Terrain Ideas

Games Table: the planning stage

A while back I mentioned that I had plans to build my own fixed layout gaming table for 40K. It's still a long way off but I am plotting the table layout. This is what I currently have drawn out. I only have the default Paint program that comes with Windows so don't dwell too much on it. :-)

It's not to scale either before anyone queries and is subject to change.

The black line is obviously a road. Despite there being rules for roads in the 5th edition rulebook no one ever includes them or uses them it seems and I want a road to be viable. I suppose it doesn't help that the roll-out road that GW released a while back is just naff.
Grey shapes are rough locations and shapes of ruins, with two special differences. The square bottom left marked Tall Skyscraper is going to be two levels higher than other buildings as I want that to be a possible sniper point. Secondly the big square centre right is intended to be an intact building (the only one on the map) which will have a ladder on the side to allow infantry to climb up onto the roof.
Third thing to note is the parking lot on the top right. I don't know that hive cities in the 41st millennium would have such a thing but I like the idea of including it. I found a site that does 28mm scale chainlink fences so I plan to get some of those and surround it except the road entrance. Part of my chuckles of the idea that in a Spearhead deployment one army has been caught talking a break and parked up for lunch. Heh.
Lastly there is a large hole in the centre of the map. Normally I wouldn't include this but I have to include it for two reasons. Firstly, if it wasn't there then everything drives round and that isn't going to be interesting game in and game out. Secondly, the board is build with the default rulebook missions and those from Battle Missions (which I fully recommend). Some missions from Battle Missions have a central set up and I need to compensate for that.

As for the ruins I am in two minds. One one hand GW's onw 40K terrain would like nice and look right for the game. However it's fiddly to build and a pain in the arse to paint. But then there is the wonderful resign and pre-painted ruins from Flames of War. The problem there is that the terrain would look the same, be quite small/low and has no room for converting. Will probably end up having to go the GW route if I want the look that I am after.

Anyhoo, that is the initial plan and may change a little before I actually start getting anywhere.

An update

Well, my Forge Fathers arrived from Mantic a couple weeks ago and I have to say that I love the models. There's no room for converting at least not easily but I don't mind. I've got ten of the twenty built and I finally build the White Dwarf promo mini as well, but so far lack of time and worse, a lack of desire has prevented me painting any of them. I think part of it is also that I desperately want to know whether Demiurg are in the new Tau book or not, and depending which rumours you follow the book may or may not be out in a few months. The lack of info has halted my desire to do anything with them.

I am also in the process of trying to get the flat rearranged so I have a dedicated games room again. Once I do then I think I'll be in a happier frame of mind to sit down and do some painting whether it be my Salamanders or my Squats.

Another reason for getting the games room done is because for a while now I have had the desire to build a fixed games table for 40K. I know some folks out there don't like the idea of a fixed table but it's something I want to do and do well. I was influenced by the following vid on youtube:

Rather than a factorum complex I want to do a burnt out city block. If you've seen photos of the ruins of Stalingrad during the second world war you'll have an idea of the look that I want to go for. It's going to take me some time to organise and arrange but hopefully once I can start I'll post details on here.