Bringing the table to life

I have managed to get the board up and running. I was keen to see the new battle mat (urban ruins from deep cut studios) with some terrain in place. I had a good go through the garage and I actually have very little terrain, something to sort out in the near future I feel. However ....

Craters

I have a few craters that I painted up some time ago and the trusty collection of oil tank and associated barrels. Then there are a few lines of sandbags and a metal outpost dug into some earth.

Plane wreak

I have a crashed plane, from one of the starter box sets if I remember correctly, and a wreaked building  which was constructed by the Dark Templar. Also a few hills and trees.

Hills and trench line with pillar box

Finally I added a trench line with pillar box and another couple of hills and trees.

Cockpit

I have alway liked the crashed plane. I have painted some small details here and there and they stand out when playing.

Building

This building has been the centre piece for many of our games. It is good because it significantly breaks line of sight and it has firing platforms at height making it a good location to place some heavy weapons.

I have realised that despite playing Orgs for many many years I have never made any Ork terrain. I will just had to rectify that! I feel a new project coming on. Two or three Ork pieces would give our games a very different feel.

Anyway the battle mat looks good and I can't wait to get a game on it.

Night time board & Urban Furniture Q&A

I have finally managed to get some paint on the board and it makes it 'pop' a bit. Definitely gives it that feeling of darkness. I used a couple of different colour sprays. Black as the undercoat, then some shadow grey, in streaks, followed by more black to take the edge off.

A little more play testing has revealed that it is very easy to 'forget' about the effect of the Lampposts. This was really beginning to bug me. There was a suggestion earlier on in the blog that some disks could be used to denote the light. I have given that a try and it definitely makes a difference.

Urban Furniture Q&A

I have been looking online and seen a number of games recorded on Utube. These have proved very interesting to observe. A couple of things came to mind: -

1. Lampposts & Serwer placement - in the games that I have seen people seem happy to place them anywhere, including up on buildings. I have checked the rules and p80 & 81 say they can be placed 'anywhere in the playing area' within set limits that are defined.

I would welcome thoughts on this - but it does seem odd to have Lampposts and Sewers up high on buildings?

2. Objectives placement - again I have seen them placed anywhere which seems reasonable but I have noticed a line on page 81 in bold - A player cannot deploy objective markers on scenography element. What does this mean? It is followed on page 82 with a picture of a Riddle Objective up high on a piece of scenery.

Unlike the Lampposts and Sewers it does seem reasonable, to me, to have Objectives in / on buildings and at various heights.

Again I would welcome any thoughts?

Another small point concerning Ammo Crates & Titan Containers - victory points are awarded 'to its owner when they control it' Does this mean that you only get VP's for your own Objectives and not those owned by the opposition?

The wording also talks about the act of 'activating' so that the Objective can only be 'manipulated' once the Objective is 'activated'. Does this mean that only the owner can 'activate' the Objective?

Such are the questions of one who is yet to play - but better ask them now and have the answers for Sunday.

Funfair progress - first paint

I have had a real good go at trying to get some paint on things. I am conscious of time and I want to make sure that there will be some funfair themed atmosphere and lets face it, that needs some bright colour.

I have made the Hot Air Balloon the centre piece and gone for the image of the Mr J's head. Well it stands out at least ;-) Other than that I have thrown on the colour and even cut out some paper advertising posters and stuck them on to large open areas using PVA.

It really is coming along.

I need more urban furniture to scatter on the ground and maybe a ticket kiosk or fast food outlet or a few seats to support the boxes and containers that I have coming.

The carousel remains unfinished. I have yet to find the right size horses for it. Maybe this weekend I will have success.

The board will also need some paint to reflect the night-time conditions. I have run out of spray so again another shopping trip required.

All in all I am happy with progress. It won't be long now until it is used in anger. Bring on the Batman! Mr J is ready and waiting.

Balloon Assembly

Well the big moment has arrived and it is time to pop the balloon and see if the paper mache structure has survived and hardened properly overnight. I left it in front of the fire so that it maxed out on heat. I didn't go for the Linseed option because I wasn't sure how the paint might interact so .... without further a do ..... I give you -

The Balloon Port will sit between the Funhouse and the Ferris Wheel with each providing access. There is a platform from the Fun House roof and we will have a special rule for the Ferris Wheel, maybe expending 1 MA and 1 SA to interact with the Ferris Wheel (or something like that). It is also less than 30cm high for Batclaw access.

I needed a basket for the balloon and this was assembled using foam board, cocktail stick dowels, PVA and 4 BBQ skewers. I added a layer sellotape later to give strength.

Then I needed something to link the balloon to the basket.

The loading would be vertical and downwards through the wooden skewers. I cut out a larger piece of foam board and took a nick out of each corner. These would house the top end of the skewers which would also be pushed outwards into a small curve which should look good. I then glued four squares over the top of these holes. I tried adding tape but without great success.

Now I needed to connect the ballon. It also had to be removable for easy storage later. I went with the idea of an upturned Coke plastic bottle which has a curved bottom and would sit well inside the top of the balloon. I cut off the mouth piece and then cut out two large vertical slots in the shape of the foam board top platform.

This worked a treat and the Coke bottle sat on top of the foam board in a stable way.

I was delighted. All that needed to happen now was to add the balloon itself.

And there we have it - one balloon. It dominates the playing table and I am thinking of painting it up like a Joker's head.

Then it will be ready for the Joker to invade Arkham, dropping poison gas or whatever his wicked plan might be. Can Batman & Robin stop him, that is the question?

Thanks for all the ideas guys.

Balloon Project

Yes I have taken the leap and following suggestions I have starting making a Balloon for the Fun Fair. using paper mache.

The theory is to link the Fun House and the Ferris Wheel by having a high level Balloon Port in between. This will provide a reason to use the Ferris Wheel (get quickly to the top) and well as providing an excellent viewing / shooting platform. I must ensure that the full height is within the 30cm limit for Batman so that he can fly up and down.

I started with a balloon, strips of newspaper, plain flour and salt. An equal mix of flour and water is generated and brought to a smooth consistency. Salt is added to stop the whole thing going mouldy. Then the strips of paper are coated with the mixture and applied to the balloon. The aim is to cover the surface a total of three times going horizontal, vertical and horizontal again. My application was - well - messy to say the least but at least I have something.

Now I have to leave it to dry before I can move on to the next stage - the 'burst the balloon' stage. I am looking forward to that and hopefully it will all hold together. Then I need to make it look like a balloon with a basket suspended underneath.

The high level Balloon Port with dual access should also be a challenge - but one thing at a time.

Should be fun.

Urban Furniture progress

Got lots of little projects on the go in the lead up to our first game and obviously some fairly major ones as well with the Fun House, Power Plant, Ferris Wheel and Carousel. I will also need to do something with the board to give some texture.

However some essentials to play the game are the Lampposts and Sewer markers. I had fun making the Lampposts and the Sewers were just bits of vehicle from the Bitz Box.

I finally managed to get them all ready and added to the pile of playing scenery.

I have ordered some Batman Miniature Game Boxes

and Containers

which should be in the post. I figured that they would be good for lots of different game types, so worthwhile. There is benefit being higher than the opposition so standing on boxes or seats will be a tactic.

I have even ordered some Blood and Stun damage markers. I am going to need a couple of extra boxes in the garage to house all this stuff when its not in use but the production line is flying along.

Game Counters - Objectives

In order to play the Batman Miniature Game you need to have a fair number of counters on the board.    These include a variety of Objective markers. Each player is allowed to place three objectives on the board, that is a total of six. There are four different kinds of Objectives. Titan Dose, Ammo Crates, Loot and Riddles and each player can only take one of each type.

I have been to the 'great Bitz Boxes' in the garage and pulled out a variety of items to make up the required counters.

It is always fun to visit the 'great Bitz Boxes'. You just never know what may be found. As usual I am able to pull out various bits and bobs to let me do whats needed. I have started to paint them up and am keeping them very different so that there can be no doubt what each one is. I will enjoy picking out some detail over the next few days.

Its another big step towards our first game.

I need 6 Lampposts (which I have started) and 6 Sewers entrances next.

Brain wave - Jack in the Box

I have been thinking about the objective markers that are required for the Batman Miniature Game. There are four types: -

1. Ammo Crates - 3 victory points and restore ammo
2. Loot - 1 victory point
3. Titan Containers - 2 victory points and gain one  titan dose (+1 to all basic skills)
4. Riddles - can be worth up to 3VP's but you might even lose 1 VP

Now The Joker just has to have a few Riddles up his sleeve and I wanted to make something characterful. My mind has been wandering through the possibilities for a few days and then it struck me - a Jack in the Box!

I had such fun making it. The spring is from a clothes peg, the skull from my bits box (I added some free stuff for the green hair look) and the box itself is just cut card.

Booo!

It was great fun to make and will add a little something to the game.

Let there be light!

The Batman Miniature Game has some requirement for specific pieces of terrain. Each player will place D3 lampposts, each player chooses 3 Objectives of which there are four different types and each player deploys D3 sewer entrances. All will need markers so I thought I would start with a lamppost or two. I will need at least six.

I started with a wooden skewer. I stuck a square piece of foam board to a base and then inserted the skewer through the foam board and into the slot in the base. This was great if somewhat wobbly. To overcome this I used green stuff and metal off cuts to give the base some weight.

The result was much more stable.

To make the lamp I cut a length of card and wrapped it around a pen. I used PVA to glue it together so that it formed a cylinder. Then I cut a circle of card that was slightly over sized and made a hole in the middle.

The disc was then stuck to the cylinder.

Hey presto - we have a simple lamppost. In the Batman Miniature Game the lamppost casts light for a 10cm radius. Anyone standing in the light can be seen from anywhere on the board provided there is line of sight. Their positioning will be important and I can imagine that key intersections will be well lit and overseen by gang members with guns.

"Walk in the light - at your peril" cackled Mr J.

Power Plant for the Fun Fair

Any good Fun Fair will have its own supply of power. Essential for all those lights and stuff, at least that was the theory when I discovered this industrial plant. It is by Sarissa Precision. I had never used one of these kits before and for the small sum of £12.50 I thought I would give it a go - and I am impressed!

Everything is laser cut and absolutely precise!! Never seen anything like it in this hobby of ours. There were only three sheets of A4 card to make up the entire thing.

Each wall section came away with ease. and then fitted together like a jigsaw. No gaps at all! Very impressed with the design.

There is a floor piece that the four main walls slot into vertically. Each wall section fits to its neighbour like a zipper. A little PVA and it is all secure. The section that impressed me the most was the flat roof section. A slot had been cut horizontally that allowed each section of vertical railing to pass through until the roof found its final position. Like a glove, it fitted. I giggled that it worked so well.

There is a section of card that fits inside the the window and door which gives a nice effect and then, just for fun, the door opens and closes - wow! I love it.

The only small issue for Batman Miniature Game is that the scale is slightly small. This is only noticeable around the door height. I gave this some thought and then mounted the building on a piece of foam board.

This just makes the whole thing more believable.

This is a great find and if my little Power Plant is anything to go by then these kits are well worth trying out.

Have fun guys and gals.

Fun House progress

I really liked the idea of turning the Joker mask into some kind of Fun House. The idea is that it takes up the side of a building and maybe becomes the entrance. I found an old cardboard box that was about 2 thirds the height of the mask and used this as my starting point.

I glued a piece of foam board to its base making sure that it stuck out enough to take at least a single playing model. I then began a process of cutting out wall pieces about waist high to act as balustrades.

Next I added a 'storey' under the box so that the mask was able to stand to its full height. This gave me a three storey structure plus a roof. I made great use of cocktail stick dowels to give rigidity combined with lots of PVA.

The idea is that the Fun Park is abandoned and locked up - so only the outside can be used. The piece of terrain is large enough to substantially break line of sight and will also provide multiple height platforms. Strategically placed objectives will be great to ensure that the terrain is well used.

Next I needed to place a second line of maintenance platforms and do something with the roof to allow access to all areas. The dowels were less effective for this task so I hung the platform from the roof and added a support pole to the front corner. It is actually quite stable and takes the weight of a model no problem.

I have had a look online and the average Fun House seems to be a riot of colours and levels. The 'more is less' principle so go mad with additions and make it all look crazy. Here is a particularly loud example.

Reds and yellows will fit in with my chosen colour scheme but lets see how things develop.

Fun Park investigations

I have been applying some paint to the Ferris Wheel and it is coming along nicely. It is an imposing piece and will provide some good atmosphere.

In the end, I went with the vertical stripes for the pods and it has helped to 'pull the piece together'. I have still plenty to do and it does take some time building up layers until they are fairly solid in nature. With the pods in place the Ferris Wheel has more presence.

The playing board is 900mm x 900mm, so not huge. I am thinking that I will need 3-4 major items to complete the board plus some kiosks, ticket offices and the like. It will be important to break sight lines and to attempt to have some height as well.

I have also notices that the Batman Miniature Game has rules associated crates so I will need to come up with a suitable design for these.

I have been hunting for ideas and the Dark Templar has been ever helpful with this fantastic mask.

Current thoughts are that it might make a good 'Funhouse' or maybe even the entrance to the park. It is very much in keeping with the Joker theme and also the Trickster element for Coney Island.

Every good funfair has a Carousel so I figured that my next addition should be in that vein. Nothing huge but with horses and poles and all that good stuff.

So I have started with a top and bottom section and intend to use cocktail sticks for the poles. I may have some old horses in the garage somewhere but it may be that they are too big. I will investigate. I think that the key to this looking the part will be the conical top piece and the banner that surrounds the top of the carousel.

Wonder Wheel development

The Ferris Wheel has been base coated and I thought that I should get some colour on it. I went back to my Coney Island pictures for some inspiration.

The colours for the pods are in vertical stripes which is eye catching with the support trip-pod in blue and then a combination of red and yellow for the structure. I must admit that I like the yellow.

So I have made a start. It will be impressive on the board. I have yet to figure out what I will be doing with the ground, pavement, tarmac, loose gravel or combinations. I have been out and got a 900mm x 900mm piece of hardboard and ..... its not a big playing surface - thats for sure. I have even had a look in a few charity shops for bits and pieces - nothing to report, as yet.

Ferris Wheel construction - part 3

Ha ha - I have taken some the much needed advice on board and ... voila!

The Ferris Wheel stands and does not fall over.

I have made alterations from yesterday though.

A. I have added a sheet of foam board to the base which has worked very well.
B. I have also changed the way the pods attach themselves. I went away from the clothes pegs and have used wire bits taken from paper clips instead. Now each pod is removable and so will be easier to paint.

The wheel goes through 360 degrees and can do so with a model or two on board. Each pod rotates fully. All very functional.

What it won't do is stay stable when a single model is located away from the centre line i.e. at the bottom of the rig.

So the big plan here is to introduce some kind of gear cog with a ratchet mechanism.

I have created a star shape with eight setting so the pods can be stopped in different positions. I then cut out a ratchet piece to fit into the gaps in the cog.

I used a long bamboo skewer which I plan to have 'in tension'. This should prevent the wheel from moving beyond its chosen position.

I think that the weak point in all of this will be the glue fixing everything to the central cylindrical timber piece. If this holds - then all should work - if not a rethink will be on the cards. That glue is currently setting so keep those fingers crossed!!