Friday, April 6, 2018

Meanwhile, behind the scenes

Sometimes even being retired doesn't provide enough time. However work goes on behind the scenes.

"The Plowman homeward plods his weary way." 
(leaving the fields 1/2 plowed, the lazy sod!)
I had been pondering an expedition to find a new piece of cloth for a wargame battlemat for Huzzah! but its just not going to happen. This old rag will have to do despite being a foot short and having a few  slips of the pen from when I quickly drew on a 5" test grid a few years ago.

The initial plan for Huzzah! had been to be just drop sand roads and woods templates onto the table as part of set up but that's a nuisance to get right in a hurry at a Con. An easy, fast, setup alternative that I've used a few times in the last 20 years is to paint the scenario terrain onto the mat and just plonk down trees, houses, etc onto the marked template on the day. That work is now in progress.

Early days yet, but in my head, it already reminds me of the play mats in the old  Marx Mini-Masterpiece Boxed Sets.


11 comments:

  1. Ross- very good effects with the field and sponged cloth- very nice.

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    1. Haven't got a sponge yet, all old fashion brush work but fairly happy with how its coming.

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  2. I'm sure it will look great -- when it's done. But being retired myself, I have found myself busier now than when I was teaching. I've also found that deadlines are great motivators. But when plastic trees fail to form the forest,lichen and a bit of green yarn makes great woods. Think about it: how simple a Shakespearean set is but with imagination, whole worlds come alive.

    I'll see you at Huzzah! and am looking forward to your Friday game. (I might even bring a small set of figures for a SYW game I want to try (using "Honours of War" with 54mm toy soldiers. I suspect I'll be able to fing an empty table Saturday evening. We'll see...

    Alan

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    1. Looking forward to it as well.

      I've still got a few surplus painted AWI 54's if they'd be of any use. I wouldn't mind giving Keith's rules a spin.

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  3. The battle matt is looking very effective with all the terrain features painted on, and a clever way for a quick setup at an event.

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    1. The surprising thing is that I've usually been able to reuse the matts several times before finally partially repainting them.

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  4. I really like the ploughed fields especially. I think the mat will be an excellent and practical way forward. What material is the cloth?
    Alan

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    1. Is a painters drop cloth from a hardware store. I was in a similar position in 2012, no cloth to hand,closest fabric store within 75 kms and a convention game coming up fast. See 2012 post

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  5. Very nice.
    (The Ploughman is a lazy sod - I see what you did there, very witty!)

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  6. This is very beautifully done and artistic! wonderful!
    Peter

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