Battle Systems Terrain: It’s Like IKEA for Necromunda

September 13, 2023October 25, 2024 wilbur

Battle Systems terrain has been on my radar for a few years now. It appealed to me when I first heard about it, and I’d always planned to pick up a box or two at some point.

Having recently got into Planet 28, the timing felt right. My sci-fi terrain has, until now, been pretty non-existent, and my skirmish terrain, in general, has lacked depth, levels, and floors.

Like most hobbyists, I don’t have much room for storing terrain (and certainly not for leaving it set up), so the idea of Battle Systems’ “flat-packed” cardboard offerings was quite irresistible.

There’s also a strange nostalgic appeal of cardboard terrain, from those classic Warhammer 40k ruins and Epic Space Marine skyscrapers to the little cottages White Dwarf would teach you to make out of old Cornflakes boxes.

So I reached out to the good folks at Battle Systems and enquired about reviewing two kits that caught my eye, and they very kindly agreed to send them out to me. The kits are the Frontier Core Set, and the Art Deco High Rise.

I should clarify that I don’t do this often, if ever. Not that there’s anything wrong with the strategy, but I only want to spend my limited hobby time with stuff that I really like, or, like the look of. And like the look of Battle Systems, I do. So, let’s see what to make of it all…

Battle Systems Terrain

The first thing I noticed upon opening the boxes was just how much terrain is packed into them. I mean, it’s pretty obvious from looking at the box covers, but it’s worth reaffirming that you get a lot of stuff, here.

I actually found it quite intimidating at first, looking at everything in its flat-packed form. I watched a couple of YouTube videos to see examples of other folks putting Battle Systems terrain together, but it is pretty self-explanatory. Once I got started and stuck a couple of walls together, I quickly lost myself in the task. I found it quite therapeutic, actually. Like building a big 3D jigsaw.

Taking a break for a bit, I rolled out the neoprene mat from the Frontier Core Set. Whilst the detail on it is excellent, the overall quality I’d describe as “fine”. I have a few neoprene mats from GameMat.eu, and they’re of superior quality. But it’s possible that Battle Systems make them this way as it’s easier to fold them in boxes.

Back to the cardboard terrain, the attention to detail in the artwork design is second to none. It’s almost telling you a story of its own as you pop bits out and join them together. They’re double-sided too, so you don’t need to pay too much attention when you’re building it.

I’m curious as to how others put their Battle Systems terrain together. I imagine it’s a bit like fiction writers: You have the meticulous planners who know every tiny detail before they get to work. Then, you have the “seat of the pants-ers” who just start and see where it takes them. I think I identify more with the latter, though maybe the more experienced you get with the kits, the more likely you are to dream up some grand designs.

Battle Systems terrain is almost the polar opposite of the 2D neoprene terrain I talked about recently, and yet, I like these 3D cardboard structures just as much. As ever with this hobby, there are no right or wrong ways to do things. Everything is an option, and everything has its place.

battlesystems terrain: art deco high rise kit

I’ll admit that I don’t see me getting much use from the scatter terrain in these kits. I found them a bit fiddly to put together and didn’t do a great job with some of the smaller parts. This wasn’t a major selling point for me anyway. I was really after the big stuff – walls, stairs, walkways, etc.

I’m excited to bring more of a multi-layered, multi-platformed experience to my skirmish games. I do own a lot of cool terrain, but my miniatures are almost always fighting out their battles on the ground floor. Now, they’ll have the opportunity to climb, jump, and fall from two or three-storey structures. That adds so much to the narrative, the scenario objectives, and the potential for a good tale at the end of it all.

So, in summary, these kits get two big thumbs up from me. I can see myself getting a lot of use out of them, and the potential for variety is limitless. I often joke about our terrain collections having us fighting over the same three farmhouses on the tabletop. With Battle Systems terrain, there’s no danger of that.

It’s worth noting, too, that although I’ve got sci-fi and apocalypse settings here, Battle Systems also has an excellent-looking fantasy range on their website.

Hopefully, you’ve enjoyed this whirlwind review, and it has answered some of the questions you might’ve had. Here’s a quick recap:

Pros

Flat-pack storage takes up very little room.
Limitless variety of build options.
Beautifully illustrated card.

Cons

Increased setup time – This is definitely not a time-saving tool.
Relatively fragile – you’ll need to take very good care of it.

Now, who wants to get some meatballs?

The Frontier Core Set is available for £84.99, whilst the Art Deco High Rise costs £37.99. Thank you very much to Battle Systems for sponsoring this content!

The Pros & Cons of 2D Neoprene Terrain

July 28, 2022August 3, 2022 wilburLeave a comment

Cheating, tacky, or clever? 2D neoprene terrain divides opinions amongst miniature hobbyists. But like almost everything else, there can be a place for it.

I remember one of the first games I played after returning to the hobby. In my newfound (newly discovered) enthusiasm, I’d quickly bought up some terrain. Included in this terrain were some trees. Trees, which, without a doubt, looked the part. But each time a hair on my arm brushed within 4″ of one of them, it would topple over.

This might’ve made for some cinematic gaming. Some massive hurricane or something like that. But in reality, it was just highly annoying.

Woodland creatures, Boarus and Goatsy

Tabletop Climate Change

My solution was an extreme one – climate change. Let’s never again game in a setting that’s environmentally conducive to growing trees. I’ve heard Felstad is nice at this time of year. And as for ‘The Infected Trees’ scenario in Rangers of Shadow Deep, let’s just play in the ‘Infected Ruins‘ instead.

The thing is, though, I still like trees and general greenery on the tabletop. I’m from that generation that flicked through the pages of White Dwarf looking at Space Marines and Orks fighting over a well-manicured golf course under a hazy blue sky.

Still, trees were something I’d put on the side for now and come back to in the future.

Then, I got myself a copy of Blood Moon, the Rangers of Shadow Deep supplement. One of the terrain recommendations was a pond. This isn’t something I currently own. Not exactly the hardest thing to make, I imagine. But I’m always cautious about starting scratch-built terrain projects as it takes me away from painting miniatures.

Grubb and Gunther go fishing

Enter, 2D Neoprene Terrain

I typed some words into my google machine for pre-made pond terrain, and up popped this Meadows 2D Terrain set from Gamemat.eu. As it happens, these Prague-based wizards are my favourite terrain company. I’ve got a lot of their pre-painted resin stuff and 4×4 neoprene battle mats already (a castle, a village, some gothic ruins). They had my attention, and now, they had my interest.

In this 2D terrain set, there were two ponds. If any terrain could be considered “acceptable” then it’s water features. But there were also mist clouds, rocks, hills, barriers, bunkers, buildings, and yes – trees.

I thought to myself, this is probably the best practical way to get some woods on the tabletop. Sure, it doesn’t look as visually striking, or, dare I say it, “realistic”. But having just played a game of Rangers of Shadow Deep using kid’s wooden toy blocks, I know that we’re more than capable of suspending our disbelief when needed.

So looking through this 2D neoprene terrain set (by the way, they have others too, “arctic” and “sands“, if you genuinely do want to abolish all greenery) I decided to jump in and add it to my collection. Now that I’ve had a good look at it, in-person, here are my overall thoughts.

Vinny sits on a wall. Best place for him, probably.

Cons of 2D Neoprene Terrain

So, obviously, it’s not as “realistic” as 3D terrain
I’m not convinced it works well for buildings – are minis on them, or in them?
It might make line of sight and cover-related stuff less dynamic

Is Harald Half-Orc on the house, or in the house?

Pros of 2D Neoprene Terrain

Creates an instant battlefield, quick to set up and tidy away
Requires almost no storage space
Highly cost-effective
Perfect for rivers, ponds, and roads
All the enjoyment of woodlands without knocking trees over
You could actually deploy a full multi-based regiment in your woods, too

Fun Gus, lost in a cloud. Typically.

Summary

Like anything else in this hobby, you’ll find stuff that works for you, and stuff that doesn’t. Whether or not a 2D pond can float your boat (see what I did there?) will be entirely up to you. For me, it makes perfect sense for both water features and woodland. I think the misty clouds and bunkers are a cool idea, too.

I’m undecided on whether or not to embrace the hills. I don’t have any actual hill terrain though, so I’ll certainly give them a shot. I really don’t see myself using the buildings, but mainly because I already have the luxury of owning some good 3D stuff already.

Anyway, I hope that’s given you a few things to think about if you’re weighing up 2D neoprene terrain for your own collection. And if you do decide to take the plunge, the imaginary greenhouse gasses in your story world are sure to thank you for it.

At very worst, you’ll now have an excellent choice of mouse mats.

Etsy Wargaming Terrain for D&D, 40k, Warhammer, & More

January 16, 2021January 16, 2021 wilburLeave a comment

The well of Etsy wargaming terrain is a bottomless one. You can get lost on there pouring over the various offerings, from Dwarven mines, to scorched gothic ruins. On Etsy, you’ll spot companies and manufacturers you’re familiar with, and many more that you’re not. It’s an abundance of talent and beautiful products all in one place.

After spending way too much time on there (yet again), I thought it’d be useful to pull together some of the best stuff I’ve found so far in one handy roundup.

So whether your jam is leading a small party of adventurers through dark and narrow dungeon corridors, or leading huge regiments of troops into an epic conflict, you’ll find something to suit your needs right here.

To be up-front, I do use affiliate links here, which means I may earn a commission if you were to buy through them. This is at no extra cost to yourself, and helps support the running costs of this humble blog. If you don’t want to use my affiliates though, then here’s a straight-up link to the Etsy marketplace 🙂

D&D adventures often start in the tavern. Etsy miniature wargaming terrain.

Etsy D&D Terrain

There’s a lot of terrain on Etsy that’s perfect for your D&D adventures. Perhaps your adventure begins (as it does for many) in the tavern bar (or even kitchen?). Or maybe your party has just escaped from prison? In any case, once your quest is underway, what kind of dungeon would you like to explore? Will you pave the way with some dungeon tiles and doors, or will you opt for the full immersion of a cavern/dungeon set? A cheaper “all in one” option is this MDF Deep Dark Dungeon kit, but that’ll require a bit more work on the building and painting side of things.

Fight your 40k battles over these blasted ruins

Etsy 40k Terrain

More of a Warhammer 40k player? Prefer to lead squads of Space Marines across shell blasted battlefields on ruined worlds? Ruins are ubiquitous in any game of 40k, whilst some industrial-looking scatter terrain will never go amiss either. Ammunition dumps, Sci-fi walkways, and jutting rocks paint a realistic picture of a futuristic warzone. This two-level gothic tower makes for an ideal centrepiece or scenario objective, too.

Etsy Warhammer Fantasy Terrain

Are you a bit of a rank and flanker? Whether you’re playing in the Warhammer Old World sandbox, or in Mantic’s Kings of War, there’s a lot of great fantasy terrain on Etsy that’ll make your table look stunning. You can never go wrong with some houses, and this fishing village set is perfect for your Empire army to defend against the tides of Chaos. No settlement is complete without a blacksmith’s forge, and as ever, some scatter terrain adds an extra dimension to your setup. Heading out into the wilderness, you might choose to fight over some ruins, or even a crumbling castle. These dead forest and goblin outpost sets are well worth a look, too.

Summary: Buying Etsy Wargaming Terrain

The thing I love most about the Etsy wargaming terrain offerings, is the individuality. If you’re buying buildings or scenery from one individual company, then there’s always going to be a particular look or “theme”. But because the creators and sellers on Etsy are all independent of one another, it’s akin to walking round a boutique market.

The sheer variety of Etsy wargaming terrain also means you’re more likely to find the exact piece you had in mind to bring your table to life. This is opposed to when buying from companies with a limited range, where you’ll often get something on the basis that it isn’t quite 100%, but “it’ll do”.

With that said, Etsy is far from the only place to pick up buildings, scenery, and furniture for your miniature adventures. Check out my roundup on the best places to buy miniature wargame terrain for even more options.

6mm Terrain – Building a Little World

April 30, 2020April 30, 2020 wilburLeave a comment

I’ve really fallen in love with 6mm wargaming since my recent return to the hobby. It’s a scale that offers so much potential for creating huge sweeping battles. The sort of which I could only dream of hosting on a 28mm level. Recently, I’ve spent a bit of time building out my 6mm terrain collection. Here’s the lowdown so far.

The first thing I did was to buy a handful of buildings from Total Battle Miniatures. I’m mainly interested in playing the medieval/fantasy genre, and these are some great little sculpts. They were a lot of fun to paint, too.

6mm scale buildings from Total Battle Miniatures

When it comes to scenery, I tend to buy more stuff than I make. That said, I had a go at making my own trees to add to my 6mm terrain collection. Here are the cones I picked up during a walk in the woods.

Here, the woodlands start to take shape, based on blobs of Fimo Clay. Check out my full post on making the trees.

I must’ve started to feel adventurous with the Fimo Clay, and made another 6mm terrain piece. This time I simply pushed some tiny stones into a larger blob of the stuff. I thought this would make for a useful defence on the battlefield.

I decided to call it Broken Tooth Mound. It just needed a coating of sand and some paint.

I gradually worked through the painting of the buildings, and my 6mm terrain village started to take shape.

I mainly used a mixture of Citadel contrast paints and drybrushing on the buildings. My painting is still at a very low level, but I’m always trying to practice and improve.

a unit of crossbowmen patrol the perimeter

6mm Terrain: Next Steps

I’m pleased with how things are looking so far. I haven’t managed a game with it all yet, but I’m probably going to hang back a bit on that front. I’ve placed an order with Baccus for some roads, bridges, and rivers. Due to the current climate it might be a few weeks before they arrive (not that I’m lacking in anything to be getting on with). Once they’re painted up and added to my 6mm terrain collection, I’ll be raring to go!

Anyway, hope that was an interesting tour around my fledgling settlement. If you enjoy the posts here I’m always hugely grateful for them being shared with others you think might like them.

And next up, don’t forget to check out the post on putting my 6mm trees together!

Making 6mm Scale Trees for Miniature Wargaming

April 23, 2020April 23, 2020 wilburLeave a comment

I wrote recently about my journey into the world of 6mm wargaming. I think playing at this scale offers tremendous potential to create the effect of huge, sweeping battlefields. I went and got myself a few little buildings recently from Total Battle Miniatures. Once I started painting them, I got thinking about 6mm-scale trees. How was I going to add some much needed greenery to an otherwise bloodsoaked battlefield?

In my adulthood I’m more of a “buy” than “make” person when it comes to miniature wargaming terrain. However, I decided to have a bash at creating my own 6mm scale trees for a few different reasons.

Firstly, I just didn’t see anything out there for sale that took my fancy, and at a reasonable price. That’s not to say there won’t be plenty great options out there, I just didn’t find them.

Secondly, as I write, we’re in the middle of a nationwide lockdown. This doesn’t mean I’ve suddenly got loads of free time, as fortunately I’m still able to work. But it does mean that I’ve been more mindful of ordering things, and a lot of companies have actually shut down their deliveries for now anyway.

Making 6mm Scale Trees

So I took to Google to see if there was a way to make some little trees. I found an excellent guide over at Elinderil’s Blog which gave me the idea to use cones found in the woods.

Cones look like miniature trees anyway, so they don’t need much work at all to get them table ready. And this was a great excuse to get out for a nice healthy walk in nature.

I collected a small bag of cones when I was out (I also collected a few strange looks from dog walkers, but hey ho). I then made some bases with Fimo Clay.

I’ve an old gun full of sealant under the stairs. I decided to pump a few dollops of that onto the bases, then trim the cone stems, and stick them on.

After the sealant dried, I did the old PVA glue/sand combo on the bases, then they were ready to take out into the garden for a blast with the spray can.

sand and green spray applied to 6mm trees

This was a simple and quick process, from collecting the cones, to having table-ready 6mm scale trees. I finished them off with a drybrush of darker green. Then, the bases got a coat of Ork Flesh, which is one of the Citadel Contrast paints.

I started small by only making 3 copse of 6mm scale trees. I figured I’d see how I got on before committing to building an entire forest. I definitely plan on making more. I’m just wondering about what type of base I could use to mount dozens of trees, rather than do them all in individual clusters. If you’ve any thoughts on that, dear reader, then I welcome your feedback in the comments section below!

And don’t forget to take a look at my post on the attraction of 6mm wargaming, and my steps in to playing that scale!

Now, I need to get back to painting those tiny buildings…

A Visit to Warbases: Terrain, Miniatures, & Movement Trays

January 16, 2020January 17, 2020 wilbur1 Comment

I had the pleasure of visiting the Warbases HQ today. I’ve only recently just got back into the hobby after a long exile, and in that time I’ve been discovering great looking companies on a weekly basis.

I’d seen Warbases mentioned a lot on Twitter. It was clear that they were a very established and well respected company. What came as a complete surprise to me though, was that they’re actually based about 30mins drive from my house here in Scotland.

I reached out to them to say hello, and the owner and founder Martin very kindly invited me down to their workshop for a tour.

As someone who grew up with little access to the hobby (aside from a monthly copy of White Dwarf and a yearly trip to the GW store) it was a brilliant experience to be shown round behind the scenes of a company like Warbases.

The Warbases Tour

The workshop of this small but thriving family business was busy with activity. I saw terrain and miniatures being created, orders being fulfilled, and parcels being prepared to be sent as far afield as Australia.

As Martin showed me round the various benches, machines, and bits of kit, I learned about the work that goes into creating their superb looking products. They create miniatures (most recently, a new range of 28mm fantasy pieces under the Bifrost Miniatures banner), movement trays, scenery and terrain.

As I’ve mentioned, Warbases are a well thought of company in the hobby. They’re used by many a celebrated wargaming brand, including the legendary TooFatLardies. Looking round their stock and various products it’s not hard to see why, and I was very grateful to be sent off with a handful of free samples too!

Martin very kindly gifted me a movement tray for a unit of 16 miniatures on 25mm bases, a little hay barn and cart, and a cool wee Warbases hit counter. I look forward to painting these up.

One particular highlight of my tour was to meet the company “foreman” Scout – a beautiful and friendly 4 month old German Shepard.

Another pleasant surprise about Warbases was the value of their products. You can buy grand and intricate buildings to decorate your battlefields for £10-£15 each. They’re creating stuff in the fantasy, historical, and sci-fi genre, and in various scales, from 10mm to 28mm.

The Local Miniature Wargaming Scene

I’d always just assumed that companies like Warbases would be based down in England (Nottingham, in particular!) or further afield. However, Martin told me there were a decent amount of other companies up here that they work with. On top of that, he gave me info on a number of events coming up in the first half of 2020. Vapnartak in February in York, Carronade in Falkirk in May, and the Glasgow Games Gathering in June.

In all, it was a really enjoyable experience today, and Warbases have certainly won themselves a new lifelong customer!

Best Places To Buy Miniature Wargame Terrain (All Budgets!)

December 6, 2019August 27, 2021 wilburLeave a comment

Miniature wargame terrain brings your games to life. A few well crafted scenery pieces can turn a plain old tablecloth into an immersive, blood soaked battlefield. It can transform the experience of standing round a table full of static models, to peering into a living, breathing world.

Subscribe to the Tabletop Miniature Hobby Podcast on your podcast listening app of choice

There are many different ways to get miniature wargame terrain. Some hobbyists love to make it themselves, and can sculpt the most beautiful buildings and scenery out of items that others might seen as junk.

Making your own miniature wargame terrain can be enormously satisfying. But as I’ve talked about before, there are many different layers to our hobby. Whilst some love to craft, paint, and create, others are simply desperate to get their figures on the table and take on their next opponent.

You only have so much time to dedicate to your hobby, so use it wisely. If it’s the gaming that’s your main passion, why pour time and effort into things like building scenery? If you don’t enjoy it, you’re unlikely to create terrain pieces you’re truly happy with. Why not let the experts make this stuff for you, and spend more of your time doing what you enjoy best?

With that said, if you do opt to buy in your miniature wargame terrain, where are some places you can start looking?

Heads Up: I use some affiliate links here which means I may earn a small commission should you choose to buy through them, though at absolutely no extra cost to yourself.

Splendid Scenery Sellers, & Terrific Terrain Traders

There are loads of different (and fantastic) options out there these days, so I aim to build this list out on an ongoing basis. If you’re a miniature wargame terrain manufacturer or distributor then please get in touch if you’d like me to have a look at anything.

In the meantime, based on my own experiences so far, here are my favourite places to buy miniature wargame terrain.

Amazon Miniature Wargame Terrain

You can buy almost anything on Amazon these days – and that includes top notch miniature wargame terrain. You’ll find anything from war-torn rubble and dungeon tiles, to creepy mausoleum and cemetery layouts, and miniature villages. Necromunda and Kill Team players will love this industrial multi-level platform, and ruined building.

medieval fishing village on etsy — *A medieval fishing village, available on Etsy*

Etsy Miniature Wargame Terrain

Etsy is by far the most diverse and varied miniature wargame terrain marketplace I’ve come across. No matter what games you play, you’ll find building and scenery pieces that take your tabletop to the next level. I thought this platform was worthy of an article in its own right, so I decided to put together a roundup of my favourite Etsy wargaming terrain pieces for D&D, 40k, and Warhammer.

Miniature wargame terrain from GameMat — *My medieval/fantasy terrain, by GameMat*

GameMat.eu

GameMat are my absolute favourite to-date. I’ve picked up their Medieval Houses Set and Medieval Castle Set, along with some scatter terrain and a double sided rubber gaming mat from them. Their site is a treasure trove of miniature wargame terrain. I could spend my life savings here, if I had any.

Their resin terrain is all pre-painted too, so they’re table-ready right out of the box!

Mantic

Mantic are a company I soon discovered following my return to the hobby. Their gaming rules and general ethos quickly won me over, and Kings of War is one of my favourite games of all time.

Mantic are a multi-talented company who create their own range of terrain too. You’ll find stuff for all genres right there, but they particularly seem to excel on the “dungeon bash” front!

Games Workshop

The big dog themselves have always dabbled in terrain, though are obviously a lot more famous for their games and miniatures.

There’s some incredible miniature wargame terrain for sale on their site these days. Their stuff ranges from fantasy to the futuristic, and many pieces will work well in either setting.

I particularly love the look of the environment sets for Warcry.

Another great thing about the GW range too, is that they’re always so easy to assemble!

Goblin Gaming

Goblin Gaming are actually a distributor, rather than a creator. They’ve got an incredible amount of miniature wargame terrain stocked, from historical and fantasy, to modern and sci-fi. They also stock some lovely gaming mats to lay it all out on.

You’ll find Games Workshop, Mantic, and GameMat stuff over there. In fact, that’s how I initially discovered the medieval/fantasy terrain by GameMat in the first place.

28mm Buildings — *Just some of the buildings you can buy from Warbases*

Warbases

On a shoestring budget? Look no further than Warbases.

They make MDF terrain for 10mm up to 28mm scale. You’ll find stuff for virtually any setting, from dungeons and sci-fi tunnels, to Napoleonic and Wild West.

MDF terrain does take a bit more work to get it table-ready. But the cost is super low, so you can buy much more of it. You can pick up some great looking pieces from Warbases for less than £10!

If you’re going down this route, I’d advise starting with similar, smaller pieces, before jumping in to building houses and strongholds.

Best Places To Buy Miniature Wargame Terrain

I realise I’ll barely be scratching the surface just yet. Go easy on me, I’ve only just got back into the hobby 🙂

These are the folks who’ve jumped out to me so far, but I want to build this roundup out over time to make it comprehensive. As I mentioned before, if you’re a miniature wargame terrain manufacturer or distributor then please get in touch if you’d like me to have a look at anything.

And if you’re a mere hobbyist like me who’s looking to create an immersive tabletop battlefield, I hope this has been useful and given you more than a few options. Just don’t go and blow your rent money on miniature wargame terrain. A fortified city of small plastic houses are no use to you if you get chucked out your actual house 😉

Finally… be sure to check out the Tabletop Miniature Hobby Podcast for your audio content fix!

Castle Terrain for Your Medieval and Fantasy Tabletop Battles

November 22, 2019April 20, 2021 wilburLeave a comment

My first ever piece of castle terrain was the plastic tower from the game Battle Masters. I still have it too. It was recently dug out of a box in the attic following my return to the miniature wargaming hobby.

Castles, forts, and strongholds have always given me a sense of awe when I see them on a tabletop. There’s just something about them that really brings a miniature battlefield to life.

You could lay out your game with two largely unpainted forces and a smattering of home made scenery, then add some castle terrain and the whole setting will look fantastic.

Castle terrain from GameMat — *Sorry lads, but it’s a private function and you’re not coming in.*

The Search for Castle Terrain

The Battle Masters tower is still a fine addition to my games of Kings of War and Open Combat.

But it’s more of an outpost than a fully fledged “castle”.

It was on a recent visit to Bamburgh Castle that I decided I needed a miniature fortification in my life. Something to tell a story about. To defend. To attack. To build a world around.

I’m a member of a few different online communities full of disgustingly talented hobbyists. Not only is every painted miniature I see a masterpiece, these folks can really build scenery too.

After witnessing a couple of people building scratch-built pieces of castle terrain, I toyed with the idea of having a go myself.

But I’ve written recently about terrain creation and how I don’t feel it’s the most effective use of my time.

I’ve come to realise that I’d rather take the hit financially, and have something of superb quality, instantly. The alternative, of course, is that I could build something for almost nothing, but it’d take me a long time, and the quality would be average at best.

Castle terrain by GameMat — *My GameMat terrain*

Miniature Medieval Worlds

I had recently invested in this glorious Medieval Houses Set from GameMat.eu.

This kit was intricately crafted and robust. It was hand painted, right out of the box.

Returning once again to the GameMat website, I unsurprisingly found the perfect castle terrain in the form of their Medieval Castle Set.

Just like the houses set, these buildings are of a quality that I never could dream of making myself. I couldn’t wait to get them on the tabletop. You’ll have a glimpse of how it looks from the photos I’ve added in here – but they barely do the terrain justice.

What’s in the Box?

You can pick up GameMat’s spectacular castle terrain for 105,00 €. Here’s what you’ll get…

1x Gate. Measures: (LxWxH):in cm 14x5x14.5 (in inches: 5.5x2x6)
4x Wall. Measures: in cm 14x5x14.5 (in inches: 5.5x2x6)
2x Tower. Measures:4x Wall. Measures: in cm 10x10x24 (in inches: 4x4x10)
2x Ruined Tower. Measures: in cm 10x10x24 (in inches: 4x4x10)

As I’ve said, it’s all pre-painted to the highest standard too. The terrain is ready for the table the minute it arrives.

It can be set up in any way you like, so you can create an enclosed fortification, use it to split the battlefield, or have it running along the side as more of a backdrop.

On thing’s for sure though. With all this magnificent terrain now at my disposal, I’ll really need to up my miniature painting game!

Next Up – if you’re looking for more terrain options, be sure to check out these handy guides…

Stunning 28mm Medieval & Fantasy Terrain by GameMat – Review

November 8, 2019December 2, 2019 wilburLeave a comment

I’ve been trying to make my own fantasy terrain recently. It isn’t something I dislike doing. But I do often feel myself rushing the process and cutting corners towards getting the various pieces finished.

The outcomes here are often twofold. For starters, I spend a lot of my hobby time doing something other than painting minis, and gaming (the two aspects I enjoy most).

Secondly, I end up with fantasy terrain pieces which are “okay”, but not exactly great.

I’ve already talked about the various layers of the hobby, and how its different aspects appeal to different people.

I decided that, in the long run, I’d be better investing a little money buying in some professionally made fantasy terrain. This would vastly improve the look and feel of my games, and allow me to spend more time doing the stuff I enjoy most.

Villagers gather in square — *“Looks like grandad is in trouble once he finally gets back from the tavern.*“

The Search For Scenery

I was doing a bit of Googling and I came across GoblinGaming.co.uk, who look like they stock all the top miniature wargaming brands, and more.

There, I found (and decided to buy) a Medieval Houses Set, created by GameMat.eu.

The Medieval Houses Set

The beauty of this fantasy terrain is that it’s pre-assembled and pre-painted!

Often, when you buy terrain, you still need to put it all together and slap some colour on it. If you really hate this aspect of the hobby, then that can be a massive barrier. You’re only lessening the problem, not solving it.

But this stunning kit could be slid out of the delivery box, and put straight on to the table. As I lined it up alongside some minis, it immediately reminded me of the old photos I used to pour over in White Dwarf as a kid (well, okay, maybe aside from the painting standard of my minis 😉 but hey-ho!).

The pieces are glorious in their design, build, and paint job. Here’s what’s all included.

3x House. Measures(lenght x width x height): 16cm x 9.5cm x 10cm (In inches: 6x4x4)
1x Ruined House. Measures: 24cm x 15cm x 11cm (In inches: 10x6x4)
1x Statue. Measures: 3.5cm x 3.5cm x 10cm (In inches: 1.3×1.3×4)
1x Well. Measures: 6cm x 5.5cm x 6cm (In inches:2x2x2)
10x Crate A. Measures: 1.5cm x 1.5cm x 1.5cm (In inches: 0.6×0.6×0.6)
10x Crate B. Measures: 2.5cm x 1cm x 1cm (In inches: 1×0.4×0.4)
10x Sack. Measures: 2.5cm x 1cm x 1cm (In inches: 1×0.4×0.4)
10x Barrel. Measures: 1.5cm x 1.5cm x 2.5cm (In inches: 0.6×0.6×1)

Fantasy terrain - a warband of snotlings advance through a ruin — *My snotling warband loved the village so much, they immediately invaded it.*

Cost of This Fantasy Terrain

I paid £105 plus delivery for this fantasy terrain.

Forking out 3 figures on any “non-essential” in life is always a big decision. But I know that I’ll use this stuff for the rest of my life. And I could’ve feasibly spent the rest of that life trying to make something similar from scratch and not coming anywhere close!

Villagers assemble around statue — *“I hope the chippy is still open…”*

As you can probably tell, I’ve been dying to share some pictures and a review. If you buy in your fantasy terrain then I’m sure it’ll give you some food for thought. Alternatively, if you do enjoy building and crafting your own scenery, maybe it’ll give you some new ideas for your next project.

A tavern or coaching inn, perhaps? 🙂