An old cardboard box would be just as good. The next step: Get something to serve as a tray in which to pour sand. Perfectly straight dirt roads across a country side would look artificial to my eye.Ī handful of the many sections I cut from several tiles in about an hour (maybe less). Here's a T-section (forgive the funky shadow).I started by just drawing straight lines across the length of the tile with the ruler to ensure my ends all measured exactly 3", but then I went back over with the Sharpie and added some slight bends and variations to the lines. Unlike this particular tile, my sections didn't typically have twists and turn this pronounced, and so I was usually able to get three 12"x3" road sections out of a single 49 cent tile. If you're unsure while you're making your initial cuts, just cut a smidge wider: you can always trim down, but you can't add back what you've already trimmed off! I drew on the non-adhesive side of the tile. Just make sure both ends are exactly that length so you have no problems cleanly connecting up your sections on the table. I decided 3" was a good width for my roads. To get started, this is all you really need. They turned out well enough, and the tiles had three main virtues: (1) they're easy to find, (2) they're incredibly cheap, and (3) they're easy to cut with simply scissors. When I was putting together my board for my zombie apocalyse game for Halloween 2017, I landed on the idea of using linoleum floor tile for the small town's paved roads.
Material is typically fairly cheap, and the more you are willing to improvise and make mistakes, the faster you'll become comfortable with the creative process involved. If I had to pass on any advice to newcomers to terrain making it would be to watch a number of YouTube tutorials or check out a site like my pal John's 1,000 Foot General, and then just jump in and get your hands dirty.
#How to make wargames terrain river crack#
I've been meaning to take another crack at making some roads now that I have more terrain-making experience under my belt and find the process less intimidating. I never felt good about putting them on the table for our games and eventually stopped altogether. You can see how shiny and how wavy and curled at the edges they turned out. My sub-par first attempt at making roads for my games using felt strips, glue, and printed designs. I used them once or twice but was never happy with them. The combination of glue, paper, and felt also meant the roads had a wavy consistency and almost always curled at the edges. The result was okay, but the way my laser printer produced the roads ended up being quite reflective to the point of almost being glossy looking. I bought some PDFs of cobblestone roads that I sized, printed, and glued to felt. My first attempt was a couple of years ago when my standards were a bit lower and I wasn't sure how much I was interested in investing in this new hobby. I have wanted some good roads to add to my games for a while now.