• Apply a base coat of Skull White
• Dab the head in the original base coat wash
• Mount on a simple three-block wall
• Or, try a taller wall to give the piece some more depth
• Flock the ledge with small stones and sand
• Now that’s a god that’s deserves a nod

Ornate Round Column
Our terrain set to date does include a couple columns but now we’re going to raise the stakes a bit. This week’s piece is taller and fatter than the others. Perfect for a fancier chamber or better cover in combat.

• Review your motivation
• Use the tape method meticulously here
• Paint the top rim Skull White
• Try Red Gore for the core diagonal pattern
• Apply Blazing Orange for the smaller outlines
• Place on the board as a standalone piece
• Or, build a staggered wall to accommodate its height

What’s next? (Ben shrugs) but he better get to glue’in cause he only has a week to figure it out until the next post. Until we terrain again…

Questions to Ponder: How do you handle light source in your dungeons? Are 4E sun rods the bane of your DM existence? Did you have alternate color schemes for any of these pieces? Got a favorite piece in the terrain set so far?

Hard to believe it was three years ago in March, that the little ol’ Pile took to the web. Well, 157 posts later, we’re thrilled to still have all our hit points. But most importantly, Ben believes…

Ben believes in the soul. He believes role playing is on the game group and not the game edition. He believes in lots of combat. He believes in minis that aren’t made of cardboard. He believes in the sanctimony of GenCon. He believes in never having enough dice. He believes in more closet space to store his stuff. He believes in the return of the Hobbit. And he believes in contributing to this great D&D community.

Ben and the rest of the Pile gang extends its heartfelt thanks to all the readers. And we promise to continue to believe in the game we love.

New terrain leads to fear. Fear leads to practice. Practice leads to success. OK, so maybe that’s not exactly how Yoda said it but the mantra still holds true for us builder-folk. Our growing library of Egyptian paint schemes is really starting to make multi-color pieces come to life. Let’s see how our RPG board has upped its game.

Advanced Egyptian Hieroglyph
Ben’s first attempts at the colorful, symbol-laden walls well, rather cute. Try these adjustments:

• Use the smallest brush you can find to stop the blotching
• Bring forth previous paint schemes
• Draw from your inspiration
• Go with Sunburst Yellow and Dwarf Flesh for its legs
• Paint the Crown with Burnished Gold
• Stick with Red Gore and Hawk Turquoise for the base symbols
• Give Dwarf Bronze a try for the cobra
• Re-employ Charadon Granite for the smaller Sphinx
• Be daring with a Pale Violet Red for the flamingo-like creature
• Plant those elbows and hold it steady under the magnifying glass
• Stay patient. This is not a piece to rush

The result is an elaborate wall section that tells an amazing story. Plus, it ties perfectly to other recently completed pieces and really brings the room together.

Short Wall Columns
As many of you know, Ben generally sticks to a two-brick-high wall for a myriad of reasons including better chair viewing for the players sitting around the game table. Still, you can stagger portions of your wall to three and sometimes four bricks high to create the necessary column depth.

• Use Burnished Gold for the column rings (via the tape method)
• Paint the palm Dark Angel Green
• Apply Vermin Brown for the tree trunk
• Dab on Dwarf Flesh for the people glyphs
• Use Skull White for their clothing
• Apply Chaos Black for their hair
• The final product pops, baby!

Base Door System
The triggered trap system was well received and basic tomb doors continued to be a pesky venture. So…we decided to merge them together for sure-fire gateway solution.

• Continue to utilize the same locking mechanism
• Grab a previously painted, very-squared decorative door
• Build a single block frame around it
• Glue the door flush to one end to create some depth on the opposite side
• Sand the bottom of your door slightly (if necessary) for best fit
• Add an optional lever (from mold #85) for fun.
• Bingo! You have a base door for your game board

Miscellaneous Follow-ups
At press time for Red Rover P8, we had painted a rather pristine mummy. Well, we had a chance to tweak him a tad by adding a final re-dip step. This adjustment gave him a more realistic dirt/aged effect. Give it a try yourself.

Solving the door issue was a major terrain obstacle. Even better, we’ve expanded and refined our hieroglyph color scheme which coincidentally works quite well with some of our wall columns. I believe Dan Aykroid and Eddie Murphy in Trading Places said it best. Until next week…

Questions to Ponder: Did you like the hieroglyph color scheme? What would you do differently? Are you a tall wall or short wall kinda builder? How many different kinds of doors do you like to have at the ready for a terrain environment?

Check out Roving Band of Misfits’ Trapped Corridor

New terrain environments often spawn new hobbyist techniques. Your RPG-churning mind becomes much more open to experimentation which often leads to an adrenaline-style knowledge gain. That’s where this week’s post comes in – Ben learned a great new taping technique that makes straight paint lines a snap. Let’s see how he did it.

Our Egyptian game board requires a dizzying array of detail work and straight lines. Sadly, the contrasting colors make physical gaffes quite apparent. Sure – it’s not very noticeable following the arm’s length rule but your goal should always be to improve from piece to piece (just don’t fret the past).

Enlisting the services of an ordinary roll of blue painters tape makes a noticeable improvement. And yes – it does take more time to add and cut the sticky stuff but painting that very piece indeed goes quicker.

The decorative flower stone offered a perfect training scenario as it’s encased in a solid square. Those lines called for a slick gold trim. Easy enough…just tear off small pieces of tape and place them on the very edges of the square. Now all you have to do is paint right to the line for a perfect edge effect.

This same technique works for trickier pieces, like the obelisk, but requires a little more tape maneuvering to get it in place. Remember Ben’s door from last week? That black outline looks like it was painted during an earthquake. Now look at it when he uses re-tries it (this time with Boltgun Metal coat for a rare silver metal look).

Let’s take a closer look at all three new pieces for this week:

Pouring Statue
The original called for a wild baby blue tone for the water color but Ben disagrees.

• Paint the Egyptian statue in the previous flesh color scheme
• Leave the outside of the pot in its natural sand state
• Use Chaos Black to show an empty container
• Try Regal Blue if you want to show water within it

The results are a couple of fine statue options either as room décor or maybe even to used with a before and after a trap has been triggered.

Iron Bar Door
Ben wanted to keep metal to a minimum (which is probably why you don’t even see them in the original Hirst Arts build). This is especially true if you plan on using this terrain in Dark Sun. There’s a type of compromise paint scheme here to try though.

• Try going for more shadows and sand build up.
• Use thicker bristles for a heavier dry brush of Chaos Black
• Apply a much lighter dry brush of Quick Silver
• Go back with a special thin brush for a dry brush of black between the bars
• Create an alternate door frame to house it in

Certainly, this type of door would be used sparingly and would probably be placed to seal off a more guarded part of your pyramid or dungeon.

Floor Flower Symbol
Several fun paint schemes to try here.

• Apply Warlock Purple for the “w” and flower nubs
• Dab on Dark Angel Green for the willows
• Use Liche Purple for the flower buds
• Paint on Burnished Gold for the outline
• Pretty cool, right

• Or, use Liche Purple the “w” and flower nubs
• Stick with Dark Angel Green for the willows
• Try Enchanted Blue for the flower buds
• Finish with Burnished Gold for the outline
• Not bad, ey?

• Or, go the original route model route
• Apply Liche Purple for the top buds and willows
• Use Dark Angel Green for the “w”
• Paint on Blood Red for the bottom buds
• Leave off the Burnished Gold Outline

In the end, Ben liked option 2 the best actually felt they were all keepers. Variety in your game board is always a good thing so Ben encourages alternate paint schemes when it makes sense.

Once again a tip of the helm to Enygma for guiding him in on landing…these are the kind of experiences a hobbyist learns to relish: good results with a new technique for one’s terrain toolbox. Life is good.

Questions to Ponder: Did you have a favorite floor décor paint scheme? Is the painter’s tape old news to you? If so, how else have you used it to improve your terrain building?

As our comfort factor rises with this Egyptian terrain, we’re going outside the box this week and crafting our own unique piece. Doors aren’t as straight forward in this particular Hirst Arts environment so Ben and Enygma had to think outside the box to get their desired entry results. Hop on our backs and see how we tried to tie everything together in this unique challenge.

Hallway Floors
Our inspiration really took a stellar, almost memorizing approach here. Ben loves the idea of having his hallway floor show the way as it were. Still, he felt the teal accent color would be a little too strong in large quantities. Engyma also raised a valid point that while history shows this lighter color, it’s more likely that the original pigment was much darker and merely faded over time.

Still to be sure, we tested three different patterns: Hawk Turquoise/Red Gore (too foo-foo), Regal Blue/Gore Red (too American flag), and Liche Purple/Red Gore (the winning combo).

Small Obelisk
Doors are more menacing when there’s an ornate column on either side. The small obelisk fulfills our need here. Options included a rare metal paint job (like copper or silver) or simply a darker color for contrast.

Color choices were kept simple:

• Quick Silver for the silver metal obelisk
• Dwarf Bronze for the copper obelisk
• Chaos Black for a straight forward approach
• Chardon Granite for the dark painted obelisk
• Midnight Blue for a why-not attempt

In the end, Ben couldn’t argue with the pop of the dark color and thus chose black (but silver is a great alternative, especially due to its historical rarity).

Door Frame
What houses a door can actually be more important than the door itself. Ben will use the first, more common door he made in a previous post as the foundation for this sinister entrance.

Here are the tweaks:

• Floor tiles will be the walls to take the pattern vertical
• Obelisks will anchor either side of the door
• Small bricks will sit atop the door (to cover the glue seams)
• Sand flock smatters the door sides (again to mask the glue seams)

Now that’s an entry way worthy of a traps skill check.

Sure, this may seem like an elaborate number of pieces to glue together but they really do work well together. Glue time is still minimal. Painting is also manageable because remember, it’s best to paint all the particular paint themes (your Gore Reds, Liche Purples, Burnished Golds etc) across a batch of pieces at one time. This keeps you productive, saves on brush rinsing and keeps drying wait times to a minimum.

And did you notice how the colors all tie in together? The red from the floor pattern crosses into the door accents and bird’s wings while the purple part of the floor is shared with the phoenix symbol. That type of color flow demonstrates how a confident RPG Hobbyists starts to enter the “terrain zone.”

Questions to Ponder: Would you have picked a different floor pattern? What was your favorite obelisk paint job? What type of Egyptian trouble lies beyond this ornate door?