"So what buildings for your Science Fiction urban setting?" Topic

For you Science Fiction wargames are your urban areas futuristic structures, more traditional/current, shanty town, middle eastern adobe, 20th century American or European, a mixture? Would off world colonies that were on earth like planets use local materials to create what felt like home or go for a completely different style?

Really good question Kim. I haven't figured out what I plan on doing, but I do have dozens of adobe buildings that could be used as a stand-in until I figure out what type of environment I want my Sci-Fi warriors to be fighting through.

I have jungle terrain boards that would also be pretty cool.

Eric

For you Science Fiction wargames are your urban areas futuristic structures, more traditional/current, shanty town, middle eastern adobe, 20th century American or European, a mixture?

I want to have a sci fi game with mechs in a nice Eurovillage, sci fi APCs with bulldozers in a couple-few shantytowns, and at least a dozen varieties of "tank battle in a parking lot", with and without VTOLs/gunships/dropships and other Close Air Support. The action mostly takes place in and around a future town in what is now Greenland, say 200 years in the future, during a Little Warm Phase that never ends.

I'm building the following "sites":

Jøkulhavn, a nice Eurovillage

Shackham, scratchbuilt styrene shack hamlet

Hovellford, hobby wood hovels by a river ford

Invershiel, shanties and sheds near a river mouth

Ice Station Romeo, outpost out on the ice for practicing everything

Museum of Universal Concord, "tank battle in a parking lot" X 12

Suppliers are/will be: Crescent Root Studios, GameCraft, Miniature Building Authority, Evergreen (hobbylinc), Combat Wombat, Shapeways, Impudent Mortal, CorSecEng, and I even got a couple of Foxhole Terrain pieces from Scale Creep.

Would off world colonies that were on earth like planets use local materials to create what felt like home or go for a completely different style?

I think you'd have several forces working to create the distinct style of an offworld colony: the cultures of the settlers, how much they want to emulate the Old World, if they kept up on current architecture back home, how they (mis)interpreted it for the new setting and available materials, etc.

I kind of like the idea Dan is pursuing, having a couple of distinct styles blend and work in new environments to create something similar yet different and all its own. I think of "Eastlake" row houses in San Francisco, modern fishing villages in Greenland, pastel balloon-frame houses in the Caribbean, "Asian-style" roofs and open-beam construction on western-style 2X4 framed buildings in Hawaii. A mix of methods, a blend of styles, local materials, local climate, using what works.

Two great questions. Cheers.

DinOfBattle2 wrote:

until I figure out what type of environment I want my Sci-Fi warriors to be fighting through

This was the deciding factor for me. When I visualized these battles I wanted to stage, what exactly did I visualize? I got a visual of mechs towering over a quaint village, of mechs battling tanks while VTOLs stand off nearby whipping up the waves near a beach with prop chop, of a tank battle in a parking lot that I exaggerated into a tank battle at an airshow. I made an anime in my mind of the plotline of my campaign, took at look at what was available that I could afford, took into account my extremely meager skills, and completely rewrote my campaign to accommodate it. A lot of fun.

I'm going to start with lightly washing some plastic stuff, unboxing some of the diecast toy planes, and being bad at scratchbuilding. That'll keep me busy this summer, and provide bits for at least a few skirmish sites.

I'm also playing on a card table, so most of the bigger battles will be broken into quadrants or segments, where specific squads, sections and fireteams will perform their specific role in a larger conflict, since I'm planning an overall Force on Force-style campaign, with platoon records and a budding insurgency interrupting the "regular" three-faction superstate hot cold war.

I also envisioned two of my towns on a hill, and two of them below, near a river, so eventually I want to do a table with a steep cliiff, at least for the area near where the four towns meet. Together, they make up the larger "city" of Concordia, Novaborea.

I might make four 2'X4' tables, two short, two tall, or just get a plastic banquet table and a cheap bar topper. But that's two years down the road. 8)

Whitemanticore: "Would off world colonies that were on earth like planets use local materials to create what felt like home or go for a completely different style?"

I guess that all depends on what is "home" to them.

If they have been floating in space in a transgeneration ship for a century or so, then I suspect that the units they build on the new planet/moon will likely resemble the design and styles of their living quarters on the ship.

That's why I really like the "Conestoga" concept that illustrator John Eaves proposes. Basically, each major section of the ship becomes a principal component in the colony's new infrastructure. And the rest of the ship is broken apart and used as elements living quarters and other enclosed units:

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I would take it one step further and propose that each living unit on the ship could detach as a separate "escape pod" (container unit) and become the primary living quarters for each family.:

They would then use local and salvaged materials to add more storage space and living area on to that basic module -perhaps burying part or all of the original module under the improvements.

Perhaps it starts with simply enclosing the lower section here with mud or clay, for additional storage space:

Or the new additions may use local material (clay, mud, stone, etc) to simply join multiple modules into a larger single residence:

The materials for everything else they add to the colony will have to be from what's available once on the surface (clay, mud, stone, to begin with), and whatever metal units they can repurpose for living and storage space. And, as they make their expansions, they will begin to experiment with and develop their own local design flavor.

Now, if the colonists get there within a generation or so of departure, their traditional designs and styles may well reflect on what they do to their modules after landing, using local material and repurposed metal to augment the basic look and feel beyond that of simple dismantled ship components. The additions may no longer be for utilitarian reasons. They may make improvements designed solely to show everyone else their own cultural pride.

Dan
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This thread needs pictures.

The most fought over spot (Mazzengaville) in our Hammer's Slammers campaign contains a wide variety of architectural styles.

Patrick,

Wow. You must have had waves upon waves of supply ships for something like that!!!!

That's way too much support for my puny Stage I (pioneer) colony idea.

While my guys wait a few years for the next ship, they might get busy and start digging themselves a nice huge common area beneath their "container homes". Perhaps something like what Outpost 31 had built beneath their Antarctic station:

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Dan

I keep seeing posts about urban buildings, but in talking with other manufacturers I keep hearing that buildings don't sell. Or at least don't sell enough to make them worth the investment.

Truthfully, how many of you would buy 15mm urban (as in "normal metropolitan", as opposed to environtmen themed)buildings?

Pre-built/one piece or configurable?
Resin or expanded foam?
Raw or pre-painted?

If I was going to buy a ton of tall futuristic buildings, then it would make no point using them in an off-world setting. I would just use them for a futuristic city on Earth.

But, if I'm going for off-world scenarios, it's for the frontier town feel. A mix of these two:

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Skyscrapers off-word are as appealing to me as skyscrapers in the Old West.

And, by the way, this will be my horse:

If not, then these:

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But more likely this DARPA mule:

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Dan

They are making advances, in 3D printing of living quarters and that it is the idea of using materials on the moon and mars, scoop up, mix, and print.

So I figure they in the begining they would look more like adobe houses.

A pioneer colony anywhere, with infrequent supply ships to support them, will absolutely need to use local materials if they are to expand their living, working and storage space.

More so if they need to shield from the elements:

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Dan

We also have the capital city of Port Morgen to fight over also:

Expanded foam would be great for more high rises.Light and easy to store.
Though resin or mdf would probably work better for configurable buildings.
Thanks,
Pat

Truthfully, how many of you would buy 15mm urban (as in "normal metropolitan", as opposed to environtmen themed)buildings?

I have a load of the MMG buildings for use as an off-world city. I prefer the settled look to the shanty-town look and it suits the history of my sci-fi force. As part of a planned colony they quickly built their new towns using local materials, but they had the tools with them to do so and did not need to scavenge bits of the ships that they arrived on. I plan to buy more buildings to expand the city to fill more of my table when I can. I'm not currently looking at building lots of high rises, because the current planet still has a low population and plenty of space, but that might change in the future.

Truthfully, how many of you would buy 15mm urban (as in "normal metropolitan", as opposed to environtmen themed)buildings?

While I certainly enjoy the giant Slammer's urban battles, it'll be quite some time before I have the space, skill and support network to attempt anything of the sort. I might eventually try for some foamcore buildings or some bombed out husks, but I'm pretty much covered with my current budget and shopping list for the next two years at least. Not to mention my current inventory, campaign design and production schedule. =]

I have my shanty town already; to which will be added some prefab buildings plus space port pumping station and more. But I intend to build a sci-fi city. I have been inspired by all the fantastic infinity terrain. My shanty town. Soon to be expanded.

I also like and am inspired by this:

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There's room for it all. That's why I'm enjoying the 'period' so much!

John T

I really must give my Frontier/Pioneer Town idea a genuine effort and bring it to fruition.

But, after that, who knows?

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Dan
PS. Perhaps that's why I'm still holding to the Halsam Skyline kit I got a couple of years ago:
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auction

I like the Conestoga idea. The ship's reactors would become powerplants for the colony, it's medical bay would become the clinic, life-support systems would provide recycled water… this idea has real merit!

I thought (hoped, actually) that the Conestoga concept would appeal to some here!

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Dan

javelin98 said:

I like the Conestoga idea. The ship's reactors would become powerplants for the colony, it's medical bay would become the clinic, life-support systems would provide recycled water… this idea has real merit!

Based on the work you did on that modular IFV system, and your previous efforts, this is not only something that would seem to mesh with your skillset and interests, it seems like something you could bring to fruition, and it is a project I would gladly support, be it via Shapeways, Kickstarter or otherwise.

8)

I would have a conestoga settlement if I had the skills to scratch build one…

I've two sets of buildings specifically for 15mm gaming, 1st for the urban setting i use a old very large unknown 20mm resin factory a couple of Old Crow mech hangers and a Mechwarrior clicky-tech factory and a Mechwarrior clicky-tech office block building set which i am still looking for another one to complete my urban setting and my old Tommytech road system, I have also got a couple of scratch built generic buildings made from old wooden cigar boxes and metal add ons from The Scene. Not on topic but for an off world settlement of facility of some kind i use the old Kryomek resin dome buildings which i have 9-10 and enough AT-43 wall sections to fully surround the complex.

Whitphoto,

Here's a couple of Conestoga-like buildings, more or less, that you can start with:

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At least two of those look like they could be part of the Conestoga-Terra Nova setup:

Could even work as part of the Ceti Alpha refugee camp from the Enterprise episode:

The SS Conestoga was specifically designed to be disassembled, however.

Dan

GameCraft makes some lovely Tomorrow's War shelters very similar to those in the picture above. See Structures for the Humans.

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Wow! I have a long way to go on my project.

whitemanticore said:

Wow! I have a long way to go on my project.

What are you thinking of making?

'My' planet's buildings reflect the somewhat complicated 'future history'.

When the first survivors literally fell to earth on Harmony they needed to build shelter, and in a hurry. Much of the initial construction reused salvagable pieces of the Colony Ship. Many of these structures still stand in the shanty town surrounding Harmony Spaceport, supplemented by other items of recycled space junk. As the colonists recovered, they began to build new structures. In the absence of heavy equipment of sophisticated machinery, they fell back on the technology of their forebears, producing mud-brick, stucco and stone buildings, These structures, sometimes suitably updated, continue to line the streets in the poorer parts of Harmony City and other towns.

Buildings by Mayhem Models (Eureka). Add ons from GZG.

"A new suburb for Harmony."

As the New Settlers became more frequent and Harmony was re-intergrated back into the wider interstellar community, the need for a higher standard of 'modern' accomodation became more pressing.

Between and beyond the shanties and mud brick buildings of Old Harmony City new structures of ferrocrete and plasteel began to appear.

Mass-produced & often pre-fabricated these buildings offer a
higher level of affordable luxury than most Harmonics are used to.

Civilisation, in the form of street lighting and a public transport service, began to be seen in the streets.

However the older suburbs remain popular, especially amongst the Old Colonists, the poor and the marginalised.

And of course, where 'civilisation' goes, rules and regulations follow, something not alway appreciated by the locals!

When the Megrez established a presence on Harmony, one of their major motivations was to establish a trade post. Although they could have built a new complex from scratch, that is not the Megrez way. Being a subtle and pragmatic people, they prefer to adapt to existing conditions, to fit into the local milieu. They find that this approach attracts less unwelcome attention from others.

The traditional Harmonic fortified house was built around a central courtyard, with shaded cloisters and storage areas, large doors & with accomodation on an upper level. Perfect for adaptation to a Trade House. Taking over one of the old houses as a base, the Megrez adapted it to suit their physiology, pressuring and supplementing the atmosphere inside the building, adding filters to the windows, and otherwise modernising the old house.

The large courtyard and high doorways are well suited to their role as a Caravanserai and Trade House.

There are modifications to the old buldings, not all of them immediately visible.

Although low key, the Megrez are well aware of the value of their goods & their Trade Houses are famously well defended. Hover Drones are only the most obvious & visible defence, monitoring traffic around the House & providing a potent deterrent to any intending thief or raider.

The building is the 20mm Italeri 'African House', bits & pieces from Ainstey, GZG, The Scene, & a couple of others (Critical Mass & Peter Pig IIRC). Figures & camels from Museum Miniatures via Eureka.

Jaw dropping stuff, Etranger: really, really good work. But Stealth1000's shanty town looks fab too.

Patrick knows what I think of his stuff!

Some really good finished stuff on this thread, rather thn lots of talk and planning (useful as that sometimes is): inspiring work, folks.

John T

Actually I'm inspired by your work, John! Along with a couple of other posters, it's the standard of your work that I strive to get somewhere near to.

I still like the idea of 3d house/building printing

equipment needed would be minimal, a two part resin with expanding properties, mixed in with the local materials

with a few simple click and print building plans already programed in living quarters, clinic, office building, work building/labs and etc.

as the first steps for the colony, as time moves forward and other materials become available.

so any building style would work it would all depend on how much you paid for the programs and the first set of materials you brought with you

and last note "You get what you pay for"

Etranger,

Damn, that is great work, as is Stealth1000's shanty town.

Thanks,

Pat

I am going for a mix of styles. High tech cities mixed with functional buildings. Shanties around the outsides.

Looking back at colonial places they often copied the styles of the places they came from. There is a Bavarian farm and a Welsh village in South America. So there is a good opportunity to mix styles from other lines such as WW2 European claiming the settlers where from there.

+1 Etranger

I've yet to see a pic of something I wouldn't be stoked to have on my gaming table, inspirational stuff guys.

I figure we all helping each other out and egging us all forward at the same time, to bigger and better things!

Hats off all round :)

John T