Tuesday 14 January 2014

D.I.Y gaming table phase 1 - a.k.a the beast is back

Admittedly, I've been fairly quiet of late, what with Xmas and New Year and all that tripe. That's not to say I didn't enjoy myself, because I did. Anyway, I've made the tentative first steps in sorting out a gaming table for use at home.

The important thing here, apart from enabling more fun to take place, was to have something that was easy to store, and that would also look good. So I've decided I want to try and do something along the lines of a Shrine World. Although we'll see how that pans out!

Things I have used / acquired:
1.Three sheets of 9mm thick MDF, in 2ft by 4ft size.
2. Another sheet of 6mm thick MDF, in 2ft by 4ft size, chopped into 1ft square pieces - (All the MDF is readily available from B&Q, and they will cut stuff to size for you for free)
3. Can of blackboard paint (can I say this? is it PC? it's what is says on the tin, so I'll go with it)
4. Can of grey primer paint
5. Folding clips (4 of)
Ignore the shit triffid looking thing in the background

Square and beige

Tins and clips


















































So, by way of explanation, the 3 big sheets of MDF make a modular surface. If I use 2 of the sheets, I get a 4 x 4ft surface, which is ideal for smaller games or for Kill Team etc. If I use 3, it's a standard 6 x 4ft surface.  The boards will be held together with the folding clips, and will lay on top of an old sheet on the dining table. The boards will also easily fit in the cupboard under the stairs, with all the spiders and shit.

I undercoated the big boards with the blackboard paint, which I got because the can reckons it's really hard-wearing. Guess we'll find out in due course.... I then gave it a rough over-spray with the grey primer. It was windy outside, so it blew the spray and produced a nice effect for added interest. Well, better than flat grey at least.

The smaller boards will be used for mounting buildings etc. on. The 6mm thickness adds in a kerb height that seems sort of realistic at 28mm scale too, so I can have "roads" between the tiles if needed.

The next step will obviously be putting some terrain together. I'm quietly determined that this won't turn into another one of those projects that doesn't come to full fruition.

2 comments:

  1. Nah mate - once I got started on my own game table, I couldn't/can't stop. (Just bought a rivers set!)

    Looks pretty cool so far. Might I offer the idea of purchasing some foamboard to make buildings out of? Cheap and pretty simple to cut out. Just need a sharp knife, ruler and pencil. Cheaper by far than GW's over-priced kits.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I got a good deal by exchanging some unopened stuff for terrain.

      I'll need more though, so this is an avenue worth investigating for sure!

      Delete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...