"If One Was To Build An SF "New Mecca" For 15mm?" Topic

I've always loved this John Eaves illustration. The first thing I thought of was how inspiring a sketch for a small colony of sand dwellers, looking to establish a new "religious" center (or simply as a new begining, after being pushed out of their homeland):

This other vision is, simply put, a bit too ambitious a project:

So, to start off on the smaller example, I was fortunate to get a bunch of these awesome TheSceneUK structures for the nicer areas of my New (mini) Mecca:

link

But, for the more humble buildings, I have tons of cork tiles that I might put to good use by making something like this:

link

link

What else do you guys recommend for making a small settlement on a sandy planet?

Dan
TMP link
TMP link

By the way, for inhabitants I'm thinking Rebel Minis Sahadeen and Khurasan's new desert troops.

link

TMP link

TMP link

Dan

I really liked the look of New Mecca on Helion Prime in Chronicles of Riddick.

Minarets? Gamecraft Miniatures have a nice model. I've got one sitting in a box waiting to be built.

Ooo, good idea! Nice touch.

Thanks,

Dan

Wind traps and moisture collectors, and space olive and orange groves.

You could do a section of the second one, and if you didn't put the buildings down permanently, they could be rearranged to represent other sections, if/when you need to have figures move through the town.

I have already wondered why so many scifi planets are desert ones.
In the far flung future with "starships" crossing the galaxies surely more hospitable planets are available!

Yeah, but they're all infested with Ewoks or Gungans.

Deserts are the cheapest backlot.

A very arid planet invokes the 'mystique' of North Africa and Araby during the times of the Greeks and Romans.

Also, deserts are likely to be common on any planet not 90+% covered by water. Technically, the east side of the 'big island' of Hawaii is a desert, due to the massive rain shadow caused by Mauna Loa.

One would also assume that there would be less native fauna to have to deal with.

I think it can be chalked up to "The Mos Eisley Effect", or perhaps "The Arrakis Effect". In any case, the nice flat roofs of desert structures make it easier to put squads on top, so that's one benefit to the gamer.

Punishment area, for beheadings and stonings.

Yeah, but they're all infested with Ewoks or Gungans.

"Infested" is right. Vermin, the lot of them.

Oh, and while walls are picturesque, unless needed for protection form wind or sand storms, perhaps, they would be singularly useless against a spacefaring foe.

Of course, if I wanted to take out a city on a planet and I had a starship, I'd just drop rocks on it.

Have you considered the 1/144 scale terrain from the Heavy Gear line of figures? The shorter doors would be appropriate in a desert environment – they also have some cool stuff which could be used in the New Mecca set up you are thinking about. Check these out: link

The second one is awsome. Do it in 3 sections and it's do able. Do a section in about 6 weeks if made of paper. I know Warvault or DriveThruRPG would have the buildings. Might take a while longer if you're making out of plastic….

McWong73,

Is this what you mean by "wind traps"?

Dan

Windtraps

link

@J Womack 94

Walls are not useless. They're perfectly fine against bandits and other light threats. Sure, you're not going to stop an orbital attack with them, but that's what theater shields are for, right? ;)

@YesItsMe
Limits of FTL drive, commonality of habitable worlds, the cost of terraforming… heck, Earth has only had any appreciable plants for the past 400 million years (Devonian), and they really didn't take off until 350 million years ago (Carboniferous), and even since then there've been long periods (Permian and Triassic) where on the whole the earth has been exceptionally dry.

Said desert plant could actually have massive amounts of life… just nothing on the surface, like how earth was for the first 300 million years of life!

@Jovian1

Some of them are pretty good, but in general they tend to be expensive. That said I could easily see using the Solar Panels, Windmill, Water Condenser, Water Tanks, Comm Array, and Cargo Container, but along those lines there are companies that make similar for less.

For example Armorcast has some good stuff for a reasonable price

armorcast.com

Of course, if I wanted to take out a city on a planet and I had a starship, I'd just drop rocks on it.

Preferrably at .9 of light speed! Unless you want to salvage anything of the continent it's on.

I actually hadn't visualised the Dan, but those designs are spot on.

I was half joking about the olives and oranges, but having married into an arab family I know first hand that where ever they go they're one of the first plants into the home garden.

I do quite love the Wind Trap designs from Dune. I kinda feel that there should be more Dune in 15mm, but I digress.

If you need more suggestions for materials, you can always use foam and coat it like this video shows just add in a bit of yellow color.
YouTube link
You probably need to go to I think part 19 for the mixture recipe but I do quite love the man's videos.

Also if you want more interesting inspiration, there is this in progress Dune Indie RTS that has some pretty cool concept art:
link

Armorcast is always worth a look around. Just discovered this little gem

However still can't find a good wind trap there.

An advantage to a desert region of a planet is that there are less flora, and fauna to deal with. I'd expect that a desert planet might have adobe buildings since 'traditional' construction does not take a large amount of processed resources and works well in many climates.

I'd assume that like Earth, other habitable planets will also have different climatic regions. Maybe the wooded temperate regions are 'reserves' for 9' tall blue Amazons, maybe the local 'panthers' are fierce man hunters, maybe the local mosquitos and their with different
Desert regions tend to be more hardscrabble, it provides more drama. If you are broken down, lost, or driven out of town in a Desert you are unlikely to last long. Not as dramatic if you are lost in more temperate regions. .

Sorry Misfire, above was going to say:
maybe the local mosquitos and their internal viruses are so fierce humans cannot survive without 'environmental suits, but in the desert areas you can.

For Sci Fi settings, walls might be useful to keep out predators, or marauders, or protect/keep in your "indentured servents." And they look cool. And you can 're-purpose' other terrain models.

Yeah, but they're all infested with Ewoks or Gungans.

I'll take my chances with the sandworms……

Love those windtraps Dan!
Any chance they will become commercially available?